Description
Create this vegan, gluten-free recipe for Stuffed Butternut Squash with Sage Lentil Filling for a comfort food fall or winter meal, or an elegant holiday menu option.
Ingredients
Scale
Squash:
- 2 medium butternut squash*
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper, as desired (optional)
Sage Lentil Filling:
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup quinoa (white, red, or multi-colored), uncooked
- 1 cup brown or green lentils, uncooked
- ½ onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage (or 2 teaspoons dried)
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup chopped walnuts
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Garnish: (optional)
- Fresh sage leaves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F.
- Split squash in half lengthwise, and scoop out seeds, exposing center cavity. Trim flesh of butternut squash to create cavity for filling (each medium squash half should hold about 1 ¼ cups filling). Reserve extra squash flesh for soups or stews. Reserve extra squash flesh for soups or stews.
- Place squash halves in a large (9 x 13-inch) baking dish, with cavity facing up. Add water to the bottom of the baking dish or pan.
- Drizzle squash with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper as desired (optional).
- Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make filling by heating 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large sauté pan. Sauté onion and garlic for 7 minutes. Add quinoa, lentils, and sage, and sauté for an additional 2 minutes to toast. Add broth, and black pepper and cook, stirring frequently, for 15-20 minutes, until quinoa and lentils are just tender.
- Remove pot with filling from stove, and drain off any additional liquid left in mixture that has not been absorbed. Stir in walnuts and cranberries.
- Remove squash from oven and fill each cavity with filling, packing it with a spoon and mounding it over the top. (Makes about 5 cups of filling, 1 ¼ cups filling per squash half). Reserve any leftover filling to use as a side-dish with your next meal.
- Place the stuffed squash back in the oven (do not cover with foil) and cook for an additional 15 minutes, until squash is tender when pierced with a fork, and filling is browned.
- Remove from oven and garnish with sage leaves, if desired.
- Makes 8 servings (1/2 squash per serving)
Notes
*If you are able to find mini-butternut squash, substitute 4 mini squash for 2 medium butternut squash, using about 1/2 cup filling per squash half.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Entree
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 280
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 125 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 43 g
- Fiber: 11 g
- Protein: 11 g
