A true winter warmer, our Vegan Stuffed Butternut Squash features a very flavoursome lentil and porcini mushroom filling, made creamy with the help of light tahini. Further flavoured with balsamic, miso paste, garlic and mixed herbs, this recipe will not disappoint your tastebuds! 100% plant-based, filling and not difficult to make, this vegan butternut squash recipe will definitely become your firm favourite for a cold winter evening or when vegan friends are visiting!
- Stuffed Butternut Squash is A Recipe That Allows To Improvise
- Can You Eat Butternut Squash Skin?
- Our Favourite Ingredients to Use
- How to Make Vegan Stuffed Butternut Squash: Step-by-Step
- Extra Tips
- What To Serve Vegan Butternut Squash With?
- How To Store Leftovers?
- Other Filling Vegan Main Dish Recipes
- Recipe Card
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Stuffed Butternut Squash is A Recipe That Allows To Improvise
Here's how the recipe for this Vegan Stuffed Butternut Squash was born... I had a butternut squash sitting in my fridge for a week now and I was going to make West-African Peanut Stew with Butternut Squash & Spinach, but our plans to go food shopping that evening were ruined by... well laziness. So I had to improvise and use whatever bits I had at home to make something nice with that butternut squash.
So I started rummaging through my cupboards and found a bunch of things that I wanted to use: I knew that green lentils and tahini are a great combination. But I decided to add some more flavour by adding miso paste for seasoning and a tablespoon of tomato paste for the depth of flavour. With a few more bits here and there, it all came together into a wonderful Stuffed Butternut Squash recipe that both Seb and I enjoyed very much. Only after I decided to put it on the blog, did I realise that the dish was fully plant-based (bonus!).
Can You Eat Butternut Squash Skin?
Yes! Butternut squash skin is edible and actually really nutritious. It softens after a period of roasting and adds both to the flavour and the texture of this dish. What is more, by eating the butternut squash skin, you will get more fibre and vitamin A too!
However, if you are using a butternut squash out of its season (a.k.a. older butternut) you may find that the skin is too tough to eat. You can simply scoop the filling and the flesh out of the stuffed butternut squash and discard the skin.
Our Favourite Ingredients to Use
Dried Porcini Mushrooms: when we don't have any of the porcini mushrooms foraged by my aunt, we always turn to Sous Chef Wild Porcini Mushrooms. These always taste great!
Light Tahini: When we want to make things creamy, without using dairy, we turn to Meridian Light Tahini. It adds just a hint of sesame taste and A LOT of the creaminess. If you're looking for a bigger sesame punch, though, try Sunita Whole Organic Tahini.
Miso Paste: We recommend Yutaka or Miso Tasty. For this dish, white miso paste works best.
How to Make Vegan Stuffed Butternut Squash: Step-by-Step
Step 1: How To Cut Butternut Squash?
Preheat the oven to 210°C Fan.
Slice butternut squash in half lengthways, using a sharp long thin-bladed knife. Then scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Typically old spoons have an edge that's worn, and therefore, thinner and sharper, so look for an older spoon you have. Alternatively, a grapefruit spoon works brilliantly - it is smaller, but has a serrated edge that is great for scooping all the seeds out.
Step 2: Roast The Squash
Place the squash halves cut side up, on a large baking tray and brush them with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast for approx. 40-45 minutes, or until the flesh is tender and browned. If your squash is browning too quickly, cover the halves with some foil.
Step 3: Make the Filling
Whilst the butternut squash is roasting, pour boiling water over dried porcini mushrooms and leave them to rehydrate for 15-20 minutes. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan. Add the onions and fry on medium heat for 5-6 minutes, until softened and browned. Add the garlic and mixed herbs and continue cooking for a minute, stirring. Add the tomato paste and stir to combine, then cook for another 2 minutes.
Reduce the heat slightly and pour in the balsamic vinegar to deglaze the pan. Add the rinsed green lentils, vegetable stock, bay leaf and paprika and stir to combine. Once boiling, simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. In the meantime, drain the porcini mushrooms and cut them into small pieces. Add the porcini mushrooms to the lentils after they have been cooking for 20 minutes and cook for another 5-8 minutes, or until the lentils are tender.
Take the pan off of the heat, and stir in the tahini and miso paste. Adjust the seasoning if needed.
Step 4: Assemble & Roast Again
When the butternut squash is cooked, reduce the oven temperature to 160° C Fan. Scoop out the flesh from each half, leaving a 1.5-2cm thick border around the sides and bottom. Mash the scooped-out flesh well (or blitz it in a food processor), then add half of the butternut squash puree to the lentil mixture (reserve the rest), and stir to combine. Spoon the lentils into the butternut squash halves and return them to the oven for 10 minutes to warm through.
