Roasted Acorn Squash with Wild Rice and Mushroom Stuffing

Acorn squash halves are the perfect shape to hold a whole-grain stuffing. The squash is roasted while the stuffing is prepared; simply combine before serving. Try different whole grains such as quinoa, farro or barley as the base for the stuffing recipe. You can also customize the filling with apples, cranberries or other nuts.

Serves:

• 4

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Wild Rice blend, dry
• 1 cup water
• 2 small acorn squashes, halved and seeded
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/3 cup onions, diced
• ¼ cup celery, diced
• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ tsp thyme, dried
• ¼ tsp sage, dried
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

Instructions:

1. Combine wild rice and water in medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer 45 minutes. Remove from heat, rest with lid on for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
2. Preheat oven to 400ºF. Line baking pan with foil. Place the squash halves cut-side up on the baking pan. Brush inside of squash with olive oil. Roast until fork tender, about 20-30 minutes, depending on the thickness of the squash.
3. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a braising pan over medium heat. Add the diced onions and celery. Sauté 3-5 minutes or until soft.
4. Add the mushrooms, garlic, thyme, sage and salt. Stir until well mixed. Cook for 3-5 minutes until mushrooms are tender. Add the chopped walnuts and cook for 2-3 minutes longer or until walnuts are fragrant.
5. Put the cooked wild rice into a large mixing bowl. Add mushroom mixture to cooked wild rice. Stir until well combined.
6. Fill each cooked acorn squash half with about ½ cup of mushroom-rice mixture. Return to 300ºF oven for 10 minutes to heat through.

Source:

www.walnuts.org