Quinoa Stuffed Squash Recipe

Well, here’s autumn.  My menu is changing from grilled things (and not only because the grill has failed beyond repair) to casseroles and warm hearty dishes.  It’s time to change to my fall wardrobe as well, and I don’t know about you, but I find that if I’m not watching my diet, fall clothes tend to become snug!  This is why I’d like to tell you about Quinoa Stuffed Squash. 

I used red quinoa, but you can use white – it’s just what I had.

Quinoa does not have a particularly assertive taste – I think brown rice has a stronger flavor.  What gets most people is that it’s a little round seed that kind of sprouts when you cook it.  Before I published the recipe I asked a friend to test it out on two of her non-quinoa initiated friends, and they enjoyed it, albeit admitting that it was unfamiliar looking.

First, take an acorn squash and cut it from stem to stern.  Actually, from stern to stem, because the stem end is usually flatter and thus more stable.  Please, sharpen your knife first, I don’t factor in a trip to the emergency room when calculating the time it takes to make a recipe.  Next, use a spoon and scrape out the seeds and membrane.  Spray the cut sides of the squash with cooking spray, season as you desire, and bake at 400 for about 30 minutes.  It should be soft enough that you can poke a skewer all the way through, but not so soft that it collapses.

While that’s cooking, cook the quinoa in broth and chop up your fresh spinach.  I wouldn’t use frozen spinach just because of the time it takes to defrost and get out all of the water.  Any other green you have handy would work as well.  The spinach cooks with the quinoa at the end of the cooking time.

You could just fill the squash with the quinoa/spinach mixture and call it good.  I took it a step further with dried cherries, crumbled goat cheese, and some walnuts toasted  5 minutes in a dry skillet.

This is a fabulous addition to a fall meal or Thanksgiving buffet for your gluten-free and/or vegetarian friends.  Remove the cheese and sub out the chicken broth and it’s vegan.

Hiding out in the back Is Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Tortilla Chips

Add Quinoa Stuffed Squash to your meal plan, it’s pretty, healthy, and simple to make.