Stuffed Acorn Squash (with Mediterranean flavors!)

Ingredients

• Acorn squash: You need half a squash for each person. Make sure the squash is completely clean and it doesn’t have any soft spots. It’s best if all the squashes are the similar in size so they roast evenly.
• Vegetables: Use onion, garlic and peppers as the base for this Mediterranean flavored filling.
• Tomato paste: A little bit of tomato paste would give both flavor and color to the filling.
• Pomegranate molasses: To add tanginess and a subtle sweetness to the filling. You can make homemade pomegranate molasses or use store-bought.
• Rice: Any cooked rice including basmati or jasmine would work. You can also use leftover white rice.
• Spices: A combination of cumin, coriander, turmeric, paprika and sumac would add a lot of flavor.
• Walnuts: Add walnuts for crunch and taste.

How To Make Stuffed Acorn Squash

Prepare the squash: Cut the acorn squash in half and remove the seeds using a spoon. Brush with olive oil and roast in the oven at 400 degrees F for 40 minutes until fork tender.

Prepare the filling: Meanwhile, prepare the filling by sauteing onion, garlic and peppers in olive oil. Add in the tomato paste and pomegranate molasses and stir to combine. Add the rice and spices. Mix and add the walnuts, parsley and lemon juice.

Assemble and serve: Spoon the filling into the roasted acorn squash halves. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes and serve warm.

Variations

Here are a few suggestions on how to jazz up this stuffed acorn squash recipe:

• Add meat: You can add ground meat, chicken or sausage to the filling for more protein. If doing so, cook the meat with the onion and garlic before adding the rest of the ingredients.
• Use other vegetables: You can add peas, chickpeas, cabbage or mushrooms to make different versions of this vegetarian stuffed acorn squash.
• Add cheese: A bit of feta or mozzarella makes these stuffed squashed even more delicious.
• Spice it up: You can use other spice mixes such as ras el hanout or seven spice.

What To Serve With Stuffed Acorn Squash

Serve vegetarian stuffed acorn squash with Persian mast-o-khiar (yogurt and cucumbers), Torshi (Persian style pickles) or tahini sauce.

You can also serve this dish with creamy cucumber salad, fattoush salad, beet salad or Mediterranean salad.

Storing The Leftovers

Store the leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. To reheat, place the stuffed acorn squash in a baking pan and cover with a piece of aluminum foil. Reheat in the oven at 325 degrees F for 15 minutes.