Lately, I have been reading a lot of squash recipes on the blogs and that made me cook this lovely showy gourd. When I went grocery shopping I could not decide which squash to choose. They were in all shapes and colors…. just kidding, I only saw 3 types. I picked up acorn squash as it seemed just the right size for our small family.
Update: February 5, 2021
Watch the recipe in action.
Right after coming home I started looking for recipes. I wanted to cook my squash with another fall ingredient, cranberries; which I madly love for their sweet & sour taste as well as for the color. I googled ‘squash recipes with cranberries’. Every single recipe I checked on the first page was on sweeter side. I have grown up eating squash with a sweet, savory and sour flavor. However, after some more search I fell for Adam and Joanne’s recipe at Inspired taste.net.
We Punjabis cook squash with fennel and fenugreek seeds and also, tamarind and Jaggery. So, I combined Indian flavors with Adam and Joanne’s recipe and served lovely roasted acorn squash with quinoa and chickpea medley. The entire meal is easy to cook and easy on the budget. The flavors are simple but it makes for a seriously nosh-worthy meal.
Interested in how this is made. Check the recipe below.
ROASTED ACORN SQUASH WITH QUINOA AND CHICKPEA MEDLEY
Ingredients for roasting Squash:
1 acorn squash, 1 tbsp olive oil, 4 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tbsp brown sugar, 1/4 cup dry cranberries, 1 1/2 tsp crushed fennel seeds, salt and pepper to taste, few pieces of walnuts, ground allspice
Ingredients for Chickpea medley:
1 can of chickpeas, 1/2 red or orange bell pepper, diced, 3/4 cup chopped tomato, 2 cups tightly packed chopped spinach, 1 tsp minced ginger and garlic, 1/4 cup chopped onion, 3-4 green chilies chopped, red chili powder to taste, 3/4 tsp cumin powder, 2 tbsp olive oil
Ingredients for cooking Quinoa:
1 cup quinoa, 1 3/4th cup water, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp oil, 1 tsp black pepper
Method:
Mix cranberries, crushed fennel seeds, 2 tbsp lemon juice and 1 tbsp brown sugar in a small bowl. Set it aside.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line an 8′ square baking pan with parchment paper or silicon mat.
Cut the acorn squash in quarters (Microwave acorn squash for 2-3 minutes to soften the skin, which makes it easier to cut).. Scoop out the seeds. (Pierce each quarter using a fork or toothpick but not all the way).
Place the squash quarters in the prepared pan. Mix olive oil the remaining 2 tbsp lemon juice and brown sugar. Brush this mixture on the squash. Also sprinkle some salt, pepper and all spice powder.
Roast the squash uncovered, until fork. In the last 10 minutes, top it with cranberry mixture and walnuts.
Rinse the quinoa really well in a sieve.
Place it in a saucepan with water, oil, salt and black pepper. Bring it to boil. Reduce the heat to simmer and cook for about 15-20 minutes.
While the quinoa is cooking, heat oil in a skillet.
Add chopped onion, saute until golden brown. Add ginger and garlic, turmeric powder, salt and tomato. Cook till soft.
Add diced bell pepper, chickpeas, red chili powder (to taste), cumin powder, green chilies, and 1/3 cup water. Cook, covered till soft.
Stir it nicely and add spinach. Remove from heat.
After 18- 20 minutes remove quinoa from heat and let it sit covered for 10 minutes.
Fluff quinoa with fork. Remove the roasted acorn squash quarters from the oven.
Serve them with quinoa and chickpea medley.
Kiran @ KiranTarun.com
I love quinoa and chickpeas. I’ve never tried roasting acorn squash before — a must try!
Shannon
Yum – this looks right up my alley – I’m a recent fan of quinoa and I LOVE chickpeas!! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Ann
What a GREAT recipe! I’ve served quinoa and squash together, but not separately – and the addition of chickpeas sounds delicious! Bright, colorful and delicious! Thanks!
Shannon @ JustAsDelish
what an interesting combination of squash with walnuts, anyway i love walnuts with anything 🙂 i haven’t tried cooking savoury with quinoa yet, now you got me intrigued.
Tina
The topping you put on the squash does make for a great flavor enhancement-definitely something that I would love to try. Also, you did pair it with a wonderfully seasoned grain. You are definitely eating good Neetu-yum!
Inside a British Mum's Kitchen
I happen to have a couple of acorn squash and this looks simply delicious – thank you for visiting my blog and I’m so glad to visit yours – I’m following you and looking forward to more great recipes 🙂
Mary x
Mary
What a lovely creation. It looks and sounds delicious. This is my first visit to your blog, so I took some time to browse through your earlier entries. I’m so glad I did that. I really like the food and recipes you share with your readers and I’ll definitely be back.I hope you have a great day. Blessings…Mary
Nava.K
Really amazing Bel and love the way you have paired the squash.
Kiri W.
Mmmm, I never thought to use chickpeas with my acorn squash, and they’re definitely one of my favorite beans ever 🙂 Looks amazing!
Balvinder ( Neetu)
Thanks everyone.
I was roasting squash for first time so I wanted to pair this with the food which we all love to eat.
Cucina49
That top photo is just gorgeous, with the quinoa cake and the chickpeas around it. This looks awesome!
Cookin' Cowgirl
Thanks for stopping by my blog the other day! 🙂
Your beautiful acorn squash looks really tasty!! Well done!
Sandra
Very interesting meal..love your recipe,and I can imagine the flavor!! Nicely done!!!
Vicki Bensinger
This looks so good and comforting on a cold winters day. I love the colors and it’s so healthy. That’s the best part. Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe.
Torviewtoronto
delicious quinoa wonderfully done
Lizzy
Oh, gosh, this looks SO yummy! I love the squash filling as much as I love quinoa 🙂
Christine's Pantry
Lovely creation. Sounds good.
Nami | Just One Cookbook
I’ve been seeing so many squash recipes too and now your roasted acorn squash. It looks delicious and this looks like a very nice meal with quinoa and chickpeas!
Jay
yummmy..yummm….very interesting recipe..:)
Tasty Appetite
Parsley Sage
That sounds lovely! Nice use of squash and the quinoa filling sounds amazing 🙂
Julie
Very unique n flavorful recipe…
harpreet
Wow! didi it is an amazing recipe and I must say what a great effort. I went through the recipes and they all look and sound delicious. Whenever I get the time I am going to try them for sure as you have done all the hardwork for us. Through your recipes we get to know the ingredients which we would not use in our daily lives otherwise. Thanks didi for sharing such wonderful recipes with us.
Loveforfood
Looks very yummy.
Spicie Foodie
Acorn squash has been on my list of squashes to try, soon I hope to find one. Your dish is making my mouth water. So yummy looking! Thanks for sharing.
Santosh Bangar
wow nice presentation looking tempting