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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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!
- 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.
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.
- 1 butternut squash
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 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)
- Preheat your oven to 350F (180C).
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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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I made this with a shortcut modification using Trader Joe’s Superfood Pilaf adding in the cranberries, sage and walnuts. It is beautiful and smells deliciious. Absolutely delicious. Not quite as holiday festive but way fast and yummy.
I definitey want to try it with the rice stuffing next.
Wonderful! Glad you enjoyed!
Just found this recipe!and it looks delicious! Fall is setting in, so this sounds perfect! Could I substitute brown rice for white? Would I need to cook it longer or add more liquid?
?
Hi Catherine, yes you can, but white rice takes less time to cook, and the rice may turn out a bit mushier. I generally prefer brown rice for salad type dishes for this reason. Enjoy!
Just made this and it is wonderful! The stuffing tastes like fall . The recipe made enough stuffing to fill two squashes, so I’m going to freeze the extras for later (hopefully it freezes well?). Thank you for a keeper recipe!
Wonderful, so happy you enjoyed, Kate 🙂 I think it should freeze fine.
Should I use a serrated knife or a regular well-sharpened blade?
I always use a well sharpened 8-inch chefs knife.
Put this together on Sunday and made it last night. Soooo good! I didn’t add the walnuts or craisins, but added lots of sliced baby Bella mushrooms for a meatier texture. Will definitely make it a regular make ahead meal for a weeknight dinner!! My carnivores had it as a side
Wonderful! Thrilled you loved it so much, Sam. (Great name by the way 😉 )
This was my first recipe of yours that I tried, Sam, and I’ve since made several others. I made this as just a regular weeknight meal so I didn’t bother putting the two sides back together for presentation purposes. It turned out great and I’ll definitely be making it again. Thank you for creating such tasty and easy recipes to make, I keep coming back to your site each week for new recipes and I’m never disappointed.
Wow! Love that, Jessica. Thrilled you are enjoying so many recipes 🙂
Made it for Christmas dinner at my cousin’s where it sat proudly beside the giant turkey. Everyone took a “polite sample” and not only did the carnivores in the family like it… They had seconds and THIRDS! Needless to say, the recipe has been passed along to several new households lol
Hahahaha! Love it so much. Thanks for the lovely comment, Anna 🙂
I’d love to try this for Christmas, but am I the only one who has trouble cutting the squash? I did acorn squash for Thanksgiving and it was terrible trying to cut it in half. I tried several knives.
Haha, yeah it can be tricky for sure. A large sharp knife is key.
I cranberry believe how delicious this! I plan on making it all the thyme, no matter the season! I’m cooking this for a work potluck tomorrow and they walnut believe this vegan dish tastes so good! Thank you for sharing!
And to anyone reading… you butternut pass this recipe up if you carrot all about delectable, healthy food!
Bahahahahaha! Love it so much! Comment of the day for sure. Thanks Kylee 🙂
Glad you enjoyed it
I absolutely loved reading your response. Adorable!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’m making this for Christmas!
I’m an avid blog reader and love to take the ideas I find on the internet and make magic in my kitchen.
I pretty much never reply to blog posts because.. well I’m usually too busy cooking 😉
I have a stuffed squash in the oven right now and I must say, that stuffing is divine and we can wait to eat the whole thing when it’s hot! Pro tip: we added a chia egg to the stuffing and that really helped keep it semi solid!!
Thanks for sharing, I suspect a rendition of this dish will become a regular thing around here!
Aww so flattered you took the time to leave a comment, Lyanne! Thrilled you love it so much already. 😀
I have fresh cranberries, do you think they’ll work, also do you wrap the squash when baking. Thanks for the lovely recipe. Happy holidays
Hi Colleen, I think fresh cranberries would be too wet and sour. In this recipe, dried cranberries provide a nice chew and sweetness. I don’t wrap the squash I just bake as is. Enjoy!
Did anyone have trouble with the filling falling out when you cut into it? I’d like to make it for Thanksgiving but am worried that the slices are not going to look as pretty as the ones in the picture.
Hi Pam! The filling is not very compact so yes, it will likely fall out. If you use a wide knife it makes it easier to serve as one whole piece. Hope that helps.
