This Acorn Squash Rice with Nutmeg & Toasted Herbs recipe took a while to make perfect, but I’m so glad I kept testing it until it was ready. It’s the epitome of comfort, filled with flavor and it comes together so quickly. It’s really a fusion between a good squash soup and a risotto, but the method leans more towards soup. There are no fancy tricks here, just good old reliance on tried-and-true favorite ingredients.
Table of contents
How this acorn squash rice came about
To give you background on how this recipe came to be, I opted for acorn squash because I wanted a high-moisture squash that was light in flavor, and perfect for a base for a bunch of aromatics. The downside was that the first time I made this recipe, none of the components really “sang.” There were sun-dried tomatoes in the mix, but really not much else, and while it was finished with wine, the recipe itself was lacking any real acid. I tried a second time, this time with the additions of roasted red peppers and red wine vinegar, and it almost buried the squash, producing a romesco recipe in the middle of winter, which felt wrong. I wanted this recipe to scream cozy. So that’s when this version came about!
This recipe relies heavily on toasted fall herbs and a hearty addition of nutmeg – the sundried tomato is still there, but this time as a supporting character to all the warming flavors. It gives this rice the perfect balance of rich and acidic, all while being a relatively healthy meal!
Ingredients for this acorn squash wild rice
The ingredients are fairly simple, you’ll find the list is mostly filled with pantry staples for this acorn squash rice:
- 1 cup wild rice
- 1/2 cup brown rice
- 300 grams cooked acorn squash, about 1 small (500g raw) acorn squash
- 150 grams white onion
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup sage leaves
- 4 sprigs thyme
- 2-3 sprigs rosemary
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, stored in oil
- 1 cup vegetable stock
- Olive oil, as needed
- Kosher salt, as needed
- Parmesan cheese, as needed for topping
Why should you toast the sage, rosemary and thyme?
Toasting herbs is one of my favorite ways to bring out their aroma and flavor. Not all herbs can be toasted, but sage, rosemary and thyme are amazing when toasted. Sage can be crisped up in some hot oil, while rosemary darkens and releases its natural flavor, and thyme sizzles and becomes incredibly aromatic.
We are toasting these herbs before blending them with the acorn squash rice purée because if we added them raw, we wouldn’t get their full potential and they might lend an undesirable tough texture and grassiness to the purée. Toasting them makes them more adaptable and delicious in this recipe!
How to prepare the acorn squash purée
Preparing the acorn squash mix is a matter of roasting, toasting and then blending. Here’s a step-by-step on how to do it:
- Drizzle the onion and garlic with olive oil and wrap in foil wrap. This is so the onion will cook without adding any color, and so the garlic will roast until soft without burning.
- Roast the acorn squash, onion and garlic at 400°F for 20-30 minutes or until the squash is fork tender.
- Toast the sage leaves, thyme and rosemary in a dutch oven for 1-2 minutes or until they are bright green and fragrant, set aside but reserve a few sage leaves for garnish.
- When the squash, onion and garlic are out of the oven, add them to a blender, add in the toasted herbs, paprika, nutmeg, cayenne, sun-dried tomatoes and stock. Blend until very smooth. Season with salt as needed.
How to bring this recipe together
The rest of this recipe involves cooking the wild rice and combining the rice with the acorn squash purée. In the recipe box below, the recipe calls for you to cook the wild rice until just al dente. The brown rice will be soft and cooked through and the wild rice will still have some bite to it. Most of the water will be evaporated, so that when you add the purée, only a small amount of water remains. This will help emulsify the acorn squash rice and make the whole mixture smooth and creamy.
Looking for similar recipes?
Here are a few that I love this time of year!
And that’s about it for this Acorn Squash Rice with Nutmeg & Toasted Herbs recipe!
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And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3
Acorn Squash Rice with Nutmeg & Toasted Herbs
Equipment
- 1 dutch oven
- 1 blender
Ingredients
- 1 cup wild rice
- 1/2 cup brown rice
- 300 grams cooked acorn squash about 1 small (500g raw) acorn squash
- 150 grams white onion
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup sage leaves
- 4 sprigs thyme
- 2-3 sprigs rosemary
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes stored in oil
- 1 cup vegetable stock
- Olive oil as needed
- Kosher salt as needed
- Parmesan cheese as needed for topping
Instructions
- Set your oven to 400°F.
- Drizzle the onion and garlic with olive oil and wrap in foil wrap. This is so the onion will cook without adding any color, and so the garlic will roast until soft without burning.
- Roast the acorn squash, onion and garlic at 400°F for 20-30 minutes or until the squash is fork tender.
- Toast the sage leaves, thyme and rosemary in a dutch oven for 1-2 minutes or until they are bright green and fragrant, set aside but reserve a few sage leaves for garnish.
- Rinse the wild rice and brown rice and add to the dutch oven, cover with 2 and 1/2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and let cook for 20-30 minutes or until almost all of the water has evaporated.
- When the squash, onion and garlic are out of the oven, add them to a blender, add in the toasted herbs, paprika, nutmeg, cayenne, sun-dried tomatoes and stock. Blend until very smooth. Season with salt as needed.
- Pour the squash purée into the dutch oven with the rice and put the dutch oven on low heat. Stir to combine the purée with a bit of the cooking liquid that will be left behind. You want this to be right between a risotto and a soup, add vegetable stock as needed. Let this mixture bubble for a few minutes to help meld the flavors and remove any toughness leftover in the rice.
- Scoop into bowls and top with a bit too much parmesan. Add sage leaves for garnish and serve warm!
Excellent..I added mushrooms
Really flavorful and unique but still simple dish. The rosemary was a little strong for me so next time I’ll start with less. I topped it with sautéed mushrooms — yum!
Could you substitute quiona for the wild rice?
Sure thing! The texture will be less brothy and more creamy, but it will still be delicious.
What else can you sub for the wild rice if you don’t have it? Arborio? White?
Long grain white or brown rice is probably best! You want it to hold a bit of chew 🙂