Sometimes a recipe will reveal itself to you when you aren’t even trying. That’s the case with this Stuffed Acorn Squash. Usually when I bake acorn squash, I make it sweet, with a little maple syrup or brown sugar. This time, though, my taste buds wanted something different. Sometimes my cooking is way too predictable for myself lol.
I thought about a savory stuffing and when I started rooting through my fridge and freezer to see what I could rustle up, the idea formed into this amazing dish. Have you ever been super impressed with your own culinary creations? That’s how I felt after making this. “Dang, I’m good sometimes,” was my actual thought. I’m not usually a very creative savory cook [all my energy always gets focused on dessert :-)] however when the inspiration is there, it can really be awesome.
Acorn squash is an amazing vessel for this herby not-sausage stuffing. A forkful of sweet, tender squash and savory, flavorful filling, tied together with the rich gravy, will make even the pickiest happy, I’m quite sure. This filling could also be baked in a different kind of squash, like butternut or kabocha, however I highly recommend having it in the acorn. Acorn squashes are deep with flavor without being overly sweet like some other squash varieties.
This dish comes together very quickly even though it looks fancy and time consuming. While the squash is baking, you make the stuffing and gravy, then bake it all together for 10 minutes and it’s done. A complete meal in less than an hour.
| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | 50 minutes |
| Servings |
people
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- 1 acorn squash
- 6 vegan meatless meatballs (or sausage, see notes)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup diced celery
- 1/4 cup diced red onion
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/4 cup diced bell pepper (orange or yellow preferred)
- 1/2 cup zucchini, chopped in small cubes
- 1/2 teaspoon ground thyme
- 1/2 teaspoons ground sage
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (to taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper (to taste)
- 1 tablespoon non-dairy butter or olive oil
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 cup hot water
- 2 teaspoons tamari [San-J Tamari Gluten Free Soy Sauce, Black Bottle, 10 Ounce
]
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast [KAL Nutritional Yeast Flakes | Vitamin B12, Vegan, Non-GMO, Gluten Free | Unsweetened, Great Flavor, No Bitter Aftertaste | Great For Cooking | 22 oz
]
]
]
Ingredients
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- Preheat oven to 375F. Lightly spray cooking pan or baking sheet with oil.
- Cut acorn squash in half (carefully!). Scoop out seeds.
- Place cut side down on baking sheet. Bake 40 minutes or until tender when pierced with a knife.
- While the squash is cooking, cut and prep veggies and cut each meatless meatballs into 3-4 small pieces. If using a different meat sub, cut into small pieces.
- Heat oil in a skillet at medium high.
- Add the celery, onion, garlic, orange pepper, thyme, sage, salt and black pepper. Saute until onion is translucent and veggies are soft, 5-8 minutes.
- Add zucchini and saute 2 more minutes. Don't worry if it sticks to pan a bit, that will be good for the gravy
- Add the cut up meatless pieces and saute another 2-3 minutes.
- Transfer stuffing mixture to a bowl and set aside.
- Keep the skillet on the stove and turn the heat down to medium low.
- Add the non-dairy butter or oil and the flour to the pan. Whisk well to make a paste.
- Slowly whisk in the water, 1/4 cup at a time, to make a smooth gravy.
- Add in nutritional yeast and tamari. Simmer 5 minutes. [you can add more water for a thinner gravy]. Set aside.
- When the squash is ready, take it out of oven and turn down temperature to 350F.
- Carefully turn squash over. Fill each cavity heaping with stuffing. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of gravy.
- Bake for 10 minutes.
- Let cool 5 minutes before serving. Serve with extra gravy on side.
Meatless meatballs, defrosted, have a very sausage-y like consistency. You can also use meatless sausage, if you prefer. Just make sure it is cut up in smallish pieces for the stuffing. This recipe makes enough stuffing for 2 acorn squashes (or 4 halves) so if you would like to make 4 servings, you easily can. The leftover stuffing is also excellent on it's own!