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Looking for a vegetarian stuffed acorn squash recipe? This Moroccan style couscous stuffed acorn squash checks all of the boxes! Hearty, flavorful and full of goodness!

moroccan squash

*Please note* this post was originally published in 2017. I’ve since redone the text but the recipe remains the same.

Hi all, how is the week going? Many of my fellow food bloggers were at the Everything Food Conference in Salt Lake City this past weekend. I so would have loved to go, especially after hearing about how wonderful the speakers were. Maybe next year. So, instead of immersing myself into the food blogging world, I had fun with my little family enjoying the warmer weather we’re finally getting!

This weekend we fit in multiple walks with the boys, played at a few parks and enjoyed a lot of much needed family time. My amazing husband, Etienne, also KILLED his honey-do list. Yay! A sandbox was built, the lawn was mowed, a new car seat and toilet seat was installed – hey – I never said they were glamorous jobs!!

Anyway, on Saturday night we also enjoyed this lovely Moroccan couscous stuffed acorn squash! This recipe is an old favorite of ours, and it was actually one of the first meals Etienne and I made together when we first started dating. It’s so easy to whip up, and it’s healthy, flavorful and perfect for a Meatless Monday meal!

moroccan acorn squash

What is acorn squash?

Have you ever cooked with acorn squash before? I absolutely love them!! Not only is this type of squash SO good for you (think vitamin A, folate,  vitamin B-6, and vitamin C),  it’s the perfect shape for stuffing all sorts of delicious grains and veggies into and serving as a meal. The taste is somewhat similar to butternut squash but definitely unique on its own.

How do you make Moroccan couscous stuffed acorn squash?

So, this recipe has evolved since we originally started making it but its still super simple. I’ve since started including orange juice to give it a subtle citrus flavor, plus I’ve added diced peppers, apricots and almonds. I’ve also started using the seeds, roasted, as an additional garnish. If you love roasted pumpkin seeds, you definitely need to try roasting these acorn squash seeds. I occasionally eat all of them before I get the chance to use them as garnish. Personally, I think they’re great, but Etienne likens them to “woodchips” so….you make the call. Scattered on a large cookie sheet and lightly salted, the seeds will take about 10-12 minutes to roast, at 325 F.

Start this recipe by scooping out the inside of the squash, including the seeds.

The squash itself takes about 30 minutes to cook, so you can easily prepare all the fruits and veggies and cook them along with the couscous within that timeframe.

 

Once roasted, the squash gets lightly basted with brown sugar and melted butter – trust me – you don’t want to skip that step! The extra sweetness is the perfect addition to the savory vegetable and couscous mixture.

While the squash is cooking, you can prepare the couscous filling on the stovetop. 

What is in the filling?

The vegetarian filling is full of vegetables and spices that get sautéed on the stovetop until lightly crunchy. The couscous and orange juice is added at the very end, as it only takes 5 minutes to cook!

Fill your warm, sweet squash with as much of the couscous mixture as you can get into it; overflowing is perfectly acceptable. My husband and I can eat quite a bit in one sitting, but one serving (1 squash half) is more than enough for each of us. The squash is so filling! This is one veggie meal that will certainly not leave you wanting more.

moroccan acorn squash

Some other meatless recipes from the blog you’re sure to love:

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Moroccan Couscous Stuffed Acorn Squash


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4 from 1 review

  • Author: Katherine
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x

Description

Looking for a vegetarian stuffed acorn squash recipe? This Moroccan style couscous stuffed acorn squash checks all of the boxes! Hearty, flavorful and full of goodness!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 large acorn squash
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp minced garlic
  • 1 onion, minced
  • 2 carrots, finely chopped
  • 1/2 large red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
  • 1 cup chickpeas (garbanzo), rinsed
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 1/2 cup dried apricots, diced
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp coriander
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup slivered almonds
  • 3/4 cup veggie stock
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 1 cup couscous
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp butter, melted

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Slice the acorn squash lengthwise and scoop out the pulp and seeds. Discard, or see notes above for roasting seeds. Place the squash flesh-side down on a large cookie sheet and place in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes.
  2. While the squash is roasting, heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat on the stove. Add the garlic and onion and sauté for 3-5 minutes or until the onion becomes soft. Add the vegetables and spices (carrots through cinnamon) and cook, stirring often, until all of the vegetables become soft.
  3. Add the almonds, stock and orange juice, turn off the heat and mix in the couscous. Put the lid on and allow the couscous to be absorbed, about 5 minutes. Melt the butter and stir in the brown sugar. Remove the cooked squash from the oven, and brush the inside of the squash with the butter/brown sugar mixture. Fill each squash half with the couscous mixture, topping with roasted squash seeds if desired.

