This roasted stuffed butternut squash is stuffed with quinoa and veggies and roasted to perfection. Serve drizzled with cashew cream for a perfect plant-based main course or side.
This stuffed squash makes the best comfort food! It’s warm, cozy, comforting and satisfying. It’s also really easy and always a crowd-pleaser.
It makes a perfect holiday or special occasion main course or side but it’s also wonderful on a regular Wednesday night.
It’s gluten free, and can easily be nut-free as well and it’s made with simple, delicious, wholesome ingredients. You can even make the filling and roasted squash the day before and then simply assemble, bake and serve when you need it!
And if you love nourishing and delicious vegan butternut squash recipes then you’ll also love our vegan butternut squash mac and cheese and vegan butternut squash soup.
Ingredients You’ll Need For Quinoa Stuffed Butternut Squash:
Ingredient Notes
- Butternut squash – we used two large butternut squash. Each whole butternut squash should be in the region of 2 ½ pounds (1.1 kg) and 5 pounds/2.2kg for both butternut squash together, before slicing in half and removing the seeds. It doesn’t have to be exactly that size, just in the region of that size. If you can’t find large butternut squash then use smaller squash that together add up to a total of around 5 pounds before slicing and removing the seeds.
- Cremini mushrooms – are also known as baby bellas or portobellini mushrooms. You can also use white button mushrooms or sliced portobello mushrooms.
- Pecan nuts – are wonderful for adding crunch to this recipe! You could switch for walnuts or omit the nuts entirely for a nut-free option.
- Quinoa – could be switched for wild rice or brown rice, but we love quinoa in this recipe.
- Soy sauce – can be switched for tamari for gluten free.
How To Make Stuffed Butternut Squash
You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
Roasted Butternut Squash:
- Cut the ends off both sides of the squash so that you have a flat surface on either end. Then stand the butternut squash on your cutting board, with the bottom half flat on the board. Carefully cut it in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds.
- Scrape the tops of the butternut squash with a fork and then brush on olive oil.
- Sprinkle oregano, dried basil, sea salt and ground black pepper over the top of the butternut squash halves.
- Bake in the oven at 400°F for 50-60 minutes until tender all the way through when pierced with a fork.
Chef’s Tip: You can eat the squash skin. The skin helps hold everything together while it bakes, and the squash is roasted long enough so that the skin is tender and roasted and delicious! So don’t peel your squash.
Quinoa Filling:
- While the butternut squash is roasting, cook your quinoa according to package instructions or as per your preferred method.
- Our favorite method for cooking quinoa is to place ½ cup quinoa and 1 cup water into a pot and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed (~15 mins). Once cooked, fluff with a fork.
- Heat a pan over medium heat. Add olive oil, crushed garlic, sliced mushrooms and chopped red and yellow bell peppers and sauté until the veggies are softened.
- Add chopped pecans, sliced cherry tomatoes and chopped green onions and sauté for a few minutes until well combined.
- Add chopped baby spinach and stir in until just wilted.
- Remove from heat.
- Add soy sauce (or tamari if gluten-free), maple syrup, olive oil, lemon juice and garlic powder to a measuring jug and whisk together.
- Add cooked quinoa to a mixing bowl along with the cooked veggies, pour over the sauce and toss together.
Assembling:
- When the butternut squash is cooked and fork tender, remove from the oven and stuff it with the quinoa filling.
- Return to the oven to bake at 400°F for a final 10 minutes.
Chef’s Tip: There is no need to remove any of the cooked butternut flesh to make space for the filling. Add quinoa filling to the hollow part of the butternut squash but then also just pile it on top all the way down the ‘neck’ of the squash.
- Serve with a drizzle of cashew cream, chopped cilantro and lemon wedges.
Serving Suggestions
A drizzle of cashew cream, a sprinkle of fresh chopped cilantro and some lemon wedges on the side make this meal come together beautifully!
Our tahini sauce also makes a great option for the drizzle over the top and it’s perfect if you want to keep the meal nut-free.
