A stuffed squash recipe that makes playing with food fun! Roasted squash and gourds (Cucurbita) are so much fun baked in the oven and stuffed with nutrient packed quinoa, sage, cranberries and a bit of tangy goat cheese!
Currently we are feeling wildly obsessed with fall foods! Our persimmons tree has just bloomed, neighborhood pomegranate trees are blossoming and the grocery stores and farmers markets are blowing up with winter squash and edible gourds. Keep the fall foods comin' y'all! Love persimmons too? Try my pomegranate salad with roasted persimmons.
Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: about 40 minutes at 400 degrees F
- ⏳ Total Time: 50 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 2 stuffed squash
- ⚡ Calories: 664kcal per stuffed squash, per the recipe card
- 🥣 Ingredients: carnival or acorn squash (or an edible gourd), quinoa, olive or avocado oil, garlic, white onion, dried cranberries, scallions, sage, Himalayan salt, black pepper, goat cheese and lemon juice
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Nutty roasted squash with sweet cranberries, earthy sage and tangy goat cheese
- ✋ Difficulty: Roast, saute, stuff
Quick Answer
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Wash 2 carnival or acorn squash, wrap them in aluminum foil and roast about 40 minutes, until a knife slides in and they are soft inside. Meanwhile cook ½ cup quinoa according to the package directions. In a saucepan over medium-high heat, saute 2 minced garlic cloves and ¼ cup diced white onion in 1 tablespoon olive or avocado oil for about 2 minutes, then turn to low and stir in the quinoa, ¼ cup dried cranberries, 3 chopped sage leaves and ¼ cup sliced scallions. Let the squash cool slightly, cut off the tops, scoop out the seeds, fill with the quinoa, and top with ¼ cup goat cheese and a splash of lemon juice. It serves 2.
Jump to:
- Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Stuffed Squash Comes Out Tender
- Why You'll Love This Stuffed Squash
- Key Ingredients
- Fall Squash From the Farm
- How to Make Stuffed Squash
- Expert Tips
- More Stuffed Squash and Fall Sides
- Stuffed Squash FAQs
- More Fall Squash Recipes
- Stuffed Squash With Quinoa, Cranberries and Goat Cheese
My husband is not a fan of sweet potatoes, butternut squash, acorn squash, carnival squash or really any form of squash for that matter. That is a far away world to me because when I think of squash I think of big time comfort food! I'll take a roasted squash recipe any day over a plate of creamy mashed potatoes! After all, what do russet potatoes even do for you anyways except pack on the carbs and buttery fats to thighs. But a plate of roasted edible gourds or squash.... well that is a different story. I could eat that all day!
Why This Stuffed Squash Comes Out Tender
Click to see why it works
- Roasted whole in foil. Wrapping the squash in foil steams it as it roasts, so the inside turns soft and scoopable.
- Seeds come out after roasting. A slightly cooled, roasted squash is much easier to cut and scoop than a raw one.
- A round squash sits up. Round squash and gourds stand on the plate like a bowl.
- Quinoa warmed with the aromatics. Stirring it into the sauteed garlic and onion on low heat blends the flavors.
- Goat cheese and lemon last. They add tang to the nutty flavor squash naturally has.
Why You'll Love This Stuffed Squash
- It is super light! And when I say "light" I mean actually light... like I feel energetic as if I'm bouncing off springs after I eat it! Not that heavy sluggish feeling you get after a bunch of potatoes after Thanksgiving.
- Fun for kids. Make sure to grab a giant bite and scrape off all the inside of the roasted squash. It is the heart of this recipe and kids have fun doing that too!
- Gluten-free and vegetarian, packed with quinoa, sage and cranberries.
- A pretty fall side dish for Thanksgiving.
- Works with any round squash. Acorn, carnival, round gourds or Kabocha.
Key Ingredients
- Squash - carnival squash, acorn squash, or an edible gourd. Doesn't matter what squash you use, just make sure it is round so it sits up pretty.
- Quinoa - cooked according to the package directions.
- Olive oil or avocado oil, garlic and white onion - sauteed for the filling.
- Dried cranberries and scallions - for sweetness and color.
- Fresh sage - chopped, plus more for pretty garnish.
- Goat cheese crumbles and lemon juice - a bit of tang on top.
See recipe card for quantities.
Fall Squash From the Farm
When the boys and I visit the Folded Hills Farm Stead we love coming up with new seasonal recipes with their fresh produce. I made this quinoa recipe about a month after chatting with the farmers about how to use all the glorious winter squash. The fun suggestion is roasting them, cutting off the tops to remove the seeds and stuffing it with a quinoa filling.
