This post was sponsored by Better Than Bouillon as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

If you’re looking for holiday side dishes for Christmas or Thanksgiving this stuffed acorn squash recipe is sure to be a show stopper. Delicious and hearty and it’s also a great recipe for a vegetarian Christmas dinner.

This stuffed acorn squash recipe not only makes for a fantastic and beautiful holiday side dish, but it’s also a great vegetarian Christmas recipe. When I host holiday get-togethers I always have a few vegetarian friends attending. And this baked acorn squash recipe with spicy chipotle mushroom wild rice makes for the perfect vegetarian holiday main dish. This is now my go-to vegetarian Christmas recipes for dinner parties and holiday gatherings. 

The key to this dish is the combination of the mushroom flavors with the spicy smoky flavor of chipotle balanced with the sweetness of the acorn squash. I love that this dish is not too spicy, it has just the right amount of heat to enhance all of the flavors. And you can always make this more or less spicy depending on your preferences. 

To make the chipotle mushroom rice I used a combination of Better Than Boillion Mushroom Base and Roasted Garlic Base. The Better Than Bouillon Mushroom Base has a richer more robust flavor than most vegetable bullions. This gives the rice more flavor and really makes a difference in taking this dish from great to fantastic! 

The Better Thank Bouillion Roasted Garlic base is a great way to add that roasted garlic flavor to your dishes without having to roast garlic. It makes the process easier and saves so much time. 

I use Better Than Bouillion bases for all of my holiday dishes. The paste concentrate adds that “cooked all day” flavor to my dishes. It’s a great way to save time and add lots of flavor to everything from appetizers to main courses. I love that there is a wide variety of bases in a range of flavors. And there are so many vegetarian options from the Seasoned Vegetable Base, Mushroom Base and Roasted Garlic Base to the No Chicken Base and No Beef Base. You can search for Better Than Bouillon using the product locator HERE or order those hard to find flavors online!

Other great vegetarian recipes

• Avocado and Chipotle Mushroom Tostadas
• Spicy Mexican Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
• Mushroom and Flor de Calabaza Tacos
• 5 Minute Avocado and Mango Rice Salad

Stuffed Acorn Squash with Chipotle Mushroom Wild Rice

Ingredients for the baked acorn squash

• 2 acorn squashes
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for brushing and drizzling
• ½ teaspoon Chipotle chili powder
• Salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients for the Chipotle Mushroom Wild Rice

• 1 cup wild rice, uncooked and rinsed
• 1 ¾ cups water
• 2 tablespoons Better Than Boullion Mushroom Base
• 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
• ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon agave syrup
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 teaspoon Better Than Boullion Roasted Garlic base
• 2 cups baby bella mushrooms, chopped
• ½ medium onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
• 2 cups kale, chopped
• 2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Cut the acorn squashes in half. Scoop out the seeds and pulp into a bowl. Don’t throw the seeds as you will be using them
• Remove the pulp from the seeds. Discard the pulp and set the clean seeds aside.

• Set the squash halves cut-side up on a baking pan and drizzle with olive oil.
• Sprinkle with salt and pepper and chipotle powder.
• Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 45 minutes, or until cooked through.
• Add 1 3/4 cups of water to a small pot. Add two tablespoons of Better Than Bullion Mushroom Base. Whisk until well combined.

• Add the wild rice and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 45 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender.
• Rinse the squash seeds and dry them. Transfer to a small bowl and add ½ teaspoon of chipotle powder, cumin, salt, and agave syrup. Mix until well-coated.
• Place the seeds on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for approximately 10 minutes or until toasted. Make sure to turn them or stir them halfway to make sure they toast on both sides.
• In a large skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for about a minute (before it’s translucent).
• Add the mushrooms and cook for about 6 minutes or until they have released a good amount of liquid.
• While the mushrooms are cooking heat ½ cup of water in the microwave and add 1 teaspoon of Better Than Bouillion Roasted Garlic Base. Whisk until well combined and set aside.
• Add a drizzle of olive oil, rosemary, thyme and the remaining ½ teaspoon of chipotle powder. Cook for 3-4 minutes, until fragrant.
• Deglaze the pan with ¼ cup of the roasted garlic broth. Cook until most of the liquid has evaporated.
• Add the kale, salt, and pepper, and cook until the kale wilts and reduces in volume by about ¼.

• Add two more 2 tablespoons of roasted garlic broth and cook until kale is wilted and most of the liquid has evaporated.
• Add the wild rice and remove from the heat.

• Using a spoon fill the squash halves with the spicy mushroom rice mixture.
• Garnish with the chipotle roasted squash seeds and pomegranate seeds.

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Stuffed Acorn Squash with Chipotle Mushroom Wild Rice (Vegetarian)

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Ingredients

• Ingredients for the baked acorn squash
• 2 acorn squashes
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for brushing and drizzling
• ½ teaspoon Chipotle chili powder
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Ingredients for the Chipotle Mushroom Wild Rice
• 1 cup wild rice, uncooked and rinsed
• 1 ¾ cups water
• 2 tablespoons Better Than Boullion Mushroom Base
• 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
• ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon agave syrup
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 teaspoon Better Than Boullion Roasted Garlic base
• 2 cups baby bella mushrooms, chopped
• ½ medium onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
• 2 cups kale, chopped
• 2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Cut the acorn squashes in half. Scoop out the seeds and pulp into a bowl. Don’t throw the seeds as you will be using them.
Remove the pulp from the seeds. Discard the pulp and set the clean seeds aside.
Set the squash halves cut-side up on a baking pan and drizzle with olive oil.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper and chipotle powder.
Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 45 minutes, or until cooked through.
Add 1 3/4 cups of water to a small pot. Add two tablespoons of Better Than Bullion Mushroom Base. Whisk until well combined.
Add the wild rice and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 45 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender.
Rinse the squash seeds and dry them. Transfer to a small bowl and add ½ teaspoon of chipotle powder, cumin, salt, and agave syrup. Mix until well-coated.
Place the seeds on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for approximately 10 minutes or until toasted. Make sure to turn them or stir them halfway to make sure they toast on both sides.
In a large skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for about a minute (before it’s translucent).
Add the mushrooms and cook for about 6 minutes or until they have released a good amount of liquid.
While the mushrooms are cooking heat ½ cup of water in the microwave and add 1 teaspoon of Better Than Bouillion Roasted Garlic Base. Whisk until well combined and set aside.
Add a drizzle of olive oil, rosemary, thyme and the remaining ½ teaspoon of chipotle powder. Cook for 3-4 minutes, until fragrant.
Deglaze the pan with ¼ cup of the roasted garlic broth. Cook until most of the liquid has evaporated.
Add the kale, salt, and pepper, and cook until the kale wilts and reduces in volume by about ¼.
Add two more 2 tablespoons of roasted garlic broth and cook until kale is wilted and most of the liquid has evaporated.
Add the wild rice and remove from the heat.
Using a spoon fill the squash halves with the spicy mushroom rice mixture.
Garnish with the chipotle roasted squash seeds and pomegranate seeds.

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Paula Bendfeldt-Diaz

Paula moved from her native Guatemala to SW Florida with her husband and two children and together they are discovering what it means to live life between two languages.

Paula studied architecture and now makes a living as a freelance writer,traveler and amateur photographer.She started her writing & publishing career as the editor of Bebé y Mamá, the first parenting magazine in Guatemala.She is the founder of www.GrowingUpBilingual.com and www.365thingsswfl.com and writes articles in Spanish and English for both magazines and the web on travel,food and bicultural and bilingual parenting .

When she is not on a plane or road trip she likes to create recipes inspired in the flavors of her native Guatemala.

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