Recipes Seasonal Recipes Fall Recipes Acorn Squash Recipes Acorn Squash Stuffed With Mushrooms and Rice It's the perfect meatless main for your holiday table, but easy enough for a weeknight, too. Prep Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 40 mins Total Time: 1 hr Servings: 4 Jump to recipe Our stuffed acorn squash recipe is a hearty and satisfying main that's just right for the holidays. The mushroom and rice filling gets a savory boost from sautéed onion and thyme and is bulked up further by a bit of the squash, which you'll stir in before spooning the filling into the roasted halves. A sprinkling of Parmesan cheese adds a golden, salty finish, but you could certainly leave it out to make this dish vegan. It’s a delicious dish, and one that offers many possibilities for variations—add toasted walnuts for crunch, switch up the herbs, or add a couple of browned sausage links for a meaty twist. As easy as it is delicious, this seasonal favorite is a must-try. The Best Way to Cook Acorn Squash Credit: Jason Donnelly Key Ingredients for Stuffed Acorn Squash Squash: You'll need two acorn squash for this recipe. They should weigh about one pound each and feel firm and heavy for their size. Like when shopping for acorn squash, look for ones that have a distinct, bright orange spot—called a ground spot—on one side. The rest of the squash should be deep green in color (though a bit of orange on the skin is OK). Rice: Long-grain white rice is our pick for this recipe, as it cooks up quickly and has a mild flavor that lets the mushrooms and squash shine. If desired, swap in wild rice instead. Brown rice can also be used, but we'd recommend cooking the mushrooms separately, then stirring them into the cooked rice to keep them from becoming too soft. Mushrooms: You can use white button or cremini mushrooms—also known as baby bella—for this recipe. Clean them by wiping them with a damp cloth, or give them a quick rinse in a colander to remove any grit—just be sure not to soak them or they'll absorb excess water. Aromatics: A minced yellow onion and some dried thyme lend big flavor to the rice filling. You can swap in a white onion instead or use three to four shallots with equally good results. Stock: To keep this recipe vegetarian, use vegetable stock to cook the rice, or try mushroom stock, which is becoming more widely available in stores. If you'll be serving meat eaters, chicken stock would be just as good. Cheese: Half of a cup of grated Parmesan cheese lends even more umami to this recipe and creates a crunchy, golden crown when broiled. For the best flavor and texture, grate it yourself from a wedge. How to (Safely!) Cut Acorn Squash for Roasting Unlike tender, thin-skinned summer squash, most winter squash are difficult to cut. Here are two tips for getting the job done easily—and safely: Use a towel: Fold a kitchen towel and use it to help hold the squash steady with one hand while you cut with the other. Try the microwave: Another helpful trick is to microwave the squash for two minutes, which will soften it slightly, making it easier to cut. Before microwaving, cut a few small slits into the squash to release steam. Directions Credit: Jason Donnelly Preheat oven; prep and roast squash: Preheat oven to 450°F. On a rimmed baking sheet, season cut sides of squash with salt and pepper, drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil, and turn cut sides down. Cover sheet tightly with foil and roast until tender, about 35 minutes. Credit: Jason Donnelly Cook mushrooms, onion, and thyme: Meanwhile, in a medium straight-sided skillet, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high. Add mushrooms, onion, and thyme; season with salt and pepper. Saute until mushrooms are golden, 8 minutes. If you don't have a straight-sided skillet, use a medium saucepan for this step instead. Credit: Jason Donnelly Add rice and broth and cook: Add rice and broth and bring to a boil; cover and reduce heat to low. Cook until liquid is absorbed, 20 minutes. Credit: Jason Donnelly Heat broiler; mix rice with squash and add to halves; broil: Remove squash from oven and heat broiler. Carefully scoop out 2 to 3 tablespoons flesh from each squash half and stir into rice; season with salt and pepper. Divide rice mixture among squash halves, sprinkle with Parmesan, and broil until melted, 2 minutes. You may have filling leftover after stuffing the squash: Save it for stirring into soup, add it into a frittata, or combine it with a beaten egg, form into fritters, and pan fry until crispy. Credit: Jason Donnelly Credit: Jason Donnelly Credit: Jason Donnelly Variations Use other herbs: In place of the dried thyme, use 1 1/2 teaspoons of fresh thyme. You can also use dried sage or rosemary instead. Swap in stuffing: Got leftover stuffing from Thanksgiving? Use it instead of the rice filling. You'll need 4 cups worth. Add more protein: For a meatier stuffing, add 1/2 cup of toasted chopped walnuts to the rice mixture. Alternatively, remove a link or two of your favorite sausage from the casing and brown it while the rice cooks; stir it into the filling before adding to the squash. What to Serve With Stuffed Acorn Squash Seasonal salads: Add a hearty salad full of fall flavors to round out the meal, like our shredded Brussels sprout salad with hazelnut crunch or this crisp kale-and-apple number. Simple sides: In place of—or in addition to—a salad, try a quick vegetable side, like sautéed spinach or these microwave-steamed green beans. Or, try a recipe that cooks at the same temperature as the squash, like these spiced roasted carrots or these tangy roasted sprouts, to keep things streamlined. 5 More Acorn Squash Recipes to Try Spicy Squash Salad With Ginger-Lime Dressing Acorn Squash Bisque Crispy Squash Fries With Tahini-Yogurt Dip Roasted Spiced Acorn Squash Acorn Squash Lasagna Updated by Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds is an experienced recipe developer, recipe tester, food editor, and writer with over a decade of experience in the food and media industries.