This vegetarian stuffed squash recipe doubles as a colorful, healthy main or side dish, and it reheats beautifully for workday lunches.
I love a basic roasted squash, but for this stuffed acorn squash recipe, I wanted bold flavors, bright colors, and a bevy of roasted vegetables. No rice or grains here, so it’s great for people seeking lower-carb and gluten-free options.
I first stumbled across this recipe at a restaurant about 10 years ago. It was so good, I became a regular, but sadly, the restaurant closed years ago. However, I couldn’t live without the stuffed squash. So I went to work in my kitchen and recreated it at home. While I usually make this on a weekend to reheat for weekday lunches, it’s gorgeous on a holiday table as a healthy side dish. I typically pair it with Roasted Turkey Breast or Baked Cranberry Chicken. Not a meat-eater? No worries. It’s also a beautiful vegetarian main dish.
It’s one of my favorite fall and winter recipes because it makes good use of the acorn squash that’s plentiful throughout the season. Plus, it balances creamy and crunchy textures with sweet, savory, and tangy flavors. This recipe is a staple in my house, and I hope it becomes one in your house too.
Table of Contents
Ingredients for this Acorn Squash Recipe with Roasted Vegetables
- Pine nuts: These tiny and buttery nuts add a delightful crunch and nutty flavor to any dish. They’re like little flavor-packed powerhouses that add a little something special to this acorn squash recipe.
- Acorn squash, its vibrant orange flesh, subtle sweetness, and bowl shape, makes it a natural option for stuffing with all kinds of vegetables.
- Orange, yellow, or red bell pepper: These colorful bell peppers not only add a pop of vibrant hues to this recipe, but they also bring a mild, sweet flavor that complements the roasted acorn squash.
- Red onion: With its crisp texture and mild, slightly peppery flavor, red onion adds both crunch and color.
- Grape tomatoes: Bursting with sweet and juicy flavor, roasted grape tomatoes add a burst of acidity to balance the sweetness of the squash and the peppers.
- Extra virgin olive oil: This liquid gold is the backbone of Mediterranean cooking, bringing its rich and fruity flavor to everything it touches. Any of our olive oils will work well in this recipe.
- Oregano: A staple in Mediterranean cuisine, oregano brings a robust and earthy flavor to this recipe.
- Dried basil: Packed with the fresh aroma and essence of summer, dried basil adds a subtle sweetness and herbal flavor to the roasted vegetables.
- Thyme: This fragrant herb with delicate leaves and woody stems adds a woodsy and lemony flavor.
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper: Kosher salt helps every other flavor in this acorn squash recipe shine. A little pepper adds earthy warmth.
- Baby spinach: These tender and vibrant green leaves add a pop of color, a boost of nutrition.
- Goat cheese (chevre): My love of chevre runs deep. Its creamy, tangy, and slightly tart flavor goes well with both sweet and savory recipes. I use it here to add almost a saucy texture as it softens with the heat of the roasted vegetables. Traditionally, goat cheese is made with animal rennet, but now many vegetarian goat cheese options are available.
What to Serve with Stuffed Acorn Squash
Pair this acorn squash recipe with other vegetarian show stoppers for a vegetarian feast. Try it with Whole Roasted Cauliflower, Vegetarian Stuffed Eggplant, and Vegetarian Moussaka.
Use this stuffed squash recipe as a holiday side dish and serve with other celebratory favorites like Roasted Green Beans and Garlic Mashed Potatoes.
When it’s time to set the table, place them right next to Beef Tenderloin, Juicy Roasted Turkey Breast, or even a Whole Turkey when I’m feeding a crowd.
More Squash Recipes You’ll Love
Soups and Stews
Acorn Squash Soup with Turmeric and Ginger
Mediterranean Diet Recipes
Simple Roasted Butternut Squash with Lime and Hazelnut
Italian
Butternut Squash Risotto
Browse all Mediterranean recipes.
Visit Our Shop
Stuffed Acorn Squash with Tomatoes, Spinach and Goat Cheese
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 1 medium acorn squash, quartered and seeds removed
- 1 large orange, yellow or red bell pepper, diced
- 1 large red onion, diced
- 1 pint grape tomatoes
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/4 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 big handfuls baby spinach (about 2 packed cups)
- 2 ounces goat cheese (chevre)
Instructions
- Heat the oven and toast the pine nuts. Set the oven to 400°F and let it warm up while you toast the pine nuts. Set a small dry skillet over medium high heat. Add the pine nuts. Stir and toss the pine nuts continuously for 3 to 5 minutes until they turn golden brown and fragrant. Remove from the heat.
- Roast the vegetables. Place the quartered squash flesh side up on one side of the baking sheet. Add the diced pepper, diced onions, and grape tomatoes to the other side. Drizzle all of the vegetables with olive oil and season with oregano, basil, thyme, salt, and pepper. Make sure you really rub the seasoning into the flesh of the squash. Use your hands to mix the tomatoes, onions, and peppers together. Spread everything out onto a single layer on the sheet pan and flip the squash quarters over so some of the flesh is touching the sheet pan. Place in the oven for 40 minutes, tossing halfway through and flipping the squash to the other flesh side.
- Test the squash. Pull the sheet pan out of the oven. Insert a fork into the flesh of the squash to make sure it's tender and cooked through before moving onto the next step.
