Vegetarian Roasted Acorn Squash with Pinto Beans for Two

WW Recipe of the Day: Oven-Roasted Acorn Squash with Pinto Beans and Red Chile Sauce

When I lived in Denver, I came across an amazing vegetarian stuffed squash dish at a local New Mexican restaurant named Julia Blackbirds. The mouthwatering dish contained slow roasted spiced acorn squash stuffed with beans topped with red chile sauce.

It was so tasty I went home and tried my best to recreate it.

This recipe is what I came up with. And it’s become my go-to dish for fall and winter entertaining. It is simple and comes together quickly. Yet friends think I must have been in the kitchen for hours.

It may sound like a strange combination, but the flavors really work. Even hardened carnivores will feel satisfied when you serve this dish.

How Many Calories and WW Points in Roasted Squash with Red Chile Pinto Beans?

According to my calculations, each serving has 202 calories.

To see your WW Points for this recipe, track it in the WW App!
(You must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.)

5 SmartPoints (Green plan)
2 SmartPoints (Blue plan)
2 SmartPoints (Purple plan)
5 PointsPlus (Old plan)

Acorn Squash is a Zero Points food on Weight Watchers.

How to Make Acorn Squash with Red Chile Pinto Beans, Step-by-Step

Step 1: Gather and prepare all ingredients. You’ll need 1 cup of cooked pinto beans, which I like to prepare in my Instant Pot (affiliate link).

Step 2: Preheat oven to 325F degrees.

Step 3: Cut the acorn squash in half vertically. Scoop out the seeds.

Step 4: Rub 1 teaspoon of olive oil on the inside of each half of squash.

Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice on each half. Rub the spice to cover the inside of squash.

Step 5: Line a baking sheet (affiliate link) with parchment or use a silpat (affiliate link) baking mat. Put the squash cut side down on the baking sheet.

Step 6: Roast squash for 45 minutes or until soft.

Step 7: Remove from the oven and plate the squash. Add pinto beans to center of each piece of squash. Top with enchilada sauce and cheese, if using.

Recipe Notes

• You can raise the temperature to 400F and reduce the cook time for the squash to 20-25 minutes, if you need to speed things up.
• To add some crunch, toss chopped pecans in with the pumpkin pie spice.
• Use mild, medium or hot enchilada sauce.
• Not a fan of red, use green enchilada sauce.
• Keep pinto beans and enchilada sauce warm in crockpots, so the meal is ready to serve at any time.
• Replace pinto beans with black beans.
• Add some color with chopped cilantro.
• Top with diced jalapeños.
• Skip the cheese to make it vegan.

How To Make Your Own Pumpkin Pie Spice?

Pumpkin pie spice is simply a blend of cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg. You can usually find it in the spice aisle of most stores or you can make your own by combining: 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ginger, 1/8 teaspoon each of nutmeg and allspice or cloves.

Serving Suggestions

• Serve this squash dish with Pork Chili Verde.
• Great alone or alongside a simple green salad.

Ways to Use Leftover Roasted Acorn Squash

• Add some chicken broth and make a soup. Top with fresh avocado.
• Warm any leftover and serve for breakfast with your favorite egg dish.

If you’ve made this Roasted Acorn Squash with Pinto Beans and Red Chili Sauce, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.

Recipe source: Inspired by a dish from Julia Blackbird’s Restaurant in Denver, CO

If you like Roasted Acorn Squash with Pinto Beans, you may also like

• Slow Cooker Squash Apple Soup
• Easy Asian Spaghetti Squash Salad
• Healthy Slow Cooker Squash
• Asian Baked Kabocha Squash