Ingredients

The following ingredients have 4 Servings
  • 2 acorn squash (halved and seeds removed)
  • ½ cup water
  • ½ tsp salt and pepper to taste (You may brush with melted butter after cooking.)
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar (for vegan, get a vegan balsamic or use maple syrup instead with a few drops of lemon juice)
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp pepper
  • 15 oz can chickpeas
  • ½ cup baby spinach (thinly sliced)
  • 3 tbsp minced red onion
  • ¼ cup pomegranate seeds ( or chopped dried cranberries)
  • 2 tbsp chopped roasted pecans
  • ¼ cup crumbled feta (omit if making it vegan)
  • Fresh sage ( or another herb)

Instruction

  • Cut your squash in half down the middle, either crosswise like I did or lengthwise. Using an ice cream scoop or spoon, remove the seeds from squash halves. Season flesh with salt and pepper. Place the steamer basket into your Instant Pot or pressure cooker and pour 1/2 cup of water.
  • Place squash halves over the Instant Pot steamer basket. Close lid set pressure valve to sealing, set to manual (high pressure) for 3-5 minutes, depending on how soft you want the squash to be. If stuffing acorn squash, cook for only 3 minutes for a firmer squash but if mashing, cook for 5 minutes or delay the quick release for a couple of minutes.
  • Perform a quick release of the pressure right after the cooking. If stuffing, brush melted butter on the flesh and reserve.
  • Meanwhile, prepare the stuffing. In a medium bowl, whisk olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper until homogeneous. Then mix in chickpeas, spinach, red onion, pecans, and pomegranate seeds.
  • Spoon mixture into the cavity of the acorn halves, sprinkle feta on top, and herb. Serve this vegetarian and vegan stuffed acorn squash and enjoy!
  • If not stuffing, you may use a spoon or fork to pull out cooked acorn squash from its shell, or you can pull out meat by hand once cooled and use to make acorn squash soup for example.