Ingredients
- 2 acorn squash, cut in half and de-seeded
- extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt, to taste
- cracked black pepper, to taste
- .5 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 large stalk celery, diced
- 1 sprig fresh sage, kept whole
-
3 tsp. Spice Tribe Wild Cured Sumac
- 1.16 oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 5.8 oz box roasted garlic and olive oil couscous, cooked (see note)
- .5 cup dried cranberries
- .5 cup roasted sunflower kernels
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375ºF.
- Drizzle each half of the acorn squash with olive oil and liberally season with kosher salt and cracked black pepper.
- Roast the halved and de-seeded acorn squash on a Silpat or aluminum foil lined sheet pan open-side up for 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on the size. The flesh should be tender enough to be pierced with a fork. Once they’re done, set them aside to work on the stuffing.
- In a 10” cast iron skillet over medium heat and using another drizzle of olive oil, sauté the diced yellow onion, celery, and sage sprig until the onion is slightly translucent, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the sumac and chickpeas, stirring until the chickpeas are warmed through.
- Remove the sage and discard the sprig.
- Taste and adjust any seasonings as needed. I didn’t need much salt since the sumac provided a nice citrusy flavor for the stuffing mixture (and remember, the couscous is flavored as well).
- Then, add the cooked couscous to the vegetable mixture making sure everything is combined.
- Fold in the dried cranberries and sunflower kernels.
- Turn the heat off and stuff each cavity of the acorn squash fully and put back into the oven to toast the tops for about 5 minutes.
- Carefully remove and serve each person their individual stuffed squash. Any leftover stuffing would be great as a cold salad, I used mine mixed in with some leafy greens for a nice lunch the next day.
- ¡Buen provecho!
Recipe Note
Note: according to the package instructions for the couscous used in this recipe, it only takes 5 minutes to prepare once the water has boiled. I would suggest making this while you’re sautéing the vegetables for the stuffing so it everything stays warm and fresh. I prefer the garlic and olive oil flavor, but you can use plain couscous if you like.