This Vegan Stuffed Butternut Squash is cozy and satisfying, easy to make and always a big hit! Butternut Squash is roasted and stuffed with quinoa, kale, pecans and dried cherries. A delicious and nutritious Gluten-Free Side Dish or Vegan Main Course.
This post has been updated from the original posted November 23, 2019.
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What’s better than quinoa stuffed butternut squash? Oh, I don’t know….but lemme know when you find something that compares to this easy recipe. I’m partial to Vegan Stuffed Acorn Squash because I adore the wild rice stuffing with cranberries…but otherwise I’m completely smitten with this Roasted Butternut Squash with Vegan Quinoa Stuffing…so so good.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Butternut Squash
- Quinoa
- Leeks
- Celery
- Garlic
- Kale
- Pecans
- Dried Cherries
Prepping the Squash for Stuffing
Butternut squash is one of my favorite varieties. I sometimes peel, cut and roast with veggies or to add to a salad, But, when I’m not in the mood to deal with peeling it, I’ll just halve it and roast. Still, there are options!
If you’re interested in making a simple squash soup, this is exactly how you begin. This method of prep is so easy and so tasty, I may have (once or possibly twice) grabbed a spoon and eaten half a squash directly from the baking tray. This is also how you begin the recipe for stuffed butternut squash.
Stuffed Squash: 1-2-3 and done!
One of the things I really like about this recipe is how easy it is to make. If you’re making this as part of your Thanksgiving feast, that is super important since you have so many other things to make. Simplicity is also important if you want to make this for an everyday weeknight dinner. You can totally meal prep this in advance and then just throw it in the oven for 15 minutes to heat through.
Prepping the ingredients before you begin makes for a smooth and quick process. While the squash is roasting, get the quinoa cooking in a saucepan. It’s then easy to saute the veggies, and then add both the cooked quinoa and cooked squash. BAM…done!
I have served this quinoa stuffing in a bowl as a side dish. If you’re looking for an awesome lunch idea…THIS IS IT! You can eat it cold, room temp or warmed up. It’s so delicious and with enough protein and fiber you’ll stay satisfied all afternoon.
If you can find mini butternut squash–sometimes call honeynut squash, grab them! They’re sweet and awesome for individual serving sized stuffed squash. I also think that a large, full sized stuffed squash makes for a beautiful presentation on a platter for a side dish that everyone scoops themselves.
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📖 Recipe
Stuffed Butternut Squash
Equipment
Ingredients
Squash
- 4 Mini Butternut Squash or 1 Large one
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- Pinch Sea Salt
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 1 Tablespoon fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
Stuffing
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup dry quinoa
- 2 cups water
- 2 large leeks
- 3 stalks celery
- 4 cloves garlic
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon white pepper
- 2 cups curly green kale*
- 2 Tablespoons dried cherries unsweetened and unsulfered
- ½ cup pecans chopped.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 and line rimmed baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper.
- Cut squash in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Drizzle wit oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper and oregano.
- Roast for 35-45 minutes, depending on size of squash, until tender when pierced with a fork. While oven iIs on, place pecans on a separate baking sheet and toast for 5 minutes. When cool enough to handle, chop and set aside.
- While squash is roasting, make the quinoa: In a small saucepan, bring 2 cups water to a boil. Stir in quinoa and then turn down to a low simmer. Cover and cook for about 15 minutes, until liquid iIs absorbed.
- Make the stuffing: Dice leeks and celery, mince garlic. In a large heavy skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Stir iIn leeks, salt and pepper and let them sweat for about 3 minutes. Stir in celery and continue to cook for 5 minutes, until veggies are soft. Add iIn garlic, stirring constantly so itI doesn’t burn. Cook for about 30 seconds and then turn off the heat. Stir iIn the greens, letting them wilt and then add the quinoa, mixing well.
- When squash is cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh and add it to quinoa mixture. Mix until well incorporated, then stir iIn the cherries and pecans. Taste for seasoning, adding more S+P as desired.
- Spoon stuffing into the squash halves until full. Serve warm** or at room temp.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Note
The nutrition calculations were done using online tools. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients you used. You are ultimately responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information is accurate, complete and useful.
