Stuffed Acorn Squash

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If you’re like me and love meals that are both hearty and healthy, this stuffed acorn squash recipe is exactly what you need in your life. The roasted squash gets tender and sweet, and when you pair it with a savory filling of chickpeas, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, and walnut “meat,” you’ve got a dish that’s as filling as it is flavorful. Plus, it’s vegetarian!

Vegetarian stuffed acorn squash on a large platter, garnished with lemon wedges and fresh parsley.

Recipe At a Glance
Ingredients to Make Stuffed Acorn Squash
Popular Substitutions & Additions
How to Make Stuffed Acorn Squash
Tips for Making the Best Stuffed Roasted Acorn Squash
What to Serve With Stuffed Baked Acorn Squash
Frequently Asked Questions
More Winter Squash Recipes:
Stuffed Acorn Squash Recipe

Acorn squash is one of my favorite fall vegetables. I love how soft it gets in the oven, that the skin is edible, and that it can be stuffed! Plus, my vegetarian stuffed acorn squash has the best blend of textures and flavors going on (crunchy, creamy, salty, and a little sweet!) if I do say so myself. One of my favorite parts about the filling is the addition of cumin, which is super fragrant and adds a lot of flavor.

Recipe At a Glance

Cuisine Inspiration: American
Primary Cooking Method: Oven
Dietary Info: Vegan
Key Flavor: Savory, nutty, tangy, and earthy
Skill Level: Easy

Why This Is So Good

Make-ahead: You can easily roast this acorn squash ahead of time, then fill and reheat it right before serving. This makes it a great recipe for busy weeknights or holidays!
Good for dinner parties: Because this recipe is vegan and gluten-free, it’s great for almost anyone.
Easily adjustable: You add cheese, cubed, cooked vegetarian or chicken sausage, or vegetables like frozen peas or kale.

Ingredients to Make Stuffed Acorn Squash

Ingredients for recipe: chickpeas, acorn squash, spinach, cumin, garlic, salt and pepper, sun dried tomatoes in oil, chopped walnuts, onion and lemon.

Acorn squash: You’ll need 2 acorn squash for 4 servings, but this recipe can easily be doubled up!
Olive oil: Brushing the acorn squash with olive oil helps it brown and adds a lot of flavor.
Walnuts: Chop the walnuts first, so they toast faster and are easier to eat.
Sun-dried tomatoes: Make sure to buy sun-dried tomatoes in oil. You’ll use some of the tomato-flavored oil to cook the onion and garlic!
Onion and garlic: Dice the onion and mince the garlic so it cooks evenly and quickly. You can also use a garlic press!
Chickpeas: Drain and rinse the chickpeas first to remove the viscous, salty liquid.
Spinach: I like to chop the spinach so it cooks quickly and mixes well with the other ingredients.
Cumin: This tastes earthy and a little nutty!
Lemon juice: The acidity of lemon juice brightens up the filling! You could use white or red wine vinegar instead, though.

Popular Substitutions & Additions

Add cheese. Mix crumbled feta, cubed cheddar, shredded mozzarella, or crumbled goat cheese into the filling.
Mix in protein. For a heartier dinner, add cubed, browned chicken, turkey, or vegetarian sausage into the filling.
Up the vegetables. You could use kale instead of spinach, add in thawed, frozen peas, or mix in roasted cauliflower.
Use a different nut. Instead of walnuts, try almonds or pecans.
Try maple syrup instead of oil for roasting the squash. This will add a sweeter bite.

How to Make Stuffed Acorn Squash

I like to make the filling while the squash roasts, which cuts down on the cooking time!

Acorn squash halves seasoned with oil, salt and pepper on a parchment lined baking sheet, cut side up. — **Step 1:** Prepare the acorn squash by cutting it in half horizontally and scooping out the seeds. Brush all sides with oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the squash cut side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Four acorn squash halves cut side down on baking sheet. — **Step 2:** Bake until the flesh is soft and can be easily pierced with a fork.

Chopped walnuts in a skillet. — **Step 3:** Add the walnuts to a skillet.

Walnuts after toasting in skillet. — **Step 4:** Roast the walnuts until they’re browned and toasty.

Onions and sun-dried tomatoes in oil in skillet. — **Step 5:** To the same skillet the walnuts cooked in, add sun-dried tomato oil. Add onions and saute until soft and translucent.

Chickpeas and garlic added to cooked veggies. — **Step 6:** Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the chickpeas and cook until warmed through.

Spinach and seasonings added to skillet with lemon juice being poured in. — **Step 7:** Add the spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, cumin, remaining salt, and remaining pepper. Pour the lemon juice on top.

Squash filling after combining in skillet. — **Step 8:** Toss well to combine.

Squash halves after roasting and flipped flesh side up. — **Step 9:** Flip the acorn squash over.

Chickpea and walnut filling stuffed in roasted squash. — **Step 10:** Spoon the filling evenly into the four squash halves. Place back in the oven until warmed through.

Tips for Making the Best Stuffed Roasted Acorn Squash

Add quinoa. I tested this with quinoa, and it bulked up the filling and made it heartier. If you’d like to use quinoa, I recommend cooking ½ cup of quinoa with ¾ cup of water or vegetable broth and combining it with the filling. It does create a little extra filling, though, so you can reduce the walnuts or just eat the extra filling on its own.
Skip the second bake time. If you’d like, you can skip the last step of reheating everything together. However, I think baking helps to make this stuffed acorn squash feel more cohesive.
Make sure to line the baking sheet with parchment paper. Squash sticks easily to a baking sheet, so make sure to line it with parchment paper before adding the squash. This will make cleanup easier, too!
Don’t skip toasting the nuts. Untoasted walnuts are fine. Toasted walnuts are delicious. The first step of this recipe calls for toasting the walnuts for good reason.

Mediterranean stuffed acorn squash on platter.

What to Serve With Stuffed Baked Acorn Squash

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you store and reheat stuffed acorn squash?

Kept in the fridge in an airtight container, this stuffed acorn squash will last for up to 3 days. It can be reheated in a 350°F oven until warmed through. You can also roast the acorn halves the day before serving, then fill and bake.

How do you know when the acorn squash is done?

This is easy! The squash is done when the sides can be easily pierced with a fork.

Can I cook this squash in the air fryer?

Yes! You absolutely can. Air fryers have smaller capacities, so I’d probably stick with just 2 acorn squash halves at once. Cook the squash at 400°F, keeping an eye on it since air fryers cook hotter than regular ovens.

One stuffed acorn squash on a plate with a fork splitting in half to show inside.

I’ve been loving this stuffed acorn squash as a filling, vegetable-packed weeknight dinner. The walnuts’ meatiness, the squash and chickpeas’ creaminess, and the sun-dried tomatoes’ salty pop are quickly make this recipe a favorite in my house.

More Winter Squash Recipes:

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