Notes

Recipe originally adapted from All Recipes

  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Category: vegetarian
  • Method: stovetop
  • Cuisine: moroccan
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Moroccan Couscous Stuffed Acorn Squash

About Katherine

Heeey! Thank you for stopping by! I like 30-minute dinners and giant peanut butter cups made with only 3 ingredients. I LOVE food! If you do too, you're in the right place.

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18 Comments

  1. Looks yummy! I’ll channel my inner squirrel hehehehe. And I’m all for some roasted acorn squash seeds too. That’s an added bonus to the meal 🙂 xoxo

    1. Haha!! Thanks for laughing at my terrible squirrel joke!! I looooove roasted seeds of all kinds too! Thanks Kelly, have a great rest of your week!

  2. One of the best thing about your blog is that you write on to the topic which is great and i love it. I’ll try this recipe soon.

    1. Thank you so much Supriya! Hope you get a chance to try it out. Have a great week!

  3. Sounds like you are ready for summer with that sandbox! So fun…yay hubby 😉 I love acorn squash and this flavor spin sounds amazing!

    1. Totally! He’s a keeper. I cannot wait for summer!! Thanks Lindsay, I love acorn squash too. Have a great weekend friend!

  4. i love tagines, but not a huge fan of the meat in them. this has all the flavors of one, but paired with squash, which sounds so much tastier! i’d probably chop up some olives and toss those in too, since i like the pop of briny saltiness that olives add (:

    1. Heather! That’s such a great idea. I LOVE olives too, and I think It would be pure genius to add to this squash. Have a great weekend!

  5. I love Moroccan flavours so this could be high on my list for a cous cous dish. Sadly without the acorn squash as hubby is not a fan of squash at all 🙂

    1. Oh no! Luckily the couscous is great on its own 😉 Hope you get a chance to try it out!!

  6. High five to your hubby for getting stuff done! Woo hoo! I laughed out loud when I read ‘channeling your inner squirrel.’ Too funny!! This looks delicious! Love all the flavours in there and it basically comes in its own serving dish – less clean up, right ;)? Can’t beat that! Cheers to another awesome weekend, Katherine!

    1. He’s pretty great!! 🙂 Haha – I’m glad you see the humor in my dorky jokes, Dawn! And YES – you get me. I love that it has its own serving dish!! Thanks so much, and hope you have a great weekend too!! XO

  7. I didn’t go to the EFC either, Katherine. Going to those things is just so expensive. And i’m a home-body, so I actually love what you did instead of attending the conference. 🙂 Acorn squash is the best, so I guess I’m part squirrel? lol. Loving the moroccan couscous here! This is something I could eat all the time! Cheers, friend!
    P.S. I swear I left a comment on this post already, but I don’t see it here? Maybe there was an error on my part? Or it could possibly be in your sites spam box? <3

    1. SO expensive, right? Especially coming from Canada! I’m totally a home-body too. There really is no place like home 🙂 Haha – I think maybe we’re all a little part squirrel…but that’s a discussion for another time lol. I checked my spam! No comment – weird!! I think these things have happened to me too. Maybe your comment is in cyber space somewhere!! Thanks for the comment anyway, in spirit!! Have a great day Chey!

  8. Just made it with a few adjustments but it’s a great recipe! One thing is missing though… the amount of couscous is not mentioned in the recipe 😂 thought you should know 🙂
    Thank you!






    1. Ooh Erin!! Thank you so much for letting me know!! I have fixed it! Glad it worked out anyway!