Acorn squash is roasted and stuffed with bell peppers, grape tomatoes, and spinach, then topped with crumbled goat cheese and toasted pine nuts. This acorn squash recipe is a great vegetarian main dish or healthy side and it reheats beautifully for workday lunches.
I love a simple acorn squash recipe, but if you’re going to heat up the oven why not create a masterpiece? And while butter, salt, pepper and thyme are a typical flavor combination when it comes to roasted acorn squash it’s not the only way to season this fall favorite!
When it comes to this stuffed acorn squash recipe, I wanted bold flavors, bright colors, and a bevy of roasted vegetables. No rice or grains here, so it’s great for people seeking lower-carb and gluten-free options.
While I typically make this recipe on a weekend and reheat it for lunches throughout the week, it’s gorgeous on a holiday table as a healthy side dish along with Roasted Turkey Breast or Baked Cranberry Chicken. Not a meat-eater? No worries. It’s also a beautiful vegetarian main dish.
It’s one of my favorite fall and winter recipes because it makes good use of the acorn squash that’s plentiful throughout the season and has a great balance of creamy and crunchy textures with sweet, savory, and tangy flavors.
Table of Contents
Ingredients for this Acorn Squash Recipe with Roasted Vegetables
- Pine nuts: These tiny and buttery nuts add a delightful crunch and nutty flavor to any dish. They’re like little flavor-packed powerhouses that add a little something special to this acorn squash recipe.
- Acorn squash: With its vibrant orange flesh and slightly sweet flavor, acorn squash is a fall favorite for roasting.
- Orange, yellow or red bell pepper: These colorful bell peppers not only add a pop of vibrant hues to this recipe, but they also bring a mild, sweet, and slightly tangy flavor that complements the roasted acorn squash beautifully.
- Red onion: With its crisp texture and mild, slightly peppery flavor, red onion adds both crunch and color.
- Grape tomatoes: Bursting with sweet and juicy flavor, roasted grape tomatoes add a burst of acidity to balance the sweetness of the squash and the peppers.
- Extra virgin olive oil: This liquid gold is the backbone of Mediterranean cooking, bringing its rich and fruity flavor to everything it touches. Any of our olive oils will work well in this recipe.
- Oregano: A staple in Italian cuisine, oregano brings a robust and earthy flavor to this recipe.
- Dried basil: Packed with the fresh aroma and essence of summer, dried basil adds a subtle sweetness and herbal flavor to the roasted vegetables.
- Thyme: This fragrant herb with delicate leaves and woody stems adds a woodsy and lemony flavor.
- Kosher salt: Kosher salt helps every other flavor in this acorn squash recipe shine. If Taylor Swift was an acorn squash, Kosher salt would be her backup singer.
- Freshly ground black pepper: A little pepper adds an earthy subtle heat to this recipe.
- Baby spinach: These tender and vibrant green leaves add a pop of color, a boost of nutrition, and an earthy flavor to balance the peppers, squash, onions, and tomatoes.
- Goat cheese (chevre): My love of chevre runs deep. Its creamy, tangy, and slightly tart, flavor goes well with both sweet and savory recipes. I use it here to add almost a saucy texture as it softens with the heat of the roasted vegetables. Traditionally, goat cheese is made with animal rennet, but now you can find many vegetarian goat cheese options if you abstain from cheeses made with rennet.
How to Make Stuffed Acorn Squash
If your squash is particularly large, cut it into 8 wedges rather than 4. This allows you to serve more people and ensures the squash cooks at the same time as the other vegetables. You can also add the squash wedges to the sheet pan first and let them roast for about 15 minutes, before adding the remaining vegetables.
- Heat the oven and toast the pine nuts. Set the oven to 400°F and let it warm up while you toast the pine nuts. Set a small dry skillet over medium high heat. Add the pine nuts. Stir and toss the pine nuts continuously for 3 to 5 minutes until they turn golden brown and fragrant. Remove from the heat.
- Prep the vegetables. Place the quartered squash flesh side up on one side of the baking sheet. Add the diced pepper, diced onions, and grape tomatoes to the other side. Drizzle all of the vegetables with olive oil and season with oregano, basil, thyme, salt, and pepper. Make sure you really rub the seasoning into the flesh of the squash. Use your hands to mix the tomatoes, onions, and peppers together. Spread everything out onto a single layer on the sheet pan and flip the squash quarters over so some of the flesh is touching the sheet pan.