- Wilt the spinach. Add the spinach to the tomato and onion mixture and use your spatula to fold it together as much as you can. You want to make sure the spinach is coated in the oil and vegetable juices (leave the squash alone). The spinach should wilt under the heat of the vegetables, but if it doesn't return the pan to the oven for about 5 minutes. Remove from oven, give the spinach a good stir with the tomato-onion mixture one or two more times.
- Serve. Remove from the oven. Place the squash quarters on individual plates or on one large platter. Toss the vegetables on the sheet pan once again. Taste and add a little more salt and pepper if needed, then spoon the roasted vegetables over the squash quarters. Top with crumbled goat cheese and toasted pine nuts.
Video
Notes
- Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including olive oils, honey, jams, and spices.
- If your squash is particularly large, cut it into 8 wedges rather than 4. This allows you to serve more people and ensures the squash cooks at the same time as the other vegetables. You can also add the squash wedges to the sheet pan first and let them roast for about 15 minutes, before adding the remaining vegetables.
- If you don’t have pine nuts you can also top this with toasted pecans or hazelnuts.
- Swap the goat cheese for feta if you prefer.
Nutrition
Bundle and Save!
Four of our best-selling signature olive oils, perfect for everyday use.
Just made this tonight….it is wonderful, and very easy. I just started Mediterranean diet about 6 weeks ago….have found lots of wonderful recipes and hints here.
Love that, Diane! Thank you so much!
This was delicious. I appreciated that the recipe didn’t include sausage or rice. I don’t have anything against sausage or rice, but didn’t need the extra calories. It was very easy to make. The house still smells fantastic. And I have leftovers. I will make this again.
Awesome! Thanks, Renea!
This was delicious!
My teenage daughter is a hugely picky eater, so when I made this, I didn’t even bother offering her any, I mean. It’s healthy! lol She wandered by eyeballing my plate and then asked for a bite. She then proceeded to eat half of my dinner! I will definitely be making this again. I will likely double to spinach part, because she really loved that.
Thank you for posting and possibly saving my child from scurvy!
Lol! Glad we could help! 🙂
This was wonderful! It was also easier than I thought it would be. I ended up quartering my squash as it was quite large. It worked out fine because I re-heated the left overs and we had it a second day. I served it as a side, but it could easily be a stand alone meal.
This was wonderful! It was also easier than I thought it would be. I ended up quartering my squash as it was quite large. It worked out fine because I re-heated the left overs and we had it a second day. I served it as a side, but it could easily be a stand alone meal
Thanks for taking the time to leave a review, Laura! Appreciate it!
I really enjoyed this dish. Will be making it again.
Awesome! Thanks, Jennifer!
This recipe is fantastic! so easy and really really good. My family are not squash lovers but there were no leftovers from this dish. Everything I have tried on your site has been easy and delicious AND nutritious. Thank you. My granddaughter and I will do the baklava pumpkin pie this week. She’s the baker – I’m the cook.
Love it! Thanks, Nancy!
Hi Summer-
This recipe is phenomenal!! It has so much flavor and is so easy to make!! My husband was raving about it and wanted more. I told him we need a larger baking sheet!!! I’ll be making this again. Thank you!!
Hi, Susan! I’m so glad both you and your husband enjoyed this recipe. It’s a personal favorite of mine as well.
Directions are not written very well. I added all the olive oil and spices to the veggies as the recipe said. Then it says to rub the herbs into the squash and the video (which I should have watched first 🙂) showed olive oil poured on the squash. It is almost done, I am sure it will taste as wonderful as it smells!
Hi, JM–When we said season drizzle the vegetables with the oil and season with the spices, we consider the squash to be a vegetable too. Glad to hear it smells wonderful while it’s cooking! Hopefully, you will enjoy the flavor as well.
I made this last night and it came out beautifully. I originally thought it called for too many pine nuts and too much goat cheese, but I realized after starting to eat it, that both of these ingredients make this dish pop. I served this with broiled salmon filet, and it made a beautiful, elegant meal that was overall quite simple and relatively quick.
Hi, Lara! So glad to hear you loved the acorn squash recipe. It sounds like the perfect partner for broiled salmon. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment and let us know!
I’ve always wondered how to use acorn squash and now I know. I made a main dish out of it by adding a side of einkorn and some protein. It was so yummy! This recipe it now on my favorites list.
So glad you found this recipe helpful, Linda!
Made this yesterday adapted for the air fryer. It worked well to much acclaim. Couldn’t access an acorn squash here in the U.K so used a carnival squash. Don’t think there was much difference. The goat’s cheese provided a perfect balance. Well worth repeating.
Thanks for sharing, Glen! So glad this worked out for you in the air fryer!
What temperature do you recommend for roasting the squash?
Hi, Carrie! You roast the vegetables at 400°F. Enjoy!
This recipe looks wonderful; I would like to try it and wondered if any of the recipe could be prepared in advance.
Thank you i
Hi, Janet! I’m Summer and I work here at the Mediterranean Dish. You can prepare this recipe in advance. Wait to top with crumbled goat cheese and pine nuts until you’ve reheated it and are just about to serve.
The video doesn’t work
Hi, Deedee! I just double checked, and the video is there on our end. Unfortunately, some web browsers block pop ups which, for some reason, also blocks instructional videos. You may need to adjust your browser settings, or try a different browser on your end in order to see them.