Stuffed Acorn squash with Spiced Rice

Acorn squash is stuffed with a Lebanese rice mixture called hashweh that is layered with warm spices of cinnamon, ground beef and tart cranberries.

5 from 6 votes

Acorn squash is stuffed with a Lebanese rice mixture called hashweh that is layered with warm spices of cinnamon, ground beef and tart cranberries.

Prep Time10

Cook Time50

Cooling10

Total Time1 10

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Lebanese, Mediterranean

Keyword: acorn squash stuffed with rice, rice stuffed acorn squash, stuffed acorn squash

Servings: servings

Calories: 546kcal

Author: Samantha Ferraro

Cost: $10

Ingredients

Acorn Squash

2 acorn squash
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon allspice
½ teaspoon Kosher salt

Rice Stuffing

2 tablespoon ghee divided
½ pound ground beef
½ small red onion chopped finely
1 garlic clove chopped finely
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon allspice
Pinch of nutmeg
¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
Black pepper
½ cup uncooked Basmati rice washed and rinsed
¾ cup low sodium chicken stock
¼ cup pine nuts
⅓ cup dried cranberries (or dried currants
Fresh parsley leaves roughly chopped

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Pre-heat Oven: Start by preheating the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and wash and dry the acorn squash.
Prep Acorn Squash: Cut squash in half, horizontally and scoop out any seeds. You may need to cut a small piece of the bottom off so the squash can stand up without topping over.
Roast Squash: Brush olive oil all over the inside of the flesh and season with allspice and salt. Place squash on a foil lined backing sheet cut side down and roast for 25-30 minutes until just barely cooked through. Once done, remove from the oven and let cool slightly.
Make Rice Filling: While the squash roasts, make the spiced rice filling. Heat a pot over medium heat and melt 1 tablespoon of ghee. Add ground beef and onion and cook until meat is filly cooked through and onion has softened.
Add garlic and spices and give everything a good saute.
Add basmati rice and give everything another stir and pour in stock. Add 1 tablespoon of ghee and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Cook until rice is cooked through, about 15 minutes.
Toast the Pine Nuts: While rice cooks, make the toasted pine nuts. Melt ghee in a small skillet and add pine nuts. Saute until pine nuts just begin to toast and turn golden brown and small nutty. Remove from heat and set aside, they will be very hot.
Once rice is done, fluff with a fork and add toasted pine nuts, dried cranberries and chopped parsley.
Stuff Squash with Filling: Add a heaping half cup of filling to squash, depending how large your squash are and lightly drizzle the tops with olive oil.
Finish Cooking Squash: Place back in the oven and continue roasting until squash is fully cooked, another 20 minutes. You may need to cover with foil so the tops don't get too dark too quickly.
Once done, let cool slightly before serving and garnish with extra fresh herbs.

Notes

For a short cut, make or guy pre-made Basmati rice and that to the meat mixture.

If you don't have dried cranberries, dried currants or barberries are a nice substitute. The rice mixture is based off of my hashweh recipe.

You may have a bit more filling leftover which is great for leftovers.

Nutrition