Instant Pot Acorn Squash Stuffed with Wild Rice Cranberries and Chickpeas

My holiday relationship with my refrigerator is complicated. Fortunately, this Instant Pot Acorn Squash Stuffed with Cranberries, Chickpeas, and Wild Rice is here to ease the tension.

This recipe is sponsored by USA Pulses and Pulse Canada.

On the one hand, during the months of November and December, I want to be on super saintly eating behavior in my own kitchen. The holidays are peppered with a higher-than-usual amount of indulgent occasions from holiday parties to cookie exchanges to big meals like Thanksgiving (and next-day Thanksgiving leftovers). It makes sense to temper these fun but over-the-top events with healthy meals at home.

On the other hand, it’s the HOLIDAYS. It’s a special time of year, and we both know that last slice of Pumpkin Sheet Cake is not going to eat itself.

This Stuffed Instant Pot Acorn Squash meets me halfway. It’s packed with cozy holiday flavors and ingredients such as cranberries, nutty wild rice, and thyme but is restoratively wholesome.

Like many of my favorite recipes this time of year, this stuffed acorn squash tastes unique enough to serve as a side at a special holiday meal but is healthy and hearty enough to stand on its own for a light lunch or dinner.

The key ingredient that makes this stuffed acorn squash healthy and filling is chickpeas. Canned chickpeas are one of my pantry staples. They are inexpensive, rich in fiber and protein, and incredibly versatile. In fact, I have an entire section of my recipe index dedicated to chickpeas. I love these little beans!

To name but a few ways I put the cans of chickpeas I stockpile in my pantry to good use, you’ll find chickpeas roasted, crouton style, on top of my Caesar Brussels Sprouts Salad, in the filling of these crispy Cauliflower Tacos, mixed into Mediterranean Chickpea Salad, and even secretly baked into this giant Healthy Peanut Butter Cookie.

Chickpeas belong to a family called “pulses,” a group that includes other superstar ingredients such as dry peas, lentils, and other kinds of beans. Adding pulses to your diet is an easy, inexpensive way to boost your nutrient intake.

In fact, right now, North American Pulses is sharing a campaign they call the “Half-Cup Habit,” where participants pledge to add 1/2 cup of pulses to their diet three days a week. I love this idea for staying on track during the holidays and for building good habits to carry with us into the new year too. (You can sign up here.)

Plus, pledging to eat more pulses gives us another good reason to eat this splendidly stuffed acorn squash. Count me in!

For max ease of prep, I “baked” the acorn squash in my Instant Pot. I’ve owned an Instant Pot for a little more than a month and have become a wee bit obsessed with how easily and quickly it cooks many of my favorite foods, from oatmeal to Instant Pot Chili to Instant Pot Cauliflower Mac and Cheese.

Instant pot acorn squash is my latest pressure cooker fixation. Instead of roasting the squash for an hour plus in the oven, I crammed the squash halves inside, sealed the lid, then set the time for four minutes.

Walk away. Return to perfectly tender, sweet acorn squash. I am all about this.

If you don’t own an Instant Pot, you can easily make the acorn squash in the oven instead. It will take a bit longer, but the results will still be delicious.

For a holiday reset that doesn’t feel like one, give this wild rice, cranberry, and chickpea stuffed acorn squash a try. It will give you the feeling of cozy holiday comfort that makes this a wonderful time of year and leave you extra wiggle room for that one last cream cheese sugar cookie too.

If you like this Instant Pot Acorn Squash, don’t miss these other delicious stuffed squash recipes:

• Stuffed Butternut Squash with Quinoa, Cranberries, and Kale
• Taco Spaghetti Squash Boats
• Spaghetti Squash Boats with Chicken and Bacon

I am sharing this post in partnership with USA Pulses and Pulse Canada. As always, all opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands and companies that make it possible for me to continue to create quality content for you!

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