Stuffed Butternut Squash

5 from 19 votes

This roasted stuffed butternut squash is stuffed with quinoa and veggies and roasted to perfection. Serve drizzled with cashew cream for a perfect plant-based main course or side.

Prep Time10

Cook Time1 10

Total Time1 20

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegan

Servings:

Calories: 529kcal

Author: Alison Andrews

Ingredients

Roasted Butternut Squash:

2 Large Butternut Squash (2 ½ pounds/1.1kg each)*
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
½ teaspoon Oregano
¼ teaspoon Dried Basil
Sprinkle Sea Salt
Sprinkle Ground Black Pepper

Quinoa Filling:

½ cup Quinoa (85g) Dry Weight
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
2 Cloves Garlic Crushed
1 cup Cremini Mushrooms (110g) Sliced
1 Medium Red Bell Pepper Chopped
1 Medium Yellow Bell Pepper Chopped
½ cup Pecan Nuts (55g) Chopped
12 Cherry Tomatoes Sliced
¼ cup Green Onions Chopped
2 cups Baby Spinach (60g) Chopped

Sauce:

2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce or Tamari if gluten-free
2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder

Serving (Optional):

Cashew Cream
Fresh Cilantro Chopped
Fresh Lemon Wedges

Instructions

Roasted Butternut Squash:

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
Cut the ends off both sides of the squash so that you have a flat surface on either end. Then stand the butternut squash on your cutting board, with the bottom half flat on the board. Carefully cut it in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds.
Scrape the tops of the butternut squash with a fork and then brush on olive oil.
Sprinkle oregano, dried basil, sea salt and ground black pepper over the top of the butternut squash halves.
Bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes until tender all the way through when pierced with a fork.

Quinoa Filling:

While the butternut squash is roasting, cook your quinoa according to package instructions or as per your preferred method. Our favorite method for cooking quinoa is to place ½ cup quinoa and 1 cup water into a pot and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed (~15 mins). Once cooked, fluff with a fork.
Heat a pan over medium heat. Add olive oil, crushed garlic, sliced mushrooms and chopped red and yellow bell peppers and sauté until the veggies are softened.
Add chopped pecans, sliced cherry tomatoes and chopped green onions and sauté for a few minutes until well combined.
Add chopped baby spinach and stir in until just wilted. Remove from heat.
Add soy sauce (or tamari if gluten-free), maple syrup, olive oil, lemon juice and garlic powder to a measuring jug and whisk together.
Add cooked quinoa to a mixing bowl along with the cooked veggies, pour over the sauce and toss together.

Assembling:

When the butternut squash is cooked and fork tender, remove from the oven and stuff it with the quinoa filling. There is no need to remove any of the cooked butternut flesh to make space for the filling. Add quinoa filling to the hollow part of the butternut squash but then also just pile it on top all the way down the 'neck' of the squash.
Return to the oven to bake for a final 10 minutes.
Serve with a drizzle of cashew cream, chopped cilantro and lemon wedges.

Notes

Butternut squash - we used two large butternut squash. Each whole butternut squash was around 2 ½ pounds (1.1 kg) and 5 pounds/2.2kg for both butternut squash together (before slicing in half and removing the seeds). If you can't find large butternut squash then use smaller squash that together add up to around 5 pounds before slicing and removing the seeds.
Don't peel the squash: You can eat the squash skin. The skin helps hold everything together while it bakes, and the squash is roasted long enough so that the skin is tender and roasted and delicious! So don't peel your squash.
Gluten-free: Simply switch the soy sauce for tamari or a gluten free soy sauce to make this meal entirely gluten-free.
Nut-free: Omit the pecans and drizzle our tahini sauce over the top for a nut-free option.
Make ahead: This stuffed butternut squash works great as a make-ahead option. You can prepare the squash and the filling the day before and store them separately in the fridge. Then simply stuff the butternut squash and bake it at 400°F for 15 minutes until heated through and then serve.
Storing: Leftover stuffed squash can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for 4-5 days. Reheat in the oven at 400°F for 15 minutes until heated through.

Nutrition