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Acorn Squash with Pine Nuts

Acorn squash stuffed with sautéed pine nuts, green onions, mushrooms, zucchini, yellow squash, tomatoes, and herbs.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 14 ingredients
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Why it works: Garlic and onion match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 29,058 recipes. Both carry furaneol, which smells caramel, strawberry. The science ↓

Acorn Squash with Pine Nuts

Oven375°F
Time45 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Bake the squash

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F.

  2. Place squash, cut side down, on a baking sheet and cook until tender, about 45 minutes.

  3. Set aside to cool.

  4. Scoop out the inside and discard the seeds and strings.

Make the filling

  1. Saute pine nuts and green onions in oil for 1 minute.

  2. Add mushrooms, zucchini, yellow squash, and tomatoes and saute until just about tender, about 5 minutes.

  3. Stir in the remaining ingredients.

Assemble and serve

  1. Spoon the vegetable mixture into the squash shells.

  2. Serve immediately.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

442Calories
10 gProtein
34 gFat
33 gCarbs

Counts 13 of 14 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 13 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Pine Nut1 oz (28g)191
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Cucumber1/2 cup sliced (52g)16
Mushroom1/2 cup sliced (35g)15
Lemonjuice of 1 lemon (48ml)12
Clove1 tsp ground (2g)7
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Oregano1 tsp dried (1.8g)5
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Basil5 leaves fresh (2.5g)1
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Pumpkinnot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Garlic + oniontop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together29,058 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

  2. Garlic + tomatotop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together14,076 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

  3. Pine + clovetop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together209 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  4. Garlic + mushroomtop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together4,700 recipes

    Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

  5. Mushroom + tomatotop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together2,719 recipes

    Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Acorn squash
Forms the edible shell that holds the filling and softens as it bakes.
Pine nuts
Add a toasty, rich crunch that contrasts with the soft vegetables.
Mushrooms
Contribute savory depth and moisture to the filling as they cook.
Tomatoes
Add moisture and gentle acidity that brightens the vegetable mixture.
Zucchini
Adds tender body and mild sweetness while keeping its shape when sauteed.
Green onions
Provide a mild, fresh onion aroma that flavours the sauteed base.

The step that matters

Cook the squash until fully tender before scooping. Squash cooked cut side down steams from within and becomes soft enough to scoop cleanly. If underdone, the shell stays firm, tears easily, and the filling sits poorly in it.

Swap the nuts

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (acorn, pine, garlic, clove, onion, mushroom, tomato):

  1. Chickpeafits better
  2. Lentilsfits better
  3. Beansfits better
  4. Nutsthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against acorn, pine, garlic, clove, onion, mushroom, tomato. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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