This stuffed butternut squash is a cozy, flavorful vegetarian main that’s perfect for fall or holiday dinners. Tender roasted squash is filled with a hearty mixture of brown rice, chickpeas, tangy cranberries, crunchy toasted pecans, and nutty Gruyere, creating a savory-sweet combination that’s satisfying to eat and beautiful to look at.
We're gonna need more squash
Friends, hi. Hello. Listen, I'm going to need you to stop what you're doing and get your hands on a butternut squash. A nice, medium-sized guy.
Here's the thing. Usually, when it comes to holiday dinners, I am all about the sides. Just give me a plate of super-moist mashed potato stuffing, my own personal private jug of easy vegan gravy, and some healthy vegan sweet potato casserole. That's it, I'm done. That's all I need.
Or so I thought. Then I had the bright idea to test out a stuffed butternut squash recipe, and oh my word. This one came to me in a vision. It has Thanksgiving vibes, with tangy dried cranberries, toasted pecans, and sage, all worked into a brown rice stuffing. Because I am a nutritionist and cannot leave well enough alone, I, of course, added some chickpeas to bump up the protein.
Many stuffed squash recipes have you toss away the roasted squash that's scooped out of the skin, but wasting food isn't my vibe, so I worked it into the stuffing. I also added a smidge of white wine for flavor and some nutty Gruyère cheese because, I mean, cheese.
Seriously, you guys, this one is so so good. Whether you're making it for a holiday dinner or just on a random weeknight, as a vegetarian main dish or a side for everyone to share, I really must insist you make it. Let me show you how.
Let's make stuffed butternut squash together!
Guys, I'm going to show you just how easy it is to make this vegetarian stuffed butternut squash recipe. If you prefer, you can use the jump-to-recipe button to skip right down to the recipe card. Otherwise, let's take a visual walk-through together.
Step 1: prepare the squash
All right, first things first, we're going to prepare the squash. You're going to slice it in half, scoop out the seeds, and rub it with a bit of oil. I like to score my squash before roasting, but it's purely cosmetic, so it's up to you whether you do.
You're going to put your butternut squash in the oven and roast it for about 45 minutes, or until it's fork-tender.
Step 2: prepare the stuffing
Here's where your shallots and celery are going to hit the pan. Once they've become just a bit translucent, you're gonna add a splash of white wine, dried cranberries, and the sage.
Then, you're going to add the cooked brown rice, chickpeas, and Gruyere cheese, and chopped, toasted pecans.
Step 3: scoop + mash
Once the squash is cool enough to handle, use a spoon or an ice cream scoop to scoop most of the flesh out. You want to leave a border of about half an inch of squash on the skin, but we will scoop out the rest.
Give the roasted squash a good mash (I use a fork), then mix it into the rest of the stuffing mixture. Give it a taste, season with salt and pepper, and make sure everything is really delicious.
Step 4: stuff + bake
Spoon the stuffing mixture into the squash halves. It may seem like a lot of stuffing, but I like to really cram it in there and form a bit of a mound on top of the squash.
If you like (I certainly do), you can sprinkle a little extra cheese on top of the stuffed squash halves before baking.
Bake for 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the filling is hot.
Step 5: serve!
Serve your stuffed butternut squash hot from the oven! I think this makes a delicious and filling vegetarian main dish, but it’s also a great side dish if you slice it into smaller pieces.
Stuffed Butternut Squash with Brown Rice, Cranberries & Pecans
Ingredients
- 1 medium butternut squash about 2.5 lbs/1.2kg
- 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup shallot finely diced
- ¼ cup celery finely diced
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- 2 Tablespoons white wine optional, but delicious
- 1 teaspoon dried sage or 1 Tablespoon minced fresh sage
- 1 cup cooked brown rice
- ½ cup chickpeas
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup shredded gruyere cheese
- ¼ cup chopped toasted pecans measure after chopping
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 400°F/200°C.
- Carefully slice the butternut squash in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to scrape the seeds out.1 medium butternut squash
- Rub the squash with about a teaspoon of olive oil and score the flesh if you like.1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Place into a baking dish, and bake for 40-50 minutes, until the squash is fork-tender.
- While the squash is roasting, you can prepare the filling.
- Toast the pecans in a dry pan over medium heat until they smell nutty and fragrant. Set them aside to cool, and then chop roughly.¼ cup chopped toasted pecans
- Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat.1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Add the shallots and celery, and sauté until the shallots are translucent.¼ cup shallot, ¼ cup celery
- Add the dried cranberries, white wine, and sage. Sauté until the wine has evaporated.¼ cup dried cranberries, 2 Tablespoons white wine, 1 teaspoon dried sage
- Remove from the heat and stir in the brown rice, chickpeas, gruyere cheese, and toasted pecans.1 cup cooked brown rice, ½ cup chickpeas, ½ cup shredded gruyere cheese, ¼ cup chopped toasted pecans
- Season with salt and pepper.1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper
- When the squash has finished roasting, remove from the oven and let it sit for about 10 minutes, or until the squash is cool enough to handle.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F/180°C.
- Using a spoon or an ice cream scoop, carefully scoop the flesh into a bowl, leaving about ½ inch of flesh in the skin.
- Use a fork to mash the squash in the bowl. Add the rice mixture, and stir to combine well.
- Spoon this mixture into the squash halves, packing it down and forming mounds on the halves.
- Sprinkle the tops with a little extra cheese if you like, then return to the oven and bake for 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the filling is hot.
Notes
- Nutrition values are an estimate only
- I like to score the tops of my squash before roasting, but this is really cosmetic and is totally optional.
- The squash can be roasted up to two days in advance and kept in the fridge until you're ready to stuff them.
- The rice can be cooked in advance. Frozen brown rice packets are also great for this recipe!
- The white wine is optional, but it's delicious in this recipe.
- Dried sage can be replaced with 1 Tablespoon of fresh sage if you have it on hand.
Marie says
These are so delicious. So much flavour and I loved that I could slice them and serve them as a side dish.
Katie Trant says
I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe as much as we do, Marie!