I didn’t have a problem at all. It could be because I used red rice instead of wild- a bit sticky-er and mushed in the squash which really held it together. Also, I cut with a serrated knife into 1″ slices and used a flat spatula to transfer each slice to my guest’s plate. Actually, they served themselves, but no problems.
I made this for a vegan guest, but made an extra one because I knew meat eaters would want to sample- I received more compliments on this than the beef tenderloin I made from the traditional meat and potatoes group.
Wonderful to hear, Lisa!!! 🙂
This is going to take the place of my traditional tofurkey this year for Thanksgiving! I can’t wait to try it. My only question is, can I substitute something for the sage (maybe rosemary or additional thyme)? I’m not a fan of sage.
Yay! I hope you love it, Cheryl! Yes, rosemary or thyme would be perfect. Enjoy 🙂
This looks delish. This weekend is Cnd. Thanksgiving, I’m going to studff and roast a pumpkin as my centerpiece, but will use this stuffing recipe with the butternut squash inside the pumpkin. It was exactly what I was looking for with cranberries, walnuts and wild rice. The mix of the 2 squash flavours should be good.
Sounds delish! I’m Canadian too, happy Thanksgiving 🙂
There’s out pretty good. Bought the wrong rice — as already cooked. Saved some time. Easter dinner
Hope you enjoyed!
Had this for dinner tonight- the 3 carnivores were fighting the two vegetarians for it
It was so good! Such a creative idea! I used quinoa in place of rice, worked great!
Thinking ahead- this will be a beautiful replacement for our typical Tofurkey on Thanksgiving!!!
Hahaha! Love that story, the carnivores fighting for the veggies! So happy everyone enjoyed it 🙂
Just made this , it is excellent thankyou!
Woohoo! So happy you enjoyed it 🙂
This is the best idea EVER!! Why didn’t I think of that???
Hahahaha, well thank you Emily!
I tried this and it is DELICIOUS. I did it a little differently-I already had some butternut squash that was cooked, so I made the other ingredients and then layered them all on top of each other in a casserole dish and baked in the oven. So it wasn’t quite as pretty as the whole-squash-with-stuffing picture, but it was really yummy. Thank you Sam!
Yay! So happy you loved it Nicole. Your versions sounds fantastic too 🙂
This was our center piece on the Christmas table and everyone loved it.
I had to add more water to keep the rice cooking but I have a very hot stove top (even when turned down low).
Thank you Sam, this was delicious and looked wonderful.
So happy everyone loved it Franceyne, and honoured it was your center piece! 🙂
I made this for our Christmas dinner. It was delicious but the wild rice needed more time to cook. Maybe increase the amount of broth and give the wild rice a longer cooking time.
Thanks.
Ah, I guess different wild rice types will vary a bit, I will add a note. Thanks Mark!
I mentioned this to my daughter as she was eating the last of the leftovers and she was impressed that I reached out to you but then reminded me how delicious it was. Indeed plus I loved the presentation with the slices laid on the decorative plate we had for the holiday dinner.
Thanks.
Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
You are a blessing! I’ve been craving butternut squash for “some reason”, and this is it. Making it for Christmas dinner 🙂 Thank you Sam!
Perfect! I hope it goes over splendidly at Christmas! 🙂
Thanks- can’t wait to try this- Merrie Christmas!!!
I hope you love it! Merry Christmas!
Ah, this is so awesome! Love it so much!!! This will wow the meat eaters into being plant-based 😉
That is my evil plan, muhahahahahaha!
This looks so very good! I’m excited to try it in the not too distant future. I am wondering how the squash skin is when eating. Do you need to eat around it, or is it tender enough to enjoy eating? Thanks!
Aha! I knew I was forgetting something in the post, I meant to mention that, thanks for the reminder! I have now updated the post, yes the squash skin gets lovely and tender and is totally edible. Just give your squash a good cleaning before preparing it. That’s why I like to oil and season the skin as well 🙂
Thanks so much! Yay 😀
Oh my gosh!!! This sounds AMAZE-BALLs!! I can’t wait to try it!
Thank you so much Debbie! I can’t wait for you to try it either! 😀
This looks so AMAZING! Easy, healthy and beautiful. I’ll be making this soon for sure.
Yay!! I hope you love it 🙂