Acorn Squash Stuffed with Wild Rice Risotto

Looking for a creative and tasty seasonal alternative to the typical Thanksgiving day fare?

I’ve got you covered with these scrumptious Acorn Squash Stuffed with Wild Rice Risotto to brighten up your dinner table.

It was Tuesday night and I was trying desperately to come up with a creative dish to bring to the department of nutrition’s Thanksgiving potluck.  I had signed up to bring a vegetable, but nine other nutrition students had also signed up to bring a vegetable, not to mention the ten people covering “salads” (an entirely separate category).  Tons of creative vegetable dishes were listed, and I did not feel like adding another green bean dish to the list.  Luckily, there were a bunch of gorgeous green acorn squash on sale at the market, and so I decided to bring a fruit instead (technically squash are considered fruit). I also had a pantry stocked with exciting whole grain options to choose from.  I ended up with an impressive looking, tasty, and ridiculously easy dish that requires minimal effort, making it a perfect option for those of you running low on time.

Happy almost Thanksgiving!!!!

Acorn Squash Stuffed with Wild Rice Risotto

Ingrediants

• 5 Acorn squash
• 3 shallots
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup wild rice blend
• 3 cups broth (I use chicken, but you can use veggie if you prefer)
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
• 1 tbs. butter
• Black pepper to taste
• salt to taste
• olive oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 F
2. Slice acorn squash in half  and remove seeds (this is easy to do with a spoon)
3. Place on a baking sheet with about a half inch of water ( this helps the squash from drying out)
4. Bake for approximately 1 hour or until squash is soft when a fork is inserted
5.  While you’re waiting, dice shallots
6. Place shallots, olive oil, and salt in a pot and cook on medium-low slowly stirring until shallots are golden, soft, sweet, and fragrant.
7. Add rice, broth, and wine and cook on high until liquid starts to boil.  Reduce heat and simmer covered for 40-45 minutes or until kernals have puffed up and are soft.
8. Add butter, parmesan, salt and pepper.
9. Fill Acorn squash with your wild rice risotto.
10. Reheat in oven prior to your meal, and top with a drizzle of olive oil if rice begins to dry out in the oven.