This stuffed acorn squash recipe combines tender squash, rice, sweet cranberries and a perfectly cooked sunny-side up egg. This scrumptious fall recipe can be enjoy for breakfast, lunch or dinner!
This stuffed acorn squash recipe is a sponsored post with Egg Farmers of Canada.
Hi friends!
Sharing an easy fall recipe with you today. It’s one that would be delicious for any meal.
Just think: bacon and eggs.
Good, right?
Now, add acorn squash with stuffing that includes rice, sweet cranberries and pumpkin seeds. Top the whole thing with a perfectly fried sunny-side up egg.
Oh yeah, there’s all sorts of deliciousness going on here.
Plus, the acorn squash is like a plate. How fun is that?
Now, let’s talk more about one of my fave ingredients: eggs!
World Egg Day
World Egg Day? Wait, isn’t that every day?
For those of you who don’t know, tomorrow, October 11th is World Egg Day. So, it’s a perfect excuse to enjoy some.
Why eggs?
- Well, they’re super easy to prepare.
- You can enjoy them all sorts of ways, from fried to poached to scrambled.
- They can be used in sweet and savoury recipes, alike.
- You can enjoy them for any meal of the day (case in point with this delicious stuffed squash recipe).
- They’re pretty inexpensive.
- And, personal fave, the eggs that we get right here in Newfoundland are produced my local farmers. Now that’s farm to table eatin’ right there!
Supporting local and eating local is definitely a big thing with me. If you follow Girl Heart Food, you know how much I love using local ingredients from local producers (and even occasionally growing some of our own produce).
Supporting and eating local is good for you and for the economy. When you support local, it means that people in your area can work, support their families and provide jobs for others surrounding them.
Plus, when you support local, you are having less of an environmental impact than buying from elsewhere. Not to mention, what you’re eating is fresh!
In Canada, there are over 1000 egg farming families that work hard to bring Canadians a quality product that they can enjoy with just about every meal.
And, if that wasn’t exciting enough, Chef Lynn Crawford has teamed up with Egg Farmers of Canada to showcase all the lovely families providing us eggs all throughout Canada. Pretty cool, huh?
Eggs are a staple in our home, right alongside milk, bread and cheese. They’re always in the fridge.
How do you enjoy your eggs? Do tell!
Ingredients Needed for This Stuffed Acorn Squash Recipe
- Eggs (of course)
- Acorn squash
- Rice
- Bacon
- Dried cranberries
- Pumpkin seeds
- Olive oil and butter
- Seasonings, including salt, pepper and pumpkin pie spice
- Sage leaves if you want to have a little garnish.
What Does Acorn Squash Taste Like?
Acorn squash is very mild in taste and just a tad sweeter than fresh pumpkin.
Because it’s mild in taste, whatever you pair with it stands out!
How To Roast Acorn Squash and Stuff It
Prepare Acorn Squash: Carefully cut each acorn squash in half from the top to the bottom and scoop out seeds. You can discard those or roast them for a snack later. Then slice a little off the back side of the squash so it rests flat on your sheet pan
Season Acorn Squash: Place cut acorn squash on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with pumpkin spice, salt and pepper. Roast until tender. You’ll know it’s done when it easily pierces with a fork or knife.
Tip: If you are simply roasting squash and enjoying as is, skip the next step.
Make Stuffing for Squash: Meanwhile, cook rice according to package instructions and cook bacon. Combine with pumpkin seeds and stuff into roasted acorn squash.
Prepare Eggs And Finish Assembling Squash: When there’s only a couple minutes or so left on the squash cooking time, start preparing the eggs. Once cooked, top each acorn squash and garnish if you like!
Full details are in the recipe card below.
Can I Prepare The Eggs Another Way?
You sure can!
I opted for a sunny-side up egg for this recipe, but over-easy or even poached would work great!
When the yolks are runny, it not only makes for a pretty presentation, but the yolk creates a “sauce” for the stuffed acorn squash.
Can I Stuff the Squash With Another Filling?
