Quinoa Stuffed Butternut Squash. In my opinion, butternut squash is one of the best of the fall harvest vegetables. It has a great sweet flavor, and is so versatile that you can prepare it many different ways. It works with grains, with salad, with pasta, or is fantastic in this Roasted Squash Mushroom Soup. For this meal, combining the butternut squash with quinoa gives you a nutrition packed side dish, that is sweetened with cranberries and maple syrup.
Whether you are whipping this dish up for an ordinary dinner, or as a side dish for your holiday spread, the recipe is simple, and requires fewer than ten ingredients. If you are planning your holiday meal, and like everyone, are pressed for time and oven space, one of the best things about baking and stuffing squash, is that can be prepped in advance. (see below)
Whether you are serving a full turkey dinner, or a vegan spread, quinoa stuffed butternut squash is a great choice for your holiday dish. The bright colors are so pretty and it will definitely dress up your table. To accommodate any diet, this dish is also vegan, vegetarian, gluten free and dairy free.
Steps To Make Stuffed Butternut Squash
1. Fresh butternut squash is very firm, and hard to cut evenly, which is necessary to stuff it properly. After much trial and error, I found that the best way to cook fresh butternut squash, is whole. Place the squash on a baking dish lined with aluminum foil, and bake at 350 degrees for one hour. It is much easier to cut, when it is already baked.
Bake squash whole on baking sheet at 350 degrees for 1 hour
2. While the squash is baking, prepare the quinoa stuffing. For the quickest cook and best flavor, I recommend cooking the quinoa in the Instant Pot. (Check out my review of the Instant Pot here.) Place the water, salt and quinoa in the Instant Pot and set for 8 minutes on pressure cook. Let pressure release naturally for 10 minutes and then release valve.
Add quinoa, salt and water to Instant Pot (alternate method: cook quinoa according to package directions) Close lid.
Turn Instant Pot on. Both warming light and pressure light will come on as pot heats up.
Set to pressure cook
Close vent.
Set to 8 minutes. After 8 minutes, let pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. Then, release valve. Turn off by pressing cancel.
The cooked quinoa, is light, fluffy and moist.
After the quinoa is finished, add the remaining stuffing ingredients to the Instant Pot and mix well.
Add remaining stuffing ingredients to quinoa and mix.
4. Remove squash from the oven and slice. Brush with olive oil and salt and pepper and stuff with quinoa stuffing.
When squash is baked, slice squash open, remove seeds, brush with olive oil, salt and pepper
Stuff squash with quinoa mixture. Bake for 30 minutes at 375 degrees
5. Bake stuffed squash for 30 minutes at 375 degrees.
Quinoa Stuffed Butternut Squash. Garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds and fresh tarragon.
6. Garnish baked, stuffed squash with toasted pumpkin seeds and fresh tarragon.
Stuffing
Quinoa Stuffed Butternut Squash
7. To serve a larger crowd, you can slice the squash and serve on a platter with stuffing in the middle.
Tips for stuffed butternut squash:
- To plan ahead, bake squash a day or two before the holiday dinner
- Make the quinoa in the Instant Pot ahead of time, and mix stuffing ingredients. Refrigerate the squash and stuffing until needed. Then, bake for 30 minutes at 375 degrees right before serving.
- Make sure that your butternut squash is ripe
How To Tell If Butternut Squash is Ripe?
- The outer skin should be dull and not shiny
- The squash should be dark tan, not green. Green skin indicates that the squash is not ripe
- Tap the outer skin–if it sounds hollow, it is ripe
- If your squash is not ripe enough to cook, store it in a warm, sunny location for up to 14 days, turning occasionally
Quinoa Stuffed Butternut Squash
Ingredients
Quinoa
- 1 cup organic quinoa, rinsed
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
Stuffing
- 2 cups cooked quinoa
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup green onions, chopped
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup corn
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp juice of 1 lemon
- 2 tbsp toasted pumpkin seeds for garnish
- 1 tbsp fresh tarragon for garnish
Squash
- 2 butternut squash
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
Quinoa
- Add quinoa to Instant Pot and cook on high pressure for 8 minutes. Let NR pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, and then manually release valve.Alternate method: cook quinoa on stovetop according to package directions.
Stuffing
- Add quinoa and all stuffing ingredients to bowl and mix well. Stuff butternut squash and bake.
Squash
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with aluminium foil. Bake butternut squash, whole, for 1 hour. When cool, slice in half, and scoop out seeds. Brush with olive oil, salt and pepper. Stuff with quinoa stuffing and bake for an additional 30 minutes at 375. Garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds and fresh tarragon.
Nutrition
Quinoa Stuffed Butternut Squash is the perfect holiday side dish.
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