Description
Hearty stuffed butternut squash brings Mediterranean flavors to your autumn table, blending roasted squash with herbed quinoa and creamy feta. Savory ingredients dance together, creating a comforting meal you’ll crave on cool evenings.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 2 medium butternut squashes, halved and seeded
- 1 cup (240 ml) cooked quinoa
- 1 cup (240 ml) cooked chickpeas
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) chopped spinach
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) chopped sun-dried tomatoes
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) chopped walnuts
Herbs and Aromatics:
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
Seasoning and Finishing Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Prepare the butternut squash by halving it lengthwise and removing seeds. Drizzle with olive oil, then generously sprinkle salt and pepper across the cut surfaces at 400F (200C) for 30-40 minutes until fork-tender.
- While squash roasts, create the vibrant stuffing mixture. Sauté minced garlic in a skillet until fragrant, then incorporate fresh spinach and cook until wilted.
- Combine the sautéed spinach with quinoa, chickpeas, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, roughly crushed walnuts, and aromatic herbs like thyme and rosemary.
- Enhance the stuffing with a splash of lemon juice and nutritional yeast, seasoning with additional salt and pepper to develop complex flavors.
- Remove roasted squash from oven and carefully excavate some interior flesh, creating a robust vessel for the stuffing mixture.
- Gently fold the extracted squash into the prepared stuffing, ensuring even distribution of ingredients and textures.
- Generously fill each squash half with the herbed mixture, pressing down slightly to compact the stuffing.
- Return stuffed squash to the oven for a final 10-15 minute roasting, allowing the top to turn golden and ingredients to meld together completely.
Notes
- Toast nuts beforehand to enhance their nutty flavor and create a crunchier texture in the stuffing.
- Use fresh herbs like thyme and rosemary for maximum aromatic impact, chopping them finely to distribute evenly.
- Customize the stuffing by swapping quinoa with other grains like bulgur or couscous for varied nutritional profiles and textures.
- Check squash tenderness by piercing with a fork; it should slide in smoothly without resistance during roasting.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Lunch
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 200 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 45 g
- Fiber: 10 g
- Protein: 12 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg