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Vegan Stuffed Acorn Squash with Wild Rice and Tempeh

This Stuffed Acorn Squash is packed full of wild rice and tempeh and topped off with pomegranate and tahini for a cozy autumnal vegan dinner! In partnership with Lightlife.

Vegan Stuffed Acorn Squash with Wild Rice and Tempeh

I have a super delicious vegan fall recipe for you guys today! We’re making a vegan stuffed acorn squash filled with a wild rice and tempeh stuffing. This stuffed acorn squash recipe is the perfect cozy fall dinner, or it makes a great main or side dish for all the herbivores at Thanksgiving!

I actually don’t share that many holiday recipes each year because I feel like most of us have our staples that we stick to each season. But hey, if you’re looking for a new dish to add to your festive holiday table, you’ve come to the right place! 

Even if you don’t eat meat anymore (bye, turkey!), you still might buy a plant-based roast and make the classics like green bean casserole, cornbread, and pumpkin pie. If you’ve got a bit more room on your Thanksgiving table, this stuffed acorn squash needs to make an appearance!

For the past couple years, my grandma has been cooking roasted squash and a wild rice pilaf to fill up the plant-eaters in the fam. This year, I decided to combine those two delicious foods into one to make this stuffed acorn squash recipe. Even if you don’t want to serve it for Thanksgiving, you’re definitely going to want to make it for dinner one night this fall!

four halves of acorn squashes stuffed with wild rice, tempeh, pomegranate seeds and topped off with fresh cilantro and tahini

Ingredients for Vegan Stuffed Acorn Squash

I know stuffed squash recipes can feel a little intimidating because they look like they must be a lot of work. But that’s where this stuffed acorn squash recipe is a total winner because it’s actually super easy to put together. The ingredient list is super simple for this recipe. All you need is:

  • Acorn squash. Acorn squashes are the perfect size to use for any stuffed squash recipe. When you cut them down the middle, they have the perfect opening to fill with our vegan stuffing! If you don’t have or can’t find acorn squash, you can replace it with butternut squash or even scooped-out sweet potatoes!
  • Wild rice. We’re making a delicious wild rice stuffing to fill these acorn squashes. This stuffing would also be delicious on its own!
  • Lightlife Organic Flax Tempeh. I used the Flax version of Lightlife tempeh, but you could totally use either the Original or Three Grain instead. Click here to find a store with Lightlife products near you!
  • Pomegranate arils. Aka the seeds inside a pomegranate! They add the perfect little bits of sweetness and juiciness on top of the stuffed acorn squash. Love and Lemons has a great guide on How to Cut a Pomegranate if you haven’t done it before.
  • Cilantro. A fresh herb adds a bit of something fresh to brighten up the recipe. If you don’t like cilantro, try parsley instead!
  • Tahini. Because nothing is complete without a drizzle of tahini.
  • Seasonings. We’ll be using ground thyme, ground oregano, salt and pepper.

a sheet tray holding two halves of an acorn squash, each filled with tempeh and wild rice

How to Make the Wild Rice and Tempeh Vegan Stuffing

Tempeh is one of my favorite plant-based proteins because it is fermented (yay for healthy guts!) and has a very meaty texture that is sure to please both carnivores and plant-eaters at  your holiday table. Don’t you love how good food can bring us together?

This vegan stuffing is made not only with tempeh, but also plenty of wild rice to make this stuffed acorn squash recipe super satisfying.

To make the wild rice stuffing, start by cooking your wild rice covered at a simmer for about 40-45 minutes. Once most of the water has been absorbed, remove the pot from the heat, cover with a lid completely and let it sit for another 10 minutes before fluffing with a fork.

While your rice is cooking, you can start on your tempeh! Remove the tempeh from the packaging and heat a skillet with a bit of oil on the stove. Once the oil is hot, crumble the tempeh into small pieces into the pan. Cook the tempeh for 5-7 minutes, or until it starts browning and getting nice and crispy.

