Wholesome and hearty, curried chickpea stuffed acorn squash is incredibly comforting and warm with aromatic curry flavours. This vegan and gluten-free fall meal is packed with chickpeas, mushrooms, and creamy coconut milk, with a sprinkle of fresh herbs on top. Serve it as a holiday main dish or divide it into smaller portions and serve as a side. The best part? You only need about 10 minutes to prep this. It's so quick and easy.
Curried chickpea stuffed acorn squash is a great vegetarian dinner to serve any day of the week this fall season. It pairs really nicely with some long-grain white rice or coconut rice.
But, it feels extra warm and comforting to serve stuffed acorn squash as a vegetarian main or side dish on your Thanksgiving holiday dinner. Some other holiday sides to serve are roasted butternut squash, mashed potatoes, nutty green beans, and rosemary cornbread. Or browse through all my favourite Thanksgiving sides below:
Ingredients
- acorn squash
- oil - olive oil and vegetable oil
- fresh thyme
- onion
- mushrooms
- chickpeas
- yellow curry powder
- cumin powder
- soy sauce
- coconut milk
- fresh parsley
- salt and pepper
You will also need a baking sheet and a medium cooking pot.
How to Make the Best Curried Chickpea Stuffed Acorn Squash
First, roast the acorn squash:
Prepare the squash by cutting it in half crosswise and remove the seeds with a spoon. Drizzle olive oil over the squash and sprinkle chopped thyme on top.
Place the squash on a lined baking sheet and bake for 40 to 45 minutes in a 350 F preheated oven, until fork tender. If you can insert a fork easily into the flesh, then it is fork tender. Set the squash aside and let it cool down to room temperature.
Then, prepare the curried chickpeas:
Heat oil in a medium cooking pot over medium high heat for 2 minutes until sizzling hot. Add onions and mushrooms. Sauté for 2-3 minutes until tender and fragrant.
Add chickpeas and stir to combine, about 1 minute. Add yellow curry powder, cumin powder and soy sauce. Stir well to mix, about 2 minutes.
Add coconut milk and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to medium and simmer for 5 minutes uncovered. Turn off the heat and let it sit for another 5 minutes. Add parsley, salt and pepper and stir to combine.
Lastly, assemble the stuffed acorn squash:
Scoop out a little pulp and add it into the chickpea mixture in the pot. Leave the acorn squash shell about ½-inch thick. Stir well to incorporate the pulp and the chickpea mixture.
Divide and transfer the chickpea mixture evenly into the two half shells and sprinkle extra parsley on top for garnish. Serve on its own or with a side of rice.
Tips
- Make ahead instructions: You can easily make this the day before. Store the roasted acorn squash separately from cooked curried chickpeas, in the refrigerator. Assemble the stuffed squash on the day you want to serve it. Prior to assembling, reheat the stuffed squash in the oven at 350F for 10 minutes, and the curried chickpeas on the stovetop.
- Customize the vegetables: You can create your own recipe with any vegetables or protein that you want. Some examples include cauliflower, broccoli, green peas, corn and carrots. You can also add ground meat or shredded chicken.
- How to store: Place stuffed acorn squash in an airtight container or in a ziploc bag, and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat, transfer to a 350 F oven or air fryer for 10 minutes.
More Squash Recipes
- Stuffed Butternut Squash with Wild Rice
- Roasted Butternut Squash
- Butternut Squash Carbonara Pasta
- One Pan Roasted Harvest Vegetables
- Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
- Butternut Squash "Pumpkin" Bread
- Fall Harvest Salad with Butternut Squash
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Recipe
Curried Chickpea Stuffed Acorn Squash
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 2 stuffed squash halves
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Wholesome, hearty, curried chickpea stuffed acorn squash with curry flavours is the perfect vegan and gluten-free fall comfort food for your holiday dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 large acorn squash
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
- ½ cup onion, finely chopped
- ½ cup mushrooms, sliced
- 1 (16 oz.) can chickpeas, drained (or 1 + ½ cups cooked chickpeas)
- ½ tablespoon yellow curry powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ tablespoon soy sauce
- ¾ cup coconut milk (about half (400 ml) can)
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
Instructions
Roast the Acorn Squash:
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
- Cut acorn squash in half crosswise and remove the seeds with a spoon.
- Drizzle olive oil over the squash and sprinkle chopped thyme on top.
- Place the squash on the baking sheet and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until fork tender. If you can insert a fork easily into the flesh, then it is fork tender. Set the squash aside and let it cool down to room temperature.
Prepare the Curried Chickpeas:
- Heat oil in a medium pot over medium high heat for 2 minutes until sizzling hot. Add onions and mushrooms. Sauté for 2-3 minutes until tender and fragrant.
- Add chickpeas and stir to combine, about 1 minute. Add yellow curry powder, cumin powder and soy sauce. Stir well to mix, about 2 minutes.
- Add coconut milk and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to medium and simmer for 5 minutes uncovered.
- Turn off the heat and let it sit for another 5 minutes. Add parsley, salt and pepper and stir to combine.
Assemble the Stuffed Acorn Squash:
- Once the squash has cooled down to room temperature, scoop out a little pulp and add it into the chickpea mixture in the pot. Leave the acorn squash shell about ½-inch thick. Stir well to incorporate the pulp and the chickpea mixture.
- Divide and transfer the chickpea mixture evenly into the two half shells and sprinkle extra parsley on top for garnish. Serve on its own or with a side of rice.
Notes
Equipment used: baking sheet and medium cooking pot.
Make ahead instructions: You can easily make this the day before. Store the roasted acorn squash separately from cooked curried chickpeas, in the refrigerator. Assemble the stuffed squash on the day you want to serve it. Prior to assembling, reheat the stuffed squash in the oven at 350F for 10 minutes, and the curried chickpeas on the stovetop.
Customize the vegetables: You can create your own recipe with any vegetables or protein that you want. Some examples include cauliflower, broccoli, green peas, corn and carrots. You can also add ground meat or shredded chicken.
How to store: Place stuffed acorn squash in an airtight container or in a ziploc bag, and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat, transfer to a 350 F oven or air fryer for 10 minutes.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Sides
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Rae says
This recipe was easy to follow and delicious 😋 ! I discovered this dish in the cafe at the Museum of Natural History in DC and was determined to find it to make at home. Your recipe did not disappoint! It was very similar! I would probably add a bit more coconut milk and curry powder the next time.
Heather says
Made this last night for dinner & was in love at first bite 🧡
So good & so easy. I'm a mushroom lover so I went a bit heavier on them--- like double! And I added about 1 tablespoon of garlic powder for a little extra savory to balance the sweet of the curry powder. It was phenomenal and I was very disappointed when I got full, lol. Highly recommend trying this recipe!
Sam Hu | Ahead of Thyme says
Thank you so much! This is a favorite over here too so I'm so happy you liked it too!
Helene says
This was very delicious. I would recommend adding a bit more salt. There was some left over, so the next day I made some brown rice, mixed in the curried chickpea and squash mix, and then put that in bell peppers with a slice of colby jack cheese on top and baked that. This was delicious too!
Thank you! I will definitely make this again, as it was not difficult. The most time-consuming part (aside from soaking the chickpeas, which happens overnight anyway) was baking the squash.
Sam Hu | Ahead of Thyme says
Thank you so much for sharing Helene! So happy you liked the recipe. Your leftover recipe sounds delicious!