Acorn Squash is a terrific vegetable you can make quick in your pressure cooker. To make a meatless meal or a hearty side, toss in some grains, garlic and savory herbs such as rosemary, sage and thyme. Top it off with some freshly grated Parmesan and you’ve got a super savory dish.
I’m kind of in love with Autumn. There’s just so many things to enjoy. I think all the fantastic colors and lively vegetables available to us deserve a little swooning over. Take for instance these acorn squash. They look gorgeous as they are but when you cut into them, the slightly sweet flesh offers a wonderful bouquet of nutrition.
They taste pretty darn good all on their own but are also delicious when you add a little butter and cinnamon to them. Or, you can go savory like I did with this recipe. I adore things that are so versatile.
It takes quite a while for heat to penetrate squash such these in the oven. About forty-five to sixty minutes (depending on their size) of cooking at 400 degrees F. will get them soft enough to eat.
However, a pressure cooker can soften them perfectly in about 6 minutes with high pressure. What’s really terrific is you can add the ingredients for your stuffing to the bottom of the pot and cook every thing at once. I used brown rice for mine and that’s what the timing for pressure cooking is based on.
Take a look at how it’s done..
Using a steamer basket on a trivet keeps the squash off of the rice mixture and helps everything cook evenly. It also keeps the squash from laying in the liquid while cooking. Otherwise, it may break down too much and be difficult to get out of the pot in one piece. (my guess, anyway)
If you were going to bake the acorn squash in the oven, you’d need to brush the cut sides with a little oil or butter to keep them from drying out. In the pressure cooker, there’s no need to worry about that because all the moisture is locked in.
It’s so nice to have a healthy side dish or a meatless meal like the stuffed acorn squash. I like the warm and savory flavor of this version but what I really like is the great vitamin boost me and my crew are getting with all its fresh ingredients. I hope you’ll give it a try and let me know what you think. I’d love to hear from you!
Have a fantastic day and as always, keep it delicious!
Till next time ~ much love, Connie
Pressure Cooker Stuffed Acorn Squash
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 C diced onion
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 garlic cloves (minced)
- 1 C brown rice *
- 1/2 C quinoa
- 1 tsp fresh rosemary (finely chopped)
- 1 tsp fresh sage (finely chopped)
- 1 tsp fresh thyme (finely chopped)
- 3 3/4 C chicken stock
- 2 medium sized acorn squash (sliced in half and seeds scooped out)
- 1/2 C freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- More Parmesan cheese for garnish
- Preheat the pressure cooker.
- Add the butter to melt.
- Add the onion, season with salt and saute 2 minutes.
- Add the garlic and saute another minute.
- Add the rice, quinoa, rosemary, sage, thyme and chicken stock.
- Stir well.
- Place the acorn squash halves, cut side up in an oven safe steamer basket and place on trivet.
- Lower the basket into the pressure cooker on top of the rice with the trivet.
- Place the lid on top and turn to locked position.
- Turn the steam release valve to sealing.
- Press the manual button and adjust the timer for 6 minutes.
- Once the unit has finished cooking, carefully release the steam. (QR)
- Remove the lid and take the steamer basket out with two towels or pot holders.
- Drain any excess liquid from the squash and set aside.
- Stir 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese into the rice mixture.
- Allow the rice mixture to sit for 5 minutes to thicken.
- Spoon the rice mixture into the cavity of each acorn squash half.
- Top with freshly grated Parmesan for garnish.
- Serve and enjoy!
* Short grain brown rice will give you a chewier texture with less creaminess.
Long grain brown rice will give you a creamier texture with a bit less chew.
Both require the same amount of liquid, pressure cooking time and steam release method.
Recipe by: Connie Taylor @Happybellyfoodie.com
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Sam Monaco says
I’m really surprised, that’s a huge time difference from the oven to the pressure cooker. I really need to look into getting one of these. What a wonderful combination for a meal, they look delicious. Thanks, Connie!!
Connie Murray says
Awe, thank you Sam. Seeing how you love your gadgets, I think the pressure cooker would be one of your favorites. I’d love to see a review post about it when you get one! Thanks for stopping by!
Lindsey says
Are you using a quick-cook brown rice? 6 mins and my brown rice is still crunchy…
Connie Murray says
Hi Lindsey,
As stated in the notes below the recipe, short grain brown rice is going to have a chewier texture than long grain brown rice. Also, the size of your pressure cooker can make the cooking time vary. Try giving it an extra minute or two next time. Good luck to you!
Lindsey says
Thanks for your response! I used long grain rice, but at the end of the 6 min cooking time I had to take the squash out and do another 10 mins for the rice to cook. Most brown rice recipes I see for IP suggest 10-15 mins high pressure with a 5-10 mins natural release, so I was curious if you had been using a par-cooked or quick-cooking rice 🙂
Denise Gessner says
My rice was also crunchy in the 6 minutes. I pressure cooked it for an additional 3 min and it was perfect. Flavor is great once the rice was cooked.