We love winter squash, especially stuffed acorn squash. Not only is it incredibly nutritious, it stores extremely well over the winter. This allows us to eat home grown food in the winter months when we can’t grow anything ourselves. Eating local is something that our family strives to do as much as we can and winter squash helps us to do that! If you don’t have the space to grow it yourself, you can support a local farmer and buy a bunch when they have it at market. Just store it in a cool and dark place (like a pantry) and you will have local food at your fingertips for months.
Winter squash is also incredibly versatile. It can sometimes be hard to think beyond soup, but we’ve had squash as part of roasted root vegetables, used as a puree in homemade pasta dishes (squash mac and cheese baby!) and of course stuffed it with amazing foods like quinoa and rice.
Oh So Good For You
The humble squash boasts some amazing nutritional benefits. In the dark cold months of winter when we aren’t getting as much exercise as we should, probably not drinking enough water and possibly not eating as well as we did in the summer… well let’s just say we could use the nutrition boost.
Even thought winter squash is technically a carbohydrate (and no I’m not against the eating of healthy whole grained organic carbs), studies have shown that winter squash releases it’s sugars in a steady fashion (as opposed to the sugar rush you get when you eat cake) and can lessen the overall glycemic response to meals.
In general foods with orange flesh – like acorn squash – are incredibly high in carotenoids. These include beta-carotene and alpha-carotene that can then be converted to active forms of vitamin A in the body. In fact it’s one of the best sources of vitamin A out there. It’s also an excellent source of vitamin C, fiber, Vitamin B6, copper and manganese. While not as high as the other vitamins and nutrients, winter squash is also a good source of vitamins B2 and B3, folate, pantothenic acid, vitamin K, potassium and magnesium. Who needs a multi-vitamin when you can have winter squash instead.
Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash
We like pairing our squash with a protein source whenever we can. In our soups we use homemade chicken bone broth, but when we stuff our squash we like to use quinoa. We find this recipe can be both a main or a great side dish for a larger family meal.
- 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 medium acorn squash halved and seeded
- 1/2 cup walnuts chopped
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 2-3 tbsp maple syrup to personal taste preference
- 1/4-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon to personal taste preference
- Combine one cup of water and 1/2 cup of uncooked quinoa in a pot. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to sit covered for 5 minutes.
- Mix warm quinoa with maple syrup, cinnamon, cranberries and walnuts. Start with 2 tbsp of maple syrup and 1/4 tsp of cinnamon. Add more to taste and based on your personal preference.
- Cut your squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Stuff each squash with the quinoa mixture. Leftover can be served as a side.
- Bake in a covered dish for a minimum of 45 minutes or until squash is tender. We find this takes at least an hour depending on squash size.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do! Please feel free to post any recipes variations in the comments below.
P.S. Please pin for future reference and to share in the local food love 😉
