This is a vegetarian dish that really might overshadow the turkey this Thanksgiving.
T
ay.
More Vegetarian Side Dishes
- Creamy Butternut Squash and Spinach Casserole
- Herb Roasted Vegetables
- Whole Wheat Couscous with Roasted Vegetables
- Honey Ginger Glazed Carrots
- Spicy Szechuan Green Beans
- Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes
- Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes
- Easy Roasted Broccoli
- Parmesan-Thyme Baked Sweet Potato Fries
- Oven-Roasted Ranch Potato Wedges
- Vegetable Fried Rice
- How to Steam a Whole Head of Cauliflower in the Instant Pot
Favorite Tools
- 6-inch Global Knife
- Ice Cream Scoop
- Pyrex Dish with Lid
- All Clad Saucepan
- Calphalon Nonstick Frying Pan
- Box Grater
- Anchor 3-Piece Glass Mixing Bowls
Stuffed Butternut Squash Recipe
An elegant stuffed butternut squash can be made ahead and baked just before serving for a show-stopping vegetarian main or side dish.
Servings: 8
Cost: $8.00
Equipment
- Baking Dish
- aluminum foil
- Saucepan
- Mixing Bowls
- Skillet
Ingredients
- 3 pounds butternut squash (1 large or 2 small)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 ½ cup low-sodium vegetable stock
- ¾ cup uncooked quinoa
- ¼ cup minced shallots
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ⅔ cup pecans, roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¾ cups panko breadcrumbs
- 3 ounces gruyere cheese, finely grated
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
- Slice the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Drizzle a large baking dish with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Place the squash halves cut-side down in a large baking dish. Pierce the skin of the squash a few times with a knife.
- Bake the squash until it is tender when pierced with a fork, 30-40 minutes, depending on size.
- While the squash cooks, cook the quinoa by bringing the stock to boil in a small saucepan. Add the quinoa and stir once. Reduce the heat to low-medium and cover with a lid. Cook, covered for 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the shallots, garlic, pecans, and dried thyme. Cook, stirring often, until the shallots are very tender and the pecans are fragrant, about 5 minutes. Transfer the shallots and pecans to a large mixing bowl.
- When the squash is done roasting, remove it from the oven and let it cool until you can safely hold it on a cutting board (using a clean dish towel to hold it in place helps).
- Use a spoon or an ice cream scoop to scrape the flesh out of the roasted squash halves, leaving a layer of about ½ inch of squash remaining in the shell.
- As you scoop out the squash, add it to the bowl with the shallots and pecans. Add the salt and vinegar. Mash everything together until even.
- Add the quinoa to the mashed squash and gently fold it in.
- Return the squash halves to the baking dish, cut-side up. Spoon the filling into the prepared squash halves.
- Stir together the melted butter, panko breadcrumbs, and cheese. Press the panko crust into the tops of the squash.
- Return squash to the oven and bake, uncovered, until the crust is golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Sprinkle with parsley. Serve warm.
Katie (The Muffin Myth)
Those squash are gorgeous and the filling looks right up my alley. Luckily, butternut is the one kind of squash that is actually really easy to find here. I'll definitely be trying these out, thanks for the recipe!
Hdiddly
Making a casserole with butternut, onions, cheddar for Thanksgiving. Totally not photogenic but yummm 🙂
Moar Obama pls! - H from down the hall!
Jess
Haha - hey neighbor! Fun seeing you last night! So you found butternuts too!
Debra
I think you segued nicely from the Prez to butternut squash. 🙂 I am stealing this stuffing recipe! It would make a great meal by itself.
Jess
Debra - I was thinking the same thing. It's festive, but it would be a good vegetarian meal all on its own. Looking forward to seeing what you've got cooking this week!
Averie @ Averie Cooks
I love baking butternut squash like this - stuffed and open-faced. I bet the quinoa adds such a nice pop of texture to it!
Jess
This was my first time baking them like this, Averie, but I don't know what took me so long! It's a new favorite - so pretty and so easy!
Paola @ gnom-gnom.com
This looks crazy good- I've never baked butternut squash like this, and it looks soooo good with the quinoa!
Jess
Definitely try the quinoa with squash, Paola - the flavors are great together!
Vicky
This sounds absolutely amazing! Ever since my boyfriend and I started our backpacking trip in Asia I;ve seriously been missing quinoa and haven;t seen it anywhere! I'm guessing you were able to buy some in Bangkok?
Jess
It took a little searching, but I have found quinoa in Bangkok, although I still always ask for it in care packages from home and plan to get red quinoa when I'm back in the U.S. over the holidays this month! A grocery store chain called Villa here in Bangkok sells all sorts of Bob's Red Mill products - surprising, but definitely worth a splurge on occasion!
Christine
I would love to get the recipes for the stuffing balls! This looks awesome!
Jess
Christine - my husband was so excited that someone was requesting his favorite recipe of all time! I'll definitely share it on the blog soon. They're a classic in our house!
Michele
Made this but made a brown butter with sage and sauteed the onions in it. Left out the olive oil and oregano. It was AMAZING!! So perfectly delicious!!