With the holiday season fast approaching, I couldn’t go without posting at least 1 vegan holiday entree recipe. Today I’ll be sharing how to make a Vegan Stuffed Butternut Squash. A delicious, balanced, and hearty meal comprised of filling made of quinoa, rice, vegetables and vegan protein such as lentils or beyond beef. Learn how to make this vegan butternut squash recipe below.
What ingredients do you need for vegan stuffed butternut squash?
This recipe is fairly simple in its ingredients. No fancy egg replacements are needed. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Butternut Squash
- Cooked Rice (White, brown, or wild.)
- Uncooked Quinoa (White, red, black, or tricolor)
- Vegan Broth (Vegetable, No-Chicken Broth, No-Beef Broth)
- Onion
- Mushrooms
- Garlic Cloves
- Thyme
- Oregano
- Fresh Sage
- Salt
- Fresh or Frozen Spinach
- Cooked Vegan Protein (Lentils, Beans, or Meat Alternatives. I used Beyond Beef.)
- Dried Cranberries
- Oil
Is butternut squash vegan?
This is a question I saw a lot of people searching on the internet and the answer is, yes! Squash it’s is a delicious and hearty fruit suitable for vegans. Yes, butternut squash is technically a fruit! The more you know, right?
Butternut squash is great for roasting and eating stuffed like in the recipe, with cinnamon and sugar for something sweet, or use to make a pasta sauce like this one I love from Cookie and Kate.
What to serve with vegan stuffed butternut squash?
Making this for a holiday gathering? Do you need some other dish ideas to serve with this? Here’s a list of recipes that would compliment this dish:
Can you freeze stuffed butternut squash?
Yes, you can freeze! You’ll need to tightly wrap your stuffed squash in plastic wrap and then some foil around that. Date, label, and freeze!
To cook the squash, you’ll need to take it out 24 hours before you need to cook and allow it to thaw in the refrigerator. Once the squash is thawed preheat your oven to 350 degrees and cook for 25-35 minutes. Making sure it’s warmed all the way through.
If you make this recipe we’d love to hear from you down below in the comment sections. You can also tag us on one of our social media or use our hashtag #vegantheway. You can also stay up to date with our new recipes and post by subscribing to our email notifications.
If you liked this recipe check out some of our others like our Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff, or maybe something sweet like our Vegan Pumpkin Bread Recipe.
Vegan Stuffed Butternut Squash
Equipment
- Oven & Stove
- Baking Sheet
- Skillet
- Cutting Board
- Knife
Ingredients
- 1 large butternut squash
- 1/2 cup cooked rice (white, brown, or wild)
- 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa (white, red, black, or tricolor)
- 1/2 onion, diced.
- 4 oz mushrooms, chopped.
- 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tbsp fresh sage, chopped.
- 1/2 tsp salt, and a sprinkle for roasting squash.
- 1/2 cup frozen spinach or 1 cup fresh spinach
- 1/2 cup cooked lentil or other vegan protein. I used beyond beef for mine.
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped.
- 3 tbsp oil
- Cooking wine to deglaze the skillet.
Instructions
Roasting squash:
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- Carefully slice your butternut squash lengthwise with a sharp knife. With a spoon or an ice cream scoop remove the seeds and pulp.
- Brush 1 tbsp of oil and salt onto the squash halves and lay cut-side down on the baking sheet. Place in the oven and cook for 20 minutes. Flip the butternut squash and roast for another 20 minutes. Check if the squash is cooked by piercing the squash with a fork. If it easily slides in, you're ready to remove it from the oven. If it’s still a little tough or hard to pierce, cook the squash longer in 10-minute increments.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool until you're ready to fill.
Filling:
- While the squash is baking, add 1/2 tbsp of oil and your chopped mushrooms into a skillet over medium heat and cook for 8-10 minutes or until the mushrooms begin to brown. Once cooked, remove the mushrooms from the skillet and place in a bowl to the side.
- Next, add ½ tbsp of oil and add chopped onions into the skillet still over medium heat. Cook the onions for 5-8 minutes or until they become translucent. Add garlic to the pan and cook for another 3 minutes.
- Deglaze the brown bit on the bottom of the skillet with a cap full of cooking wine.
- Now add your thyme, oregano, sage, salt, and quinoa to the skillet and toast for 2-3.
- Next, add your vegetable and bring to a boil. Then cover and reduce heat to simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the quinoa is cooked and fluffy.
- Once the quinoa has cooked, add the rice and fresh or frozen spinach and saute until the frozen spinach is warmed or the fresh spinach has wilted.
- Stir in the cranberries, mushrooms, and lentil or vegan protein and saute for 2-3 minutes over medium heat. Once cooked, remove the skillet from the heat and set aside.
Assembling:
- Scoop out the insides of a butternut squash leaving about 1 inch of squash around the edge. Add the scooped butternut squash into your filling or reserve for a later meal.
- Fill both halves of the butternut squash with the quinoa filling till full. Place the stuffed butternut squash in the oven for another 10-15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow it to cool for a little before slicing and serving. Enjoy and store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Reheat in an oven preheated to 350 degrees until warm.