Have you ever had roasted acorn squash?? The roasting brings out the sweetness of the squash and it just begs to be filled with all sorts of veggie goodness. This quinoa stuffed acorn squash is studded with sautéed wild mushrooms and topped with a pipian rojo which is a rich, hearty sauce made from roasted pumpkin seeds, chiles and tomato.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
This recipe is a great way to bring in the Autumn season with the perfect combination of the creaminess of the acorn squash, richness of the fall mushrooms and the delicious Pipian Rojo sauce. You can prepare this in advance to make this a quick, easy dish to prepare.
INGREDIENTS
Acorn Squash: is one of the most nutritious of the winter squashes. Roasted acorn squash has a very mild note that compliments any flavors that you add to it.
Quinoa: is a gluten-free, whole-grain carbohydrate, as well as a whole protein because it contains all 9 essential amino acids.
Cremini Mushrooms: are baby portobello mushrooms or baby bellas. You can substitute portobello or any other type of mushrooms that you like.
Pipian rojo is a hearty, stick to your ribs kind of Mexican sauce, made with roasted pumpkin seeds, roasted tomato, and dried pasilla, arbol, and ancho chiles. It pairs perfectly with the umami of the mushrooms and provides a touch of creaminess to the whole dish. The pipian is a recipe from the excellent book Decolonize Your Diet, which I highly recommend.
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS
- Roast the squash until tender.
- Prepare the quinoa.
- Cook mushrooms with shallots and greens.
- Add mix to the quinoa.
- Stuff acorn sqash and fill.
- Top with Pipian rojo and enjoy.
EXPERT TIPS AND TRICKS
You can make the pipian rojo and the quinoa the day before to make this recipe even easier. Kabocha squash would also work really well with this recipe. Wild mushrooms like Hen of the Woods aka Maitake or Oyster mushrooms would make this dish even more delicious.
Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash with Pipian Rojo
Ingredients
- 2 Acorn squash cut in half, seeds removed
- 1 cup Quinoa, raw, rinsed
- 2 cups Vegetable stock
- 1 tsp. Salt
- ¼ cup Water or (1 tbsp. of the oil of your choice)
- ½ lb. Cremini mushrooms thinly sliced
- ¼ cup Minced shallots
- 1 cup Chopped raw greens kale, spinach or swiss chard
- 1 ½ cups Pipian Rojo
- ¼ cup Chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Preheat Oven to 400°F.
- Place the squash, cut side down, on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper.
- Roast for 30 min. flip the squash over, then continue roasting until tender about 20 more minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
- In the meantime, heat a medium pot to medium heat and add quinoa. Pour in vegetable stock and 1 tsp. of salt and stir. Bring mixture to a very low simmer, cover, and cook for 20 minutes or until the liquid has evaporated and the quinoa is tender.
- Remove from heat and let sit in the pot for 6 minutes. Fluff with a fork and set aside.
- Heat a large sauté pan to medium-high heat, add ¼ cup of water (or 1 tbsp. of oil) and cook the mushrooms until golden brown, about 6-7 minutes. If the mushrooms begin to stick, add a little bit of vegetable stock.
- Lower heat to medium-low, and add shallots, cook for 3-4 minutes or until the shallots are tender.
- Mix in the greens, and let them cook down, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add the mushroom mixture to the quinoa in the pot, and mix well. Season to taste.
- Fill your acorn halves with the quinoa mixture and top with the pipian rojo, and chopped cilantro. Place plenty of extra pipian rojo on the table, because you will be coming back for more of this delicious sauce!
Notes
- Instead of pipian rojo you could also use mole poblano.
- You can make the pipian rojo and the quinoa the day before to make this super-fast.
- If quinoa is not your favorite you can use rice instead.
- Kabocha squash would also work really well with this recipe.
- Wild mushrooms like maitake or oyster would make this dish even better.
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