Stuffed Roasted Butternut Squash

I’m a big fan of my Puff Pastry Wrapped Lentil Loaf, and according to 48 thousand pins on Pinterest, the 100+ comments, and all of the gorgeous photos of your loaves that you tag me in on Instagram (I adore seeing those!) you are big fans of my lentil loaf as well. As much as I adore that loaf in all its gorgeousness, I was craving a new holiday centerpiece. Introducing my new, stunningly gorgeous, super duper scrumptious, Stuffed Roasted Butternut Squash.

I’m just so in love with this recipe. Lovelovelovelovelovelove.

I got the idea of stuffing a butternut squash from the vegducken that has been flying around the internet. While I loved the idea of stuffing a butternut squash (clearly), I read a lot of complaints about the layers of bland and mushy vegetables, the butternut squash which was difficult to hollow out when raw, and that the recipe took a ton of time and work to prepare, all of that and it isn’t even vegan. I was determined to solve all of these problems.

Bland and mushy vegetables were replaced with my flavour packed wild rice stuffing, the butternut squash is roasted prior to hollowing it out, making it easy and spoon scoopable. And while it isn’t my quickest recipe ever, most of the time is spent hands off letting the squash bake and the rice cook. The result? OMG I’m just so in love. Did I say that already?

Let me count the ways I love my Stuffed Roasted Butternut Squash:

1. It can be prepared ahead of time! That’s right, you can make the squash and stuffing, and have the whole thing done and tied up with a bow (literally), and ready to go. Just store it covered in your fridge for up to 3 days and the heat through when ready to serve.
2. That stuffing! It took me 4 test drives to nail it, but I am now officially smitten with this stuffing. Wild rice, cranberries, walnuts, sage… so much scrumptiousness, I have a hard time not eating it all before it even makes it into the squash.
3. You can totally eat the squash skin. Not only does the skin help hold the shape of the squash, but the squash is roasted long enough that the skin becomes very tender so there is no need to peel it off. I like to give it a final seasoning right before serving. Yum!
4. It is just so dang cute! I think it’s important to have a gorgeous centerpiece for your holiday feast, whether it be Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any other time you want to celebrate with loved ones. With this stuffed roasted butternut squash you get all of the wow factor a good feast deserves.

Now let’s get to making this beauty of a dish!

To make Stuffed Roasted Butternut Squash, start by cutting your butternut squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out and discard the seeds, then put both halves on a baking tray cut side up. Drizzle a little olive oil on top of each squash and rub around to coat. Bake for 60 to 75 minutes until the squash is cooked and fork tender. The timing may vary a bit depending on the size of your squash.

Once baked, remove the squash from the oven. Let it cool enough so that you can handle it. Scoop out the flesh in the center of both squash halves, leaving about a 1-inch border all around. I like to score a line 1-inch from the edges with the tip of my spoon before I start scooping so I have a guide to follow.

Set aside the scooped out squash flesh and chop it up.

In the meantime when the squash is baking, you can prepare the stuffing. In a large pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. When hot sauté the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic until the veggies soften and begin to brown.

Add the wild rice and veggie broth to the pan, give it a stir, then cover and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes. Now add the white rice to the pan, cover, and continue to cook another 8 to 10 minutes until the rice has cooked and fully absorbed the broth. Add in the walnuts, dried cranberries, sage, thyme, salt, and pepper.

Add in the scooped out and chopped squash flesh once you have it. Stir everything to combine well. Omnomnom.

Pack in as much of the stuffing into both sides of the squash as you can. You will likely have leftovers, but I like to pack it in nice and firmly and make both sides heaping full. Pick up one squash half and flip it on top of the other. Use kitchen string to tie up the squash in 3 or 4 places holding it together. At this point you can choose to let it cool, cover with foil and store in the fridge for up to 3 days until ready to bake. Or you can bake it right away.

When you are ready to bake, lightly brush the top with oil. Bake uncovered for 20 to 35 minutes until hot all the way through. Season the top with a cracked pepper, and an extra sprinkle of chopped sage.

The slices are tender and will easily fall apart, to help hold them together use a wide spatula, and carefully transfer them to the plate. Serve hot with Quick Onion Gravy.

4.72 from 7 votes

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Stuffed Roasted Butternut Squash

Prep Time

30 mins

Cook Time

1 hrs 30 mins

Total Time

2 hr

 

The perfect vegan centrepiece main dish for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any holiday. Stuffed with super flavourful wild rice, cranberries, walnuts, and sage filling. Can be made up to 3 days ahead of time and warmed up before serving. Gluten free, vegan, vegetarian, dairy free. 

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: 8 (depending on the size of your squash)

Calories: 226 kcal

Author: Sam Turnbull • It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken

Ingredients

For the butternut squash:

• 1 butternut squash
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

For the stuffing:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 carrots , peeled and chopped
• 2 stalks of celery , chopped
• 1 yellow onion , chopped
• 2 cloves garlic , minced
• 1/2 cup wild rice
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup white rice (I used basmati)
• 1/2 cup walnuts , chopped
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1 teaspoon fresh sage , chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 recipe Quick Onion Gravy (optional for serving)

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350F (180C).
2. To make the butternut squash: Cut the butternut squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out and discard the seeds, then put both halves on a baking tray, cut side up. Drizzle the olive oil on top of each squash and rub around to coat. Bake for 60 to 75 minutes until the squash is cooked and fork tender. The timing may vary a bit depending on the size of your squash. Be careful not to overcook the squash as it will still bake more when assembled and heated later on.
3. Once baked, remove the squash from the oven. Let it cool enough so that you can handle it. Scoop out the flesh in the center of both squash halves, leaving about a 1-inch border all around. I like to score a line with the tip of my spoon 1-inch from the edges before I start scooping so I have a guide to follow. Set aside the scooped out squash flesh and chop it up.
4. To make the stuffing: In the meantime when the squash is baking, you can prepare the stuffing. In a large pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. When hot sauté the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic until the veggies soften and begin to brown. Add the wild rice and veggie broth to the pan, give it a stir, then cover and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes. Now add the white rice to the pan, cover, and continue to cook another 8 to 10 minutes until the rice has cooked and fully absorbed the broth.
5. Add in the walnuts, dried cranberries, sage, thyme, salt, and pepper. When ready, add in the scooped out and chopped squash flesh. Stir well to combine.
6. To stuff the squash: Pack in as much of the stuffing into both sides of the squash as you can. You will likely have leftovers, but I like to pack it in nice and firmly and make both sides heaping full. Pick up one squash half and flip it on top of the other. Use kitchen string to tie up the squash in 3 or 4 places holding it together. At this point you can choose to let it cool, cover with foil and store in the fridge for up to 3 days until ready to bake. Or you can bake it right away.
7. When you are ready to bake, lightly brush the top with more olive oil. Bake for 20 to 35 minutes until hot all the way through. Season the top with cracked pepper, and a sprinkle of chopped sage. The slices are tender and will easily fall apart, to help hold them together use a wide spatula, and carefully transfer them to the plate. Serve hot with Quick Onion Gravy.

Recipe Notes

Different types of wild rice may vary the cooking time. The wild rice I used required 20 minutes of cooking time, so I cooked it for 10 minutes, added the basmati so it could cook, and continued to cook it for 10 minutes more. Look at your package of wild rice to see if it needs longer cooking time. If it does, cook longer as directed before adding the basmati.

Bon Appetegan!

Sam.

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