Since goat cheese is constantly in my refrigerator it is the perfect choice to add a bit of "tang" to the nutty flavors squash naturally has. Plus goat cheese is softer on the digestive system (and I have a... let's say... COSTCO size obsession with it!). It has taken me so long to get this recipe on the bloggy because I made it twice trying to perfect a video to go with it. Figuring out new techniques to shoot videos is worth the hours, but boy is it time consuming! Time to just cut my losses when it's not perfect and hit the gosh darn PUBLISH button!
There are so many different winter squash options and edible gourds to choose from and really you could use acorn squash (like this recipe), carnival squash, round gourds, or even Kabocha squash for this recipe.
How to Make Stuffed Squash
1Roast the squash. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Wash and wrap the squash in aluminum foil, then roast it for about 40-45 minutes until a knife is inserted and it is soft inside.
2Cook the quinoa. In the meantime, start making the quinoa according to the package directions.
3Make the filling. Saute your garlic and onion in the oil for about 2 minutes and then turn down to low and add the quinoa, dried cranberries, chopped sage, scallions, salt and pepper and mix all those flavors together.
4Scoop the squash. When the roasted squash is finished let it cool for a bit so you don't scorch your beautiful hands while cutting and removing the seeds. When the squash (or edible gourd) is cooled, slice off the top and remove seeds with a spoon.
5Stuff and top. Add the quinoa mixture, then a whole bunch of goat cheese, a few leaves of sage and a splash of lemon.
As always, be sure to check out the full recipe details in the recipe card below.
Expert Tips
- Make quinoa ahead. I like to make a big batch of quinoa at the start of the week to keep on-hand. That way I can add it to recipes (like this) or in salads and tacos (in place of rice). Takes so much of the prep work out of each meal!
- Plan the week around it. There ya go guys, I just planned out the rest of the week for you! Thursday - Quinoa Tacos, Friday - Quinoa Salad, Saturday - Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Salad, Sunday - Quinoa Nachos!
- Pick a round squash so it sits up pretty on the plate.
- Test with a knife. The squash is ready when a knife slides in easily and it is soft inside.
- Let it cool slightly before cutting off the top so you don't burn your hands.
More Stuffed Squash and Fall Sides
More stuffed squash recipes: Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash and Korean BBQ Turkey Stuffed Acorn Squash. New to squash? Learn how to cook spaghetti squash.
Fall sides for the holiday table: Cranberry Butternut Squash Stuffing, Homemade Cranberry Sauce, Garlic Mashed Potatoes With Sage Butter and Roasted Butternut Squash Apple Soup.
Find even more ideas in my healthy Thanksgiving side dishes and healthy Thanksgiving desserts and side dishes roundups.
Stuffed Squash FAQs
Squash and gourds are both in the Cucurbita family. For this recipe use a squash or a gourd sold as edible, like carnival squash, acorn squash, round gourds or Kabocha.
Any round squash that sits up on the plate, such as acorn squash, carnival squash, round edible gourds or Kabocha squash.
Wrap it in aluminum foil and roast at 400 degrees F for about 40 to 45 minutes, until a knife slides in and it is soft inside.
After. Let the roasted squash cool slightly, slice off the top and scoop out the seeds with a spoon.
Yes. Make a big batch of quinoa at the start of the week and keep it on hand for this recipe, salads and tacos.
It makes 2 stuffed squash, one per person.
More Fall Squash Recipes
Roast more squash with Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash, Korean BBQ Turkey Stuffed Squash, Cranberry Butternut Squash Stuffing and Butternut Squash Apple Soup. I hope you enjoy this stuffed squash recipe! Follow along with me on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter for a feature and more recipe inspiration! And don't forget to leave a comment below!
Stuffed Squash With Quinoa, Cranberries and Goat Cheese
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Ingredients
- 2 Carnival Squash Acorn Squash, or an edible gourd
- ½ cup quinoa
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil or avocado oil
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ¼ cup white onion diced
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup sliced scallions
- ¼ teaspoon Himalayan salt
- ⅛ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 3 sage leaves chopped (plus more for pretty garnish)
- ¼ cup goat cheese crumbles
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Wash and wrap the squash in aluminum foil for roasting. When the oven is ready add the squash and roast for about 40 minutes or until a knife is inserted and it is soft inside.
- Meanwhile prepare the quinoa according to package directions.
- In a medium saucepan on medium-high heat add the olive oil or avocado oil. Sautee the garlic and onion for about 2 minutes. Turn down to low and add the prepared quinoa, dried cranberries, chopped sage and scallions. Blend well. Set aside.
- When the squash is finished roasting remove from oven and let set to cool slightly. Cut off the top and remove the seeds inside with a spoon. Add the quinoa mixture and top with goat cheese and a splash of lemon juice.
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