Roasted Vegan Stuffed Acorn Squash

Prep your acorn squash: Preheat the oven to 425F. While it is preheating, line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place all squash halves cut-side down on the baking sheet.
(Optional: you may brush the flesh of each squash half with a small amount of olive oil. This deepens the flavor a bit and helps with easy removal from the baking sheet later. If you prefer an oil-free option, you can skip this step!)
Roast your acorn squash: Roast the squash in the oven for 35-45 minutes, until the skin has started to slightly wrinkle and the flesh is easily pierced with a fork.
(You can proceed to step 3 while the squash roasts).
Cook lentils: Place lentils and veggie broth in a pot on the stovetop and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for about 30 minutes (until lentils are tender). Drain off any excess liquid (if needed).
(Note that it is best to wait until the lentils are almost done cooking before starting step 4).
Sauté veggies: Bring a separate large nonstick pan to medium-high heat on the stovetop. Add your mushrooms, onions, and garlic. Sauté for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. (The mushrooms will release moisture as they cook, so sticking is usually not an issue. But if sticking does become an issue, add small splashes of water as needed).
Next, add the celery and continue to water sauté for 2 more minutes.
Add sage, rosemary, and thyme. Cook for 1 more minute.
Stir in the tomato paste and vinegar. Cook for 1 more minute.
Make lentil-veggie filling: Add cooked lentils and salt to the sautéed veggies. Stir to combine and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Reduce heat to low. Add kale and cook until just barely wilted (usually about 1 minute).
Remove from the heat and stir in the cranberries.
Scoop out part of the squash: Once your squash has come out of the oven and has cooled slightly (about 5 minutes, just enough to handle), flip the squash so that the fleshy side is face up on the baking sheet and they look like little bowls. Using a spoon, scoop out just a bit of flesh from each squash, leaving about a ½-inch border around the edges.
After doing this to all four squash halves, you should have approximately ½ cup of scooped squash. Add this to the lentil-veggie filling and mix well.
Stuff & bake the squash: Reduce the oven to 400F.
Use a spoon to add a few scoops of the lentil filling into each hollowed squash half. I like to really pile the filling up so it forms a tall mound. If desired, sprinkle more dried cranberries on top for a pop of color.
Place the stuffed squash back in the oven and bake 5-10 minutes, until heated through.
Serve warm, pair with Vegan Mushroom Gravy if desired, and enjoy!

Roasted Vegan Stuffed Acorn Squash

Ingredients

Instructions