Prep Time: 20 minutes 
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes 
Servings: 4  

 

Packed with cozy fall flavors like apples, cranberries and toasted walnuts—this hearty Harvest Wild Rice Stuffed Acorn Squash is perfect as a side dish that complements a beef dish or alone as a vegetarian dish. Even better, it’s easy to prep ahead and makes your kitchen smell amazing! 

 

2 medium acorn squash (about 1-½ pound each) 

½ cup uncooked wild rice, rinsed, well drained 

4 cups vegetable broth 

2 Tbsp. olive oil 

½ tsp. salt 

½ tsp. freshly ground pepper 

1 cup finely chopped yellow onions 

1 cup roughly chopped mushrooms 

1 tsp. finely chopped garlic 

? cup sweetened dried cranberries, roughly chopped 

¼ cup chopped red apple 

¼ cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted 

1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme leaves 

¾ cup shredded Parmesan cheese 

Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish 

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Spray 15x10x1-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Cut each squash lengthwise in half; remove and discard seeds and fibers. Cut a ?-inch slice from bottom of each half to lay flat. Brush with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place squash, cut sides down, in pan; bake 30 minutes. 

 

2. Meanwhile, in a 2-quart saucepan, heat wild rice and broth to a boil, stirring occasionally; reduce heat to low. Cover and gently boil for 30 minutes. Shut off heat, let stand 25 to 30 minutes or until rice has desired tenderness. Drain rice; set aside. 

 

3. In 10-inch skillet, heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Cook onions, mushrooms and garlic 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender and fragrant; remove from heat. Stir in cooked wild rice, cranberries, apple, walnuts and thyme; stir until well combined. Gently stir in ½ cup of the Parmesan cheese. 

 

4. Remove squash from oven; turn squash, cut sides up. Divide wild rice mixture evenly among the cavity in the squash halves. Sprinkle remaining ¼ cup Parmesan cheese over filling. Bake an additional 15 to 20 minutes or until squash is fork tender and filling is thoroughly heated. Top with parsley, if desired; serve immediately.