Vegan Thanksgiving Acorn Squash
We all know one or have one coming to Thanksgiving dinner. I’m not referring to first-time grandparents with baby photos to show you. I’m talking about vegans. If you aren’t familiar with what vegans eat and don’t eat, this might leave you in a conundrum. But I got you, friend. Vegan Thanksgiving Acorn Squash is a delicious dish for your vegan and dairy-free dinner guests!
This veggie-centric dish starts with acorn squash.
Acorn Squash
With a deep forest green exterior and a yellowy orange interior, acorn squash brings autumn vibes. It is shaped like an acorn, hence the name, and often has a splash of orange on one side of the skin. Like most members of the squash family, it is a good source of beta-carotene, fiber, potassium, and trace minerals.
Acorn squash is mild in flavor and can skew sweet or savory, depending on what you do with it. Bake it with butter and maple syrup for a sweeter side dish. In this recipe, we talk a walk on the savory side.
This stuffed squash is filled with a combination of sauteed vegetables, sourdough bread cubes, chopped apple, dried cranberries, and savory fresh herbs. It fills your kitchen with the aroma of the season as it roasts. Yummy!
No dairy or animal products are used here, so both dairy-free and vegan friends, family, and dinner guests will be happy!
Looking for other dishes that are non-dairy and vegan? Cauliflower Salad, Mushroom Wellington, Roasted Vegetables with Forbidden Rice, and Spiral Vegetable Pie all make excellent adds to your Thanksgiving or holiday spread.
Lessons Learned
- Use any squash you like. Butternut, Delicata, and even small baking pumpkins are all nice options.
- Chop your mirepoix veggies (onion, carrots, celery) fairly small so they cook quickly. You don’t want hard and crunchy veggie bits.
- Pecans can be pricey depending on where you buy them. Walnuts make a good sub. Or, leave out the nuts altogether if you need to be nut-free.
Hat Tips
Many thanks to Make it Dairy Free for the vegan stuffed acorn squash recipe.
Vegan Thanksgiving Acorn Squash
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 acorn squash
- 2 tsp olive oil, divided use
- ½ cup chopped onion
- ¼ cup chopped carrots
- ¼ cup chopped celery
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms
- ½ cup apple
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup sourdough bread, toasted and diced
- ¼ cup vegetable broth
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp chopped fresh sage (or ½ tsp dried)
- 1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary (or ½ tsp dried)
- ¼ cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F/204C. Move the rack to the middle position in the oven.
- Cut the squash in half and remove the seeds. Drizzle one teaspoon of olive oil over the cut sides and in the cavity. Place the halves, cut side down, in a baking dish.
- Roast the squash for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and flip them over, cut sides up. Reduce the oven temperature to 350F/176C.
- While the squash is roasting, saute the onion, celery, carrots, and mushrooms in 1 teaspoon of olive oil over medium heat. Cook until the onion is translucent and the veggies are softer, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Tip the onion mixture into a large bowl. Add the apple, cranberries, and toasted bread cubes. Pour in the vegetable broth, olive oil, salt, pepper, sage, and rosemary. Stir. The bread should be moist, not soggy. Add more broth if needed.
- Once the squash is out of the oven and flipped over, fill the cavities with the stuffing. Don’t press the stuffing down, but lightly mound it in. Depending on how big the squash cavities are, you may have stuffing left over. Top with chopped pecans.
- Bake the stuffed squash at 350F for 20 minutes or until you can pierce the outside shell with a fork. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Keywords: vegan Thanksgiving acorn squash
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