Try these cranberry rice stuffed acorn squash wedges. This dish, courtesy of Splenda, packs a delicious mix of savory and sweet flavors – without loads of added sugar – making it a great appetizer or side.
The best part? It doesn’t require a lot of work day of. The recipe serves eight people and takes less than an hour to make (20 minutes prep time; 30 minutes cook time). Just dust off your oven and prepare to wow everyone with this tasty treat. Plus, cranberries have so many health benefits you’ll feel thankful for.
Looking for a new dish that will impress your guests this Thanksgiving?
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- 2 acorn squashes (1 ½ to 2 pounds each)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons SPLENDA® Brown Sugar Blend, divided
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 1 ½ cups fresh or frozen whole cranberries (~ 6 ounces)
- ½ cup toasted chopped pecans
- 2 medium shallots, finely chopped (~ ½ cup)
- 1 tablespoon chopped sage, plus more for garnish
- ¾ cup uncooked basmati wild rice mix
- 1 ½ cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 425° F. Line two baking sheets with foil and coat with cooking spray.
- Cut acorn squashes in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds*. Cut each squash in half again. You should have 8 wedges.
- Place the squash wedges cut-side up on one baking sheet and lightly brush the insides and edges with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Sprinkle wedges with 1 tablespoon SPLENDA®Brown Sugar Blend and ¼ teaspoon salt. Roast in oven until tender when pierced with a fork, about 25 to 30 minutes.
- Whisk together 1 teaspoon olive oil and 2 teaspoons SPLENDA®Brown Sugar Blend. Toss mixture with cranberries and spread on the second baking sheet. Roast in oven 10 minutes until the cranberries have started to soften and burst.
- While the cranberries are in the oven, heat the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and stir to coat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in chopped sage and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add rice and broth to saucepan and raise heat to bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, stir once, then cover and cook until tender, about 20 minutes (or according to package directions). Transfer rice to a bowl and let cool about 5 minutes.
- Toss rice with roasted cranberries, pecans, remaining salt, and freshly ground pepper, to taste.
- Place roasted squash wedges on a serving platter and carefully spoon the cranberry rice into the center of each squash wedge. Sprinkle with additional chopped sage, if desired, and serve.
*Helpful tips:
- Microwave squash for 2 to 3 minutes to soften before cutting.
- Squash seeds can be tossed with olive oil and roasted.
Nutrition Info Per Serving
- Serves 8
- Calories 200
- Total Fat 9 g
- Saturated Fat 1 g
- Trans Fat 0 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Sodium 210 mg
- Total Carbohydrate 30 g
- Dietary Fiber 4 g
- Sugars 5 g
- Protein 3 g
- Vitamin A 6%
- Vitamin C 20%
- Calcium 4%
- Iron 6%