If you’re serving it as a main course then it pairs beautifully with vegan mashed potatoes and vegan gravy. If you’re serving it as a side for a special occasion then it would be amazing alongside vegan turkey roast, vegan ham roast or vegan nut roast.
Make Ahead and Storing Tips
Make ahead: This stuffed butternut squash works great as a make-ahead option. You can prepare the squash and the filling the day before and store them separately in the fridge. Then simply stuff the butternut squash and bake it at 400°F for 15 minutes until heated through and then serve.
Storing: Leftover stuffed squash can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for 4-5 days. Reheat in the oven at 400°F for 15 minutes until heated through.
More Delicious Butternut Squash Recipes
- Vegan Butternut Squash Soup
- Vegan Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
- Roasted Butternut Squash Salad
- Butternut Squash Curry
- Roasted Butternut Squash Hummus
- Thai Butternut Squash Soup
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Stuffed Butternut Squash
Ingredients
Roasted Butternut Squash:
- 2 Large Butternut Squash (2 ½ pounds/1.1kg each)*
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- ½ teaspoon Oregano
- ¼ teaspoon Dried Basil
- Sprinkle Sea Salt
- Sprinkle Ground Black Pepper
Quinoa Filling:
- ½ cup Quinoa (85g) Dry Weight
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 2 Cloves Garlic Crushed
- 1 cup Cremini Mushrooms (110g) Sliced
- 1 Medium Red Bell Pepper Chopped
- 1 Medium Yellow Bell Pepper Chopped
- ½ cup Pecan Nuts (55g) Chopped
- 12 Cherry Tomatoes Sliced
- ¼ cup Green Onions Chopped
- 2 cups Baby Spinach (60g) Chopped
Sauce:
- 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce or Tamari if gluten-free
- 2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
Serving (Optional):
- Cashew Cream
- Fresh Cilantro Chopped
- Fresh Lemon Wedges
Instructions
Roasted Butternut Squash:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Cut the ends off both sides of the squash so that you have a flat surface on either end. Then stand the butternut squash on your cutting board, with the bottom half flat on the board. Carefully cut it in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds.
- Scrape the tops of the butternut squash with a fork and then brush on olive oil.
- Sprinkle oregano, dried basil, sea salt and ground black pepper over the top of the butternut squash halves.
- Bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes until tender all the way through when pierced with a fork.
Quinoa Filling:
- While the butternut squash is roasting, cook your quinoa according to package instructions or as per your preferred method. Our favorite method for cooking quinoa is to place ½ cup quinoa and 1 cup water into a pot and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed (~15 mins). Once cooked, fluff with a fork.
- Heat a pan over medium heat. Add olive oil, crushed garlic, sliced mushrooms and chopped red and yellow bell peppers and sauté until the veggies are softened.
- Add chopped pecans, sliced cherry tomatoes and chopped green onions and sauté for a few minutes until well combined.
- Add chopped baby spinach and stir in until just wilted. Remove from heat.
- Add soy sauce (or tamari if gluten-free), maple syrup, olive oil, lemon juice and garlic powder to a measuring jug and whisk together.
- Add cooked quinoa to a mixing bowl along with the cooked veggies, pour over the sauce and toss together.
Assembling:
- When the butternut squash is cooked and fork tender, remove from the oven and stuff it with the quinoa filling. There is no need to remove any of the cooked butternut flesh to make space for the filling. Add quinoa filling to the hollow part of the butternut squash but then also just pile it on top all the way down the 'neck' of the squash.
- Return to the oven to bake for a final 10 minutes.
- Serve with a drizzle of cashew cream, chopped cilantro and lemon wedges.
Notes
- Butternut squash – we used two large butternut squash. Each whole butternut squash was around 2 ½ pounds (1.1 kg) and 5 pounds/2.2kg for both butternut squash together (before slicing in half and removing the seeds). If you can’t find large butternut squash then use smaller squash that together add up to around 5 pounds before slicing and removing the seeds.
- Don’t peel the squash: You can eat the squash skin. The skin helps hold everything together while it bakes, and the squash is roasted long enough so that the skin is tender and roasted and delicious! So don’t peel your squash.