Alana
This looks delicious! As a vegan, I really appreciate options for the holidays that are hearty enough to feel like a main course.
Debra Klein
Thank you for the thoughtful comment….this is definitely a holiday worthy dish! Enjoy.
Terri
Loved this recipe. Stuffing is great as a snack.
Madison Wetherill
I made this thinking that my meat loving husband wouldn’t care for it, but all of us LOVED it! It was the perfect blend of ingredients and flavors and still so easy to make. It’s added to our rotation!
Emily Flint
What a great recipe, so smart and I love the addition of raisins!
Sue
This stuffed squash is so stunning, I can’t wait to make it!
Amanda Marie
Been needing more ways to use up some quinoa, this worked great!
Christina
I can’t wait to make this!
Meesha
This looks really good ! Perfect for fall
Rosario Arecco
I will be making this amazing side dish!
Debra Klein
Awesome. It’s so delish.
Amy
So many of my favourite ingredients in the one recipe! yum!
Chef Dennis
This Stuffed Butternut Squash is making me super hungry!
Debra Klein
It does that! This is so satisfying.
Leslie
What a great way to enjoy butternut squash!
Swathi
stuffed butternut squash yum
Luke Ratford
This stuffed butternut squash was superb, we made this for my sister for a vegan option main meal, and she loved it 🙂
I will be making this again over the holidays 🙂
Thanks for sharing!!
Debra Klein
Awesome….what a thoughtful brother. I’m sure she appreciated the tasty vegan option.
Sara
Adding it to my menu for my vegan sister in law. I am sure the rest of the family will want to dig into it too!
Debra Klein
Terrific. Everyone will love it.
Jeri
I love butternut squash, and I am always on the lookout for new recipes! I made this stuffed butternut squash for supper last night and it was so tasty! We loved the addition of dried cherries!
Debra Klein
Great! I adore the dried cherries…and they are so easy to find unsweetened.
Toni
I love how flavorful this is!! So delish!
Toni
I love how flavorful this is!! So delish!
Debra Klein
Thank you. Totally agree.
Jen Vinuya
This is so good!! Everyone at my house loved this!
Jen Vinuya
This is so good!! Everyone at my house loved this!
Debra Klein
Love to hear that!
Natalie
This looks delicious. Perfect seasonal dinner. Easy to make and so healthy. I’m going to try this recipe for sure.
Debra Klein
Keep me posted…can’t wait to hear the rave reviews.
Carmen
This is so good! It will definitely be in the meal rotation.
Debra Klein
Awesome….I make it regularly too.
Bernice
Mmmm that kale, leek, and cranberry combination is fire especially on roasted squash. This is the perfect fall/winter side dish or veggie main.
Debra Klein
Totally!
Elizabeth
Looks so good – love the addition of pecans and dried cherries!
Debra Klein
Same…it’s all about the variety in texture for me!
karen
Loved this recipe! It was flavorful and healthy and great for fall. I served it as a main dish and the entire family ate it. We will definitely make it again soon!
Debra Klein
Awesome, thanks for the feedback!
Lori
This amazing recipe is autumn on a plate!!!! I made it for a person recovering from surgery and she loved it…so do we! I used cranberries instead of cherries (had a ton) and it was delicious. One of the many things I really like about this is that it’s so adaptable. Thanks so much for this addition to my kitchen.
Debra Klein
Thanks so much for taking the time to let us know…and a wonderful choice for someone getting their strength back as it is tasty and super nutritious.
Dorothy aka Dee Dee Cook
This looks so delicious! I have very bad hands and I’m not sure I could cut the butternut in half. Would it still work if I roasted it whole first then do the slicing in half?
Debra Klein
You can soften the squash by microwaving for 3-5 minutes…you will need to just use the tip of the knife to make a couple slits for the air to escape…and then it will be MUCH easier to cut in half.
Lori
I made this again, but this time used sage instead of oregano and added thinly sliced apples (honey Crisp) and cubed the squash before roasting …wow! it was so good. I like this recipe for its adaptability. Thanks, Debra for my new fall go-too recipe!
Debra Klein
Mmm….sage would be super tasty in this recipe, and I like the idea of the apples too.