Wild Rice and Acorn Squash Pilaf

Kathryn Hitchcock, MS, RD
A healthy and colorful vegetarian dish to serve as a side ... or the main course!
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Course Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 8
Calories 61 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 ½ cups uncooked wild rice
  • 1 acorn squash
  • 1 tsp salt, divided
  • ½ tsp pepper, divided
  • spray oil
  • ⅓ cup dried cranberries
  • 1 cup chopped kale, loosely packed
  • ¼ cup chopped pecans

Instructions
 

  • Pre-heat oven to 400°.
  • To slice squash in half, first slice off the base and the stem using a large, sharp knife on astable cutting board. Be very careful!
  • Set the squash’s flat surface down on the cutting board, and slice in half
  • Scrape out the seeds from the interior – you can roast these just like pumpkin seeds!
  • Place on a baking sheet interior face up. Spray interior with oil and add ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
  • Cook for 45 minutes.
  • While squash is cooking make wild rice – combine rice with 2 ¾ cups water in a pot and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to simmer, cook for 45 minutes.  
  • Season your rice with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
  • Add the chopped kale to the rice, stirring well. Kale does not need to be cooked first – the hot rice will heat up the kale.
  • Toss in cranberries and pecans to the rice and mix well until combined.
  • Squash is done when you can stick a fork in it with no resistance.
  • Allow squash to cool for 10-20 minutes.
  • Scoop squash out of the peel and chop roughly into ½ inch cubes.
  • Toss squash with rice mixture. Top with extra pecans or cranberries if desired.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 61kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 1gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 2mgPotassium: 201mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 198IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 20mgIron: 1mg
Keyword rice, squash, vegetarian
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