Healthy Thanksgiving Recipe Day 2: Veggie Quinoa-Stuffed Acorn Squash
Emily Morsello
| 2 min read
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, and to inspire you to put together a waistline-friendly feast this year, we are posting a healthy recipe each day for the next week. Today’s entry: Veggie quinoa-stuffed acorn squash.
This recipe proves that all of the lovely aromas that come along with cooking a Thanksgiving meal can come in a vegan package, if that’s your style. If not, you could potentially add a protein in with the quinoa, if you choose. Did I mention that this recipe, courtesy of Poor Girl Eats Well, is also very inexpensive? Now, that is something to be thankful for!
Ingredients
1 large acorn squash 1 cup cooked quinoa 1 cup frozen peas & carrots 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided 2 cloves of garlic, minced 2 tablespoons diced yellow onion 1/4 cup vegetable broth 1 / 2 teaspoon sea salt 1/4 teaspoon thyme 1/4 teaspoon tarragon 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 2-3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese (optional) 1/2 cup frozen corn 1 small red bell pepper, diced
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375°. Lightly grease a shallow baking dish and set aside. Cut the squash in half cross-wise and remove the seeds. Brush the squash with the olive oil, sprinkle with salt & pepper, and place cut-side down in the baking dish. Bake for about 35 minutes, until tender.
While the squash is baking, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium skillet. Add the garlic and onion, and saute for about 1-2 minutes, until they become fragrant and the onion becomes slightly translucent. Add the diced pepper and cook for about 1 minute, then add the rest of the veggies. Cook for another minute or so, just enough to start thawing out the frozen veggies. Add the quinoa and the broth and mix together until well combined.
When the squash is finished baking, remove from oven and carefully turn the squash halves over. Stuff with a generous amount of the quinoa & vegetable mixture, sprinkle with a bit of parmesan cheese, and return to the oven for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Serve each squash half on its own or with a nice salad and enjoy! Have you tried a similar recipe before? Share your favorite vegan Thanksgiving recipe here!
Photo Credit: Zlatko Unger