- Gluten-free: Simply switch the soy sauce for tamari or a gluten free soy sauce to make this meal entirely gluten-free.
- Nut-free: Omit the pecans and drizzle our tahini sauce over the top for a nut-free option.
- Make ahead: This stuffed butternut squash works great as a make-ahead option. You can prepare the squash and the filling the day before and store them separately in the fridge. Then simply stuff the butternut squash and bake it at 400°F for 15 minutes until heated through and then serve.
- Storing: Leftover stuffed squash can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for 4-5 days. Reheat in the oven at 400°F for 15 minutes until heated through.
This was an easy and delicious dish for a vegan. I didnt have mushrooms or spinach but I substituted a zucchini instead. The sauce is delicious and the pecans top it all off with the butternut squash, yummy. Next time I will try with mushrooms and spinach. The nice thing with being vegan, is you can change it up with what you have on hand. Thank you for the delicious vegan recipe.
Thanks so much for sharing Valerie!
this was absolutely scrumptious!! I’ve made it a few times now and even our non vegan family and friends love it. it’s the first dish to finish. love it
Awesome Karen! So happy to hear that, thanks for sharing!
Another winner recipe! Sauce for the quinoa super tasty. Whole thing perfect!
Thanks so much Mo!
This was absolutely delicious – really filling and tasty as well as being healthy. I didn’t have pecans, red or yellow peppers or spring onions so substituted walnuts, ordinary onions and a bit of green pepper and courgette/zucchini chopped up small. I think the secret is the amazing soy/maple/etc sauce mixed into the filling, and I used the tahini sauce on top also, with a squeeze of lemon. I will definitely make this again and again!
Thanks for the awesome review Sarah!
Followed this recipe closely. Absolutely delicious! I was apprehensive as we were having guests over and I had not made it before, but needn’t have worried.The fact that leftovers keep for a few days is a bonus. Can’t wait to try it again. Thanks, Alison.
Awesome Jillian, thanks so much for the wonderful review!
This looks delicious! I want to make it but do not like mushrooms. Any ideas for a substitute?
Thank you.
Oh you can just leave them out if you’re not a fan.
Made this tonight we all really enjoyed it. Made a few changes, used ready cooked brown rice with quinoa also for husband had to leave out garlic and spring onions. Very tasty and easy, all agreed that we would have again.
Awesome Heidi, so glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for the awesome review. 🙂
I’ve made this recipe using baby pumpkins instead of butternut squash, basically for me to have something to eat during a meat/fish focused BBQ dinner with friends. I was amazed to find that this dish was the first to go 🙂 friends were commenting on the rich flavours and asking for the recipe! I’m very happy to have found so many delicious recipes on your website, thanks for posting them!
Yay! So happy to hear Sylvia! Thanks for the awesome review. 🙂
Left out spring onions, added shallots. I also used microwavable quinoa with brown rice to save time. Wonderful! It will definitely be in my monthly rotation!
Not made this yet, could I use already cooked quinoa and skip the cook your quinoa directions? Or would it not be the same?
Sure, you can use already cooked quinoa, it won’t make a difference. 1/2 cup of uncooked quinoa equals approx 1 and 1/2 cups cooked quinoa. So if you’re using ready cooked quinoa, use 1 and 1/2 cups.
Easy, delicious, satisfying, and it looks so pretty too! I was out of quinoa so I used barley in its place. Different texture but still amazing.
Wonderful! Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
This was such a great recipe! I used broth to boil my quinoa, otherwise I followed it exactly. So delicious!
Awesome Katelyn! Thanks for posting! 🙂
Hi Alison, what a great meal, thanks for the recipe, it was amazing and enjoyed by all. I wanted to post a photo but didn’t know how lol
So glad to hear Brenda! If you’re on instagram, post the photo there and tag us #lovingitvegan, would love to see it! 🙂
Dear Alison – if we put these in foil on a braai, can you indicate approximately for how long?
Thanks for the amazing recipe
It’s impossible to give an exact time. Just check it after 30 minutes by poking it with a fork. And the coals can’t be too hot, otherwise it will burn. All the best!