Easy vegan stuffed butternut squash with a quick and savory filling of bulgur, mushrooms, cranberries, and walnuts is an elegant and uncomplicated recipe that takes less than an hour from prep to table.
Serve this festive main dish with a tasty side dish like quick air fryer brussels sprouts, mashed potatoes, or roasted cauliflower and sprouts smothered with creamy mushroom gravy for a crowd-pleasing meal fit for a holiday or special Sunday dinner.
Table of Contents
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Roasted squash halves are baked while you cook a bulgur pilaf-style filling for a main course the whole family will love.
- Simple ingredients for a tasty vegan stuffing that incorporates bites of roast squash.
- Healthy eating with no added oil.
- Perfect for a special occasion and simple enough for a weeknight.
Ingredients and Notes
Squash. A large butternut squash makes 4 stuffed squash servings. For smaller squash, use two. Baking time will vary depending on the size of your squash.
Bulgur. Medium or coarse bulgur works best for this recipe. Bulgur wheat is parboiled and dried before packaging, so it cooks in about 15 minutes. The sticky texture helps the filling hold together for both stuffing and eating.
Mushrooms. Use chestnut mushrooms or white button mushrooms.
Leeks. Chop 2 small leeks (or 1 large). You can also use chopped onion, but leeks have a mellow flavor and add a little more texture (and fiber).
Vegetable broth. Broth is more flavorful than water. You can also use vegetable stock cubes or vegan chicken broth.
Dried cranberries. Cranberries have an intense sweet and sour flavor. You can use other dried fruit, including cherries or apricots.
Walnuts. Add a few chopped walnuts for crunch and flavor. Chopped almonds, pecans, or pumpkin seeds also work.
Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete list of ingredients with measurements plus recipe instructions.
Recipe Variations
This recipe's best substitute for bulgur is quinoa for a gluten-free stuffing. Brown rice has a similar texture to bulgur, but you can also use wild rice. The timing will need adjustment if you substitute. Read the package directions for more info.
I've not tried this recipe with another type of squash, but acorn squash or spaghetti squash are closest in terms of size and amount of flesh. If you use summer squash, like zucchini, it's best to clean, stuff, and bake it. It's a filling modification of my vegan zucchini boats recipe.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Sprinkle squash halves with a pinch of sage, rosemary, and thyme. Then bake it on a parchment-lined baking tray until fork tender.
Step 2: Cook the leeks, mushrooms, and celery in a large skillet over medium heat. The mushrooms will take 5-10 minutes to release their moisture.
Step 3: Stir in the garlic and spices and cook for 30 seconds.
Step 4: Add the vegetable broth and stir the bottom of the skillet to deglaze the pan. Add the bulgur and adjust the temperature to simmer. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes until the liquid is absorbed and the bulgur is tender.
Step 5: Cut the flesh from the squash and cube it. Add the cubes, plus the cranberries and walnuts, to the filling. Taste and add a pinch of salt and black pepper.
Step 6: Stuff the squash halves, then return them to the oven to bake for 10 minutes.
Denise's Pro Tips
Leave about ¼ of an inch of flesh around the squash skin so it's easier to handle and sturdy enough to hold the stuffing.
Prepping Butternut Squash
- Whole squash can be tricky to cut. Start with a large, sharp knife. Trim off the stem and root end.
- If you can stand the squash upright, that's the easiest way to cut it. If not, lay it on the cutting board and split the squash where the long neck meets the round base.
- A folded towel underneath helps the squash from slipping.
- Scoop out the seeds and clean up each squash half.
- I tend to roast squash cut-side on a large baking sheet because it cooks quicker by about 10 minutes. The downside is that you must flip it to determine when it's fork tender.
Serving Suggestions
Cut the baked squash halves to make four portions. Garnish with more dried cranberries, chopped walnuts, or thinly sliced green onion.
Frequently Asked Questions
Stuffed squash is best eaten on the first day of serving. If you have leftovers, wrap squash in aluminum foil to easily reheat it in the oven. It will keep for 1-2 days.
Leftover stuffed squash heats well in the microwave, or wrap it tightly in foil and warm it up in the oven. Or, wrap them in foil and heat them in a steamer basket.
Make the stuffing a day ahead but wait to add the cranberries and walnuts until you stuff the squash. Store the filling in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Let it warm to room temperature while you roast the squash.
Bulgur is cracked wheat, so is not gluten-free. The best option to make this recipe gluten-free is to substitute bulgur with quinoa.
More Stuffed Veggie Recipes
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👩🏻🍳 Recipe
Easy Vegan Stuffed Butternut Squash
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Ingredients
- 1 medium butternut squash - cut lengthwise with seeds removed
- 2 medium leeks - diced
- 1 large celery stalk - diced small (about ½ cup)
- 4-5 medium button mushrooms - diced (about 1 ½ cups)
- 2 cloves garlic - minced
- 1 teaspoon sage
- 1 teaspoon rosemary
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 cup bulgur - medium or coarse
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- ¼ cup dried cranberries - or diced dried apricots
- ¼ cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Trim the ends off the squash and cut it lengthwise (see notes for tips). Clean out the seeds and rub a pinch of sage, rosemary, thyme, and salt in each squash piece.
- Place the squash, cut side down, on the tray, and bake for 20 minutes or until fork tender.
- While the squash is baking, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the leeks, celery, and mushrooms for 5-8 minutes until the mushrooms have released their moisture.
- Add the minced garlic, sage, rosemary, and thyme and stir for 30 seconds.
- Deglaze the skillet by adding the vegetable broth and stirring the bottom of the pan to remove any stuck-on vegetables.
- Stir in the bulgur and adjust the temperature so the broth is simmering. Cover the pan and simmer until the liquid is absorbed (10-15 minutes).
- When the squash is done, allow it to cool enough that you can handle it. Scoop or use a knife to remove the cooked squash flesh, leaving ¼ of an inch around the sides and bottom of the squash skin. Cube the squash flesh and add it to the stuffing.
- Mix in the cranberries and walnuts. Then, stuff each squash skin with the filling.
- Place the squash on the baking tray and return them to the oven to heat for an additional 10 minutes.
- Cut them in half for 4 servings after baking.
Video
Notes
- Be sure to practice care when cutting the squash. If you can balance it on the bigger end, cut it straight downwards. Alternatively, you can lay it on its side. Use a folded towel to help keep it secure.
- For a gluten-free option, substitute quinoa for bulgur wheat. Brown rice is also gluten-free but will take longer to cook.
- Stuffed squash is best eaten on the first day of serving. If you have leftovers, wrap squash in aluminum foil to easily reheat it in the oven. It will keep for 1-2 days.
- Leftover squash heats well in the microwave, or wrap it tightly in foil and warm it up in the oven. Or, wrap them in foil and heat them in a steamer basket.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimation only.
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