Couscous stuffed acorn squash is a sweet and savory side dish that is great as a vegetarian entree or healthy side dish. It goes wonderfully with grilled or roasted meats, making it a lovely addition to your holiday meal.
I like to serve this with a Fried Goat Cheese And Roasted Root Veggie Salad, Reverse Seared Chicken Breasts, Sauteed Haricots Vert, and a Rustic Apple Galette. It’s a healthy and delicious meal that’s as beautiful to look at as it is wonderful to eat.
What Is Acorn Squash?
Acorn squash is a winter squash that’s shaped like an acorn with ridges on the outside and sweet, orange-colored flesh inside. It has a mild, buttery flavor that is similar to zucchini or pumpkin.
Choose an acorn squash that has a smooth, dry, dark green rind free of cracks or soft spots. It should have a dull rind. If the rind has a shine, the squash was picked too early and will lack flavor and sweetness.
Select a squash with as much green on the rind as possible. The squash will have a lot of orange on the rind if it is overripe. Being overripe means the flesh will be dry and stringy.
Ingredients Needed
- Acorn squash
- Apple juice
- Couscous
- Green apple, like Granny Smith
- Dried apricots
- Golden raisins
- Scallions
- Butter
- Brown sugar
- Salt
- Cinnamon
Steps To Make This Recipe
- Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds.
- Bake the squash until tender.
- Cook the couscous in apple juice.
- Toss the couscous with the fruits, scallion, butter, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon.
- Spoon the couscous mixture into the squash.
Variations
The nicest part of this recipe is that it can be tailored to fit the tastes of your family or what you have on hand.
- Instead of apples, apricots, and raisins, try dried cranberries, orange zest, and pistachios.
- Toss in cooked vegetables like broccoli, brussels sprouts, green peas, or diced carrots.
- Try spices like chili powder, cumin, thyme, or rosemary.
- Beans or lentils would make this dish a complete vegetarian meal that is full of protein.
Couscous Stuffed Acorn Squash
Couscous stuffed acorn squash is a sweet and savory side dish that is great as a vegetarian entree or healthy side dish. It goes wonderfully with grilled or roasted meats, making it a lovely addition to your holiday meal.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: Serves 2
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Ingredients
1 medium acorn squash
1 cup water
½ cup apple juice
⅓ cup uncooked couscous
1 granny smith apple, peeled and finely diced
½ cup dried apricots, diced
½ cup golden raisins, chopped
2 tablespoons finely minced scallions, white part only
1 tablespoon butter, melted
2 teaspoons brown sugar
⅛ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cut the squash in half and scoop out and discard the seeds.
Place the squash, cut side down, into a 13×9-inch baking dish. Pour the water into the bottom of the dish.
Bake, uncovered, for 40-45 minutes or until tender when pierced with the tip of a knife.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring the apple juice to a boil. Stir in the couscous.
Remove from the heat, cover, and let stand for 5 minutes or until the apple juice is absorbed.
When the squash is cool enough to handle, scoop out about 1-inch of the squash, leaving a large border around the squash. Chop the squash that you removed and place it into a large bowl.
Add the couscous, apple, apricots, raisins, scallions, butter, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon.
Toss to combine all the ingredients.
Spoon the mixture into the squash.
Serve warm.
Keywords: couscous stuffed acorn squash, vegetarian recipe, healthy sides, holiday side dish, couscous, meatless Monday