Absolutely!
Prefer not to use rice? Try:
- Quinoa
- Couscous
- Farro
- Grits
- Creamy polenta
Can I Make This a Vegetarian Stuffed Acorn Squash?
You sure can!
Use veggie bacon in lieu of regular bacon or simply omit entirely. Many main stream brands offer veggie bacon now and you can readily purchase at your local grocery.
These stuffed acorn squash will still taste delicious!
Tips and Variations
- Roast time of your squash may vary, depending on how small/large they are. Just roast until they are fork-tender.
- The quantity of rice you will need may vary, depending on the size of your acorn squash. Of course, a smaller squash would require less stuffing than a larger one. Just judge accordingly.
- The bacon was cooked on the stove-top until crisp. Alternatively, you can leave the bacon in slices and cook in the oven with the squash (roughly the last 20 minutes of cook time pop the bacon in there). Crumble the bacon when it’s cooked and cool enough to handle.
- Instead of bacon, you could use pancetta.
- For presentation purposes, if you want some of your stuffing to show, fold under some of the egg white when you place it on top of the acorn squash.
- Try chopped walnuts, pecans or almonds instead of pumpkin seeds.
- Raisins work lovely instead of cranberries or use a small diced apple.
- A lovely garnish option is crispy sage leaves, but a sprinkling of chopped parsley or minced chives would also work.
- Mix up your seasoning! Instead of pumpkin spice, try a little smoked paprika for more of a smoky vibe.
More Yummy Recipes You May Enjoy
If you make this stuffed acorn squash recipe, be sure to leave a comment below!
Stuffed Acorn Squash Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 acorn squash
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup COOKED rice, cook according to package instructions
- 6 slices bacon, cut into lardons (small slices)
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup pumpkin seeds
- 2 teaspoons butter
- 4 eggs
- 8 crispy sage leaves, garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Carefully cut each acorn squash in half (from top to bottom), scoop out seeds (and discard those or keep for later). Carefully cut a little slice off the back of each squash half so it lays flat on the sheet pan. Place on a sheet pan (cut side up).
- Drizzle olive oil over each squash half (the interior or cut side up). Sprinkle salt, black pepper, pumpkin spice among all acorn squash halves.
- Roast cut side up (interior side up) for 40 to 45 minutes or until fork-tender and cooked through.
- Meanwhile, cook rice according to package instructions and set aside.
- Heat a 10-inch skillet over medium-low heat. Add bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 to 12 minutes or until crisp. Transfer bacon to a plate and set aside. Drain grease from skillet.
- In a bowl, stir together the cooked rice, cranberries, pumpkin seeds and crispy bacon (reserve some for garnish later, if you like) until well combined.
- Distribute rice mixture equally into squash halves.
- Prepare/cook the eggs. To do this, crack each egg into a small dish or ramekin (one dish per egg). Melt 1 teaspoon of butter in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Gently swirl the butter around the pan to coat. Pour two eggs into the pan and cook them until the whites are set (firm) and the yolks are cooked to your desired doneness. Season eggs with a pinch of pepper, if desired. Carefully transfer to a plate and set aside. Repeat with remaining 1 teaspoon of butter and two eggs.
- Place an egg on top of each stuffed acorn squash half.
- Garnish, if desired, with crispy sage leaves. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Roast time of your squash may vary, depending on the size of your squash. Just roast until they are fork-tender.
- Similarly, the quantity of rice you will need may vary, depending on the size of your acorn squash. Of course, a smaller squash would require less stuffing than a larger one. Just judge accordingly.
- For presentation purposes, if you want some of your stuffing to show, fold under some of the egg white when you place it on top of the acorn squash
A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.
Tried this recipe?
If you do make this recipe, thank you!! It would mean so much if you could leave a comment below. Love to know how you enjoyed it, and it helps other readers too!
Jenni
This is the perfect fall recipe! So delicious, and perfectly comfortable! Thanks for all the great tips to make it easy!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Thank you Jenni 🙂 So happy you enjoyed it!