Once your tempeh and wild rice are finished cooking, make the vegan stuffing by combining the cooked rice, tempeh, pomegranate arils, cilantro, thyme, oregano salt and pepper in a large bowl. That’s it! Next we fill our squash with this delicious vegan stuffing.

a tray of halved acorn squashes, each filled with a tempeh and wild rice stuffing and topped with cilantro and a drizzle of tahini

How to Make Stuffed Acorn Squash

You could totally enjoy the wild rice and tempeh stuffing on its own, but I think it is so delicious stuffed into a roasted acorn squash. Acorn squashes are truly perfect for stuffing with delicious fillings because they have a perfectly round hollow center that feels like it’s made for a hearty serving of stuffing!

We’re going to roast our squash to about 95% doneness before we add our stuffing! So before you start working on the wild rice and tempeh stuffing, set your oven to 400ºF, halve your acorn squashes and scoop out all the seeds and goopy bits. Once your oven is nice and hot, rub each hollowed, halved squash with oil and roast for 50-55 minutes, or until a fork easily pierces into the squash. While they roast, you can work on the vegan stuffing!

Once the acorn squash is starting to soften, pull them out of the oven and fill them with that delicious wild rice and tempeh stuffing, then pop them back in the oven for another 10 minutes.

Once the stuffing is warmed all the way through, will the stuffed acorn squash out of the oven and top each one off with a drizzle of tahini and fresh chopped cilantro.

four halves of acorn squashes, each filled with a wild rice and tempeh stuffing and topped with fresh cilantro and a drizzle of tahini

More Stuffed Squash Recipes

Let me know how this Stuffed Acorn Squash recipe turns out if you decide to make them! They’d be a perfect main or side dish at your Thanksgiving table.

If you’re looking for more ways to incorporate other plant-based products into your holiday dishes, here are some ideas using Lightlife products:

  • Gimme Lean Sausage. Use to replace sausage in stuffing!
  • Smart Bacon. Use in stuffing or with sautéed green beans!
  • Smart Tenders Savory Chick’n. Sauté and serve alongside mashed potatoes, gravy, and vegetables.
  • Smart Deli Veggie Turkey Slices. Use to create the ultimate plant-based holiday leftovers sandwich!

If you have more squashes on hand and can’t get enough of the stuffed squash recipes, try out one of these!

an acorn squash sliced in half and stuffed with tempeh and wild rice

 

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How to make:

Vegan Stuffed Acorn Squash with Wild Rice and Tempeh

This Stuffed Acorn Squash is packed full of wild rice and tempeh and topped off with pomegranate and tahini for a cozy autumnal vegan dinner!

Prep Time:
20 mins
Cook Time:
1 hour 10 mins
Total Time:
1 hour 30 mins
halved acorn squashes on a cookie sheet filled with a tempeh wild rice stuffing and topped with tahini
Author:
Emilie
Yield:
8 1x
Rating: 4 from 4 reviews

Ingredients

  • 2 medium acorn squash*
  • Oil for cooking
  • 1 cup wild rice
  • 1 package Lightlife Organic Flax Tempeh
  • Arils of 1 pomegranate (about 1 cup)
  • 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped, plus more for garnish
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground oregano
  • 1/4 cup tahini

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400ºF. Halve each acorn squash from stem to the bottom*. Scoop out the seeds and stringy pieces. Rub each half with a bit of oil. Place on a baking sheet; bake for 50-55 minutes, until fork tender.
  2. Add wild rice and 3 cups water to a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, cover, and cook for 40-45 minutes. Let sit with the cover on for 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
  3. In a medium skillet over medium heat, warm a bit of oil. Crumble tempeh into the saucepan; cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring, until crispy.
  4. In a large bowl, add cooked rice, tempeh, pomegranate arils, cilantro, thyme, oregano, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Stuff the hollows of each acorn squash half with filling. Bake for 10 minutes.
  5. Top each half with a tablespoon of tahini drizzle and chopped cilantro.

Notes

*To make cutting the squash easier, microwave each squash for 3 minutes. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then halve.


Thanks to Lightlife for sponsoring this post! I love working with brands whose products I really love and would honestly recommend. Thank you for supporting this blog that I love oh-so-much!