Step 5: Make The Sauce
To the remaining butternut squash puree, add a tablespoon of water, a tablespoon of olive oil, a tablespoon of tahini and a teaspoon of miso paste and mix (or blitz in a food processor). Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as required. You may want to add more water to loosen the sauce if needed.
Serve the stuffed butternut squash drizzled with the tahini sauce and garnished with some parsley!
Alternatively, try drizzling butternut squash with Maple Tahini Dressing!
Extra Tips
- The timings in this recipe are approximate. Roast your butternut squash until tender, and note that time will vary depending on the side of your vegetable.
- You can roast the butternut squash ahead of time and store it in the fridge for up to two days. Stuff and roast again long enough to warm through on the day when you want to serve it. T
- Make sure to scrub the skin of butternut squash well before cooking it if you intend to eat it.
What To Serve Vegan Butternut Squash With?
This autumnal recipe is designed for cold dark evenings, so it is quite filling and satisfying as it is. But we would never say no to a couple of delicious healthy side dishes. We love serving Raw Courgette Ribbon Salad or Fried Tenderstem Broccoli with Garlic and Lemon (Garlic Broccolini) with this Stuffed Squash.
How To Store Leftovers?
If you have any leftover stuffed butternut squash, cool it down to room temperature, then store it in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 48 hours.
To reheat, place the squash leftovers in a small roasting tin with high rims, cover the dish with foil and warm in an oven, preheated to 160C for 15-20 minutes, or until completely warmed through (the time will depend on how much leftovers you have). Alternatively, reheat this vegan stuffed butternut squash on a microwave-safe plate in a microwave.
Other Filling Vegan Main Dish Recipes
For other vegan mains, have a look at our favourite recipes below:
Recipe Card
Vegan Stuffed Butternut Squash
Equipment
- Food Processor optional
Ingredients
- 1 butternut squash medium
- 2 teaspoon olive oil
For Porcini-Lentil Filling:
- 30 g dried porcini mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 brown onion finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoon mixed herbs
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 80 g green lentils rinsed
- 300 ml vegetable stock
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon light tahini
- 1 teaspoon miso paste
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
For the Sauce:
- roasted butternut squash scooped out from the roasted halves (see method for details)
- 1 tablespoon light tahini
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon miso paste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 210°C. Slice each butternut squash in half lengthways, then scoop out the seeds with a spoon (grapefruit spoon works brilliantly here).
- Place the squash halves cut side up, on a large baking tray and brush them with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast for approx. 40-45 minutes, or until the flesh is tender and browned. If your squash is browning too quickly, cover the halves with some foil.
Make the Filling:
- Whilst the butternut squash is roasting, pour boiling water over dried porcini mushrooms and leave them to rehydrate for 15-20 minutes. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan. Add the onions and fry on medium heat for 5-6 minutes, until softened and browned. Add the garlic and mixed herbs and continue cooking for a minute, stirring. Add the tomato paste and stir to combine, then cook for another 2 minutes.
- Reduce the heat slightly and pour in the balsamic vinegar to deglaze the pan. Add the rinsed green lentils, vegetable stock, bay leaf and paprika and stir to combine. Once boiling, simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. In the meantime, drain the porcini mushrooms and cut them into small pieces. Add the porcini mushrooms to the lentils after they have been cooking for 20 minutes and cook for another 5-8 minutes, or until the lentils are tender.
- Take the pan off of the heat, and stir in the tahini and miso paste. Adjust the seasoning if needed.
Assemble and Make the Sauce:
- When the butternut squash is cooked, reduce the oven temperature to 160 C Fan. Scoop out the flesh from each half, leaving 1.5-2cm thick border around the sides and bottom. Mash the scooped out fresh well (or blitz it in a food processor), then add half of the butternut squash puree to the lentil mixture, and stir to combine. Spoon the lentils into the butternut squash halves and return them to the oven for 10 minutes to warm through.
- To the remaining butternut squash puree, add a tablespoon of water, a tablespoon of olive oil, a tablespoon of tahini and a teaspoon of miso paste and mix (or blitz in a food processor). Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as required. You may want to add more water to loosen the sauce if needed.
- Serve the stuffed butternut squash drizzled with the tahini sauce and garnished with some parsley.
Nutrition
Casey says
All the flavors are incredible and the sauce takes it over the top! LOVED it!
Ieva says
We love the sauce almost as much as we love the filling! 🙂
Amy says
So delicious and packed with flavor! The mushrooms in the filling are delicious and the sauce is fantastic!
Ieva says
Yes! Porcini mushrooms are a perfect flavour booster! 🙂
Toni says
I love this! Healthy and really tasty! Everyone at my house loved it!
Ieva says
That's brilliant, Toni! Can't beat a good vegan meal 🙂