- Roast the vegetables. Place in the oven for 40 minutes, tossing halfway through and flipping the squash to the other side.
- Test the squash: Pull the sheet pan out of the oven. Insert a fork into the flesh of the squash to make sure it’s tender and cooked through before moving onto the next step.
- Wilt the spinach: Add the spinach to the tomato and onion mixture and use your spatula to fold it together as much as you can. You want to make sure the spinach is coated in the oil and vegetable juices (leave the squash alone). The spinach should wilt just from being exposed to the heat of the roasted vegetables. If not, go ahead and put the sheet pan with all the vegetables back in the oven for an additional 5 minutes. Then toss the vegetables again.
- Serve: Remove from the oven. Place the squash quarters on individual plates or on one large platter. Toss the vegetables on the sheet pan once again. Taste and add a little more salt and pepper if needed, then spoon the roasted vegetables over the squash quarters. Top with crumbled goat cheese and toasted pine nuts.
What to Serve with Stuffed Acorn Squash
Pair this acorn squash recipe with other vegetarian show stoppers for a vegetarian feast. Try it with Whole Roasted Cauliflower, Vegetarian Stuffed Eggplant, and Vegetarian Moussaka.
Use it as a holiday side dish and serve other holiday favorites like Roasted Green Beans, Garlic Mashed Potatoes and place them right next to Beef Tenderloin or Juicy Roasted Turkey Breast.
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Acorn Squash Stuffed with Tomatoes, Spinach and Goat Cheese
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 1 medium acorn squash, quartered and seeds removed
- 1 large orange, yellow or red bell pepper, diced
- 1 large red onion, diced
- 1 pint grape tomatoes
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/4 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 big handfuls baby spinach (about 2 packed cups)
- 2 ounces goat cheese (chevre)
Instructions
- Heat the oven and toast the pine nuts. Set the oven to 400°F and let it warm up while you toast the pine nuts. Set a small dry skillet over medium high heat. Add the pine nuts. Stir and toss the pine nuts continuously for 3 to 5 minutes until they turn golden brown and fragrant. Remove from the heat.
- Roast the vegetables. Place the quartered squash flesh side up on one side of the baking sheet. Add the diced pepper, diced onions, and grape tomatoes to the other side. Drizzle all of the vegetables with olive oil and season with oregano, basil, thyme, salt, and pepper. Make sure you really rub the seasoning into the flesh of the squash. Use your hands to mix the tomatoes, onions, and peppers together. Spread everything out onto a single layer on the sheet pan and flip the squash quarters over so some of the flesh is touching the sheet pan. Place in the oven for 40 minutes, tossing halfway through and flipping the squash to the other flesh side.
- Test the squash. Pull the sheet pan out of the oven. Insert a fork into the flesh of the squash to make sure it's tender and cooked through before moving onto the next step.
- Wilt the spinach. Add the spinach to the tomato and onion mixture and use your spatula to fold it together as much as you can. You want to make sure the spinach is coated in the oil and vegetable juices (leave the squash alone). The spinach should wilt under the heat of the vegetables, but if it doesn't return the pan to the oven for about 5 minutes. Remove from oven, give the spinach a good stir with the tomato-onion mixture one or two more times.
- Serve. Remove from the oven. Place the squash quarters on individual plates or on one large platter. Toss the vegetables on the sheet pan once again. Taste and add a little more salt and pepper if needed, then spoon the roasted vegetables over the squash quarters. Top with crumbled goat cheese and toasted pine nuts.
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Notes
- Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including olive oils, honey, jams, and spices.
- If your squash is particularly large, cut it into 8 wedges rather than 4. This allows you to serve more people and ensures the squash cooks at the same time as the other vegetables. You can also add the squash wedges to the sheet pan first and let them roast for about 15 minutes, before adding the remaining vegetables.
- If you don’t have pine nuts you can also top this with toasted pecans or hazelnuts.
- Swap the goat cheese for feta if you prefer.
This was amazing!! Super easy to prep/cook, and the flavor is fantastic. This will definitely be added to the “weeknight & I’m tired” rotation!
Ha! Thanks so much, Rebecca!