Roasted acorn squash halves filled with nutty wild rice, tart cranberries, toasted pecans, and fresh herbs—a warm, textured vegetarian main with earthy and bright notes.
Prepare the wild rice and squash simultaneously to save time—start rice as soon as squash goes into the oven. Toast pecans in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3–4 minutes before chopping to deepen their nutty flavor.
Substitute dried cherries or apricots for cranberries if preferred; adjust sweetness to taste. Acorn squash can be halved and seeded up to 1 day ahead; wrap in plastic and refrigerate until ready to roast.
Ingredients
Scale
Measurement units
- 2 whole acorn squash
- 1 cup wild rice
- 2 ½ cups vegetable broth
- ¾ cup dried cranberries
- ¾ cup pecans
- 2 tbsp fresh sage
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley
- 1 medium shallot
- 3 tbsp olive oil (2 tablespoons plus 1 tablespoon, divided)
- salt (to taste)
- black pepper (to taste)
Ingredients
Scale
Measurement units
- 2 whole acorn squash
- 1 cup wild rice
- 2 ½ cups vegetable broth
- ¾ cup dried cranberries
- ¾ cup pecans
- 2 tbsp fresh sage
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley
- 1 medium shallot
- 3 tbsp olive oil (2 tablespoons plus 1 tablespoon, divided)
- salt (to taste)
- black pepper (to taste)
Instructions
Prepare the squash
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Halve acorn squash lengthwise with a sharp knife and scoop out seeds and stringy pulp with a spoon.
Brush cut sides and cavities of squash with olive oil (2 tablespoon) and season with salt and pepper.
Place squash halves cut-side down on a baking sheet.
Equipment: baking sheet, spoon
Roast the squash
Roast squash in preheated oven for 35–40 minutes until flesh is tender and lightly caramelized at edges.
Cook the wild rice
In a saucepan, bring vegetable broth (2 ½ cup) to a boil.
Add wild rice (1 cup), stir, and return to a boil.
Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 40–45 minutes until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.
Equipment: saucepan with lid
Toast the pecans
While rice cooks, heat a dry skillet over medium heat and add pecans (¾ cup).
Toast, stirring frequently, for 3–4 minutes until fragrant, then transfer to a cutting board and chop.
Prepare the filling
In a large bowl, combine cooked wild rice with dried cranberries (¾ cup), chopped pecans, 1 minced shallot (1 medium), fresh sage (2 tablespoon), fresh thyme (1 tablespoon), and fresh parsley (2 tablespoon).
Drizzle with olive oil (1 tablespoon) and toss gently to combine.
Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
Equipment: large mixing bowl
Stuff and finish
Remove roasted squash from oven and carefully turn halves cut-side up.
Divide filling evenly among the 4 squash halves, mounding gently into each cavity.
Return to oven and bake for 10 minutes to warm filling through.
Serve warm, 2 squash halves per plate.
Before you cook
Cook notes
- • Prepare the wild rice and squash simultaneously to save time—start rice as soon as squash goes into the oven.
- • Toast pecans in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3–4 minutes before chopping to deepen their nutty flavor.
- • Acorn squash can be halved and seeded up to 1 day ahead; wrap in plastic and refrigerate until ready to roast.
- • Substitute dried cherries or apricots for cranberries if preferred; adjust sweetness to taste.
- • For a non-vegetarian version, stir 4 oz cooked, crumbled sausage into the filling before stuffing.
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