Thanksgiving vegan dish recipe: Stuffed acorn squash rings

Our FOX Family Feast continues as we count down to Thanksgiving and share ideas for your holiday spread.

Lena Maria shares a savory vegan recipe for stuffed acorn squash rings. Here’s how you can make them at home.

THANKSGIVING DESSERT: Thanksgiving dessert recipe: Oreo truffles

Cooking spray

½ cup quinoa rinsed thoroughly

1 cup vegetable broth or broth of preference

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion diced

1 apple cored and diced (any kind will do)

½ cup shredded cheddar cheese (I used violife dairy-free cheddar)

¼ cup dried cranberries chopped

2 tbsp chopped sage

2 tbsp chopped walnuts

salt + pepper to taste

1 egg (or egg substitute) whisked

2-3 small acorn or sweet dumpling squash cut into ½-inch slices (remove seeds & guts

2 tbsp butter/butter substitute melted (I used earth balance)

2 tbsp maple syrup

Brown Sugar (optional)

1. Start by preheating the oven to 375, and spray your baking sheets with cooking oil. 
2. Follow the cooking instructions for the quinoa, using veggie broth in lieu of water. 
3. Chop your veg – professional chefs, don’t come at me for my chopping skills… remember, I get paid to be wrong half the time! We got the job done. 
4. Cook the onion over medium heat in the oil for about 10 minutes or until they start to brown, add apple and cook for about 5 more minutes. 
5. After both have cooled slightly, combine the quinoa, apple, onion, cheese, cranberries, sage, and walnuts in a large bowl.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste. I decided to toss in a bit of brown sugar last minute after tasting the mixture. But, you can adjust this combo any way you see fit based on preference - add or remove ingredients for allergies as well (walnuts). As it stands, the recipe is dairy-free, vegan, and gluten-free. 
7. Time for the vegan egg. The vegan who?! Here’s a simple egg replacer for baking.  1 tablespoon of flax meal, 2.5 tablespoons of water. Let sit for 5 minutes to thicken. Then, toss it into the mixture and combine.  Remember, you can use a regular egg here too. You can also omit the egg altogether, but this helps hold the stuffing together and keep it inside the acorn squash ring. 
8. 1 tablespoon of flax meal, 2.5 tablespoons of water. Let sit for 5 minutes to thicken. Then, toss it into the mixture and combine. 
9. Remember, you can use a regular egg here too. You can also omit the egg altogether, but this helps hold the stuffing together and keep it inside the acorn squash ring. 
10. Time to chop the acorn squash. I will caution that these are hard to cut. Remove the seeds and guts. Feel free to save the seeds for roasting! 
11. Now heat up the butter and maple syrup in a bowl, and you’ve got two options. Dunk your rings, or brush each side evenly.
12. Last but not least, stuff those babies jam-packed. Give a little spritz of cooking oil on top of each one for a nice crisp, and toss them in the oven for 30-40 minutes until they’re golden brown and the squash is tender. 
13. While they’re cooking, you can take advantage of this time to clean the kitchen.… or not. 

And there you have it. The perfect main for the plant-based peeps, a great side dish for the meat eaters, looks beautiful, and tastes delicious!