Squash has always been a favorite vegetable of mine for many reasons. They are full of flavor and can be prepared in many different ways, both sweet and savory. It’s now officially autumn, or so I’m told anyway – in Los Angles it’s still over 80 degrees! Nonetheless, the instagram postings of friends at pumpkin patches have already begun rolling in and I received my first squashes of the year in my CSA box last week.
I also received some kale and decided to add that, along with some quinoa and cranberries, to create this mouth-watering fall time meal, Stuffed Delicata Squash with quinoa topped with toasted pecans and drizzled with sage butter.
When I was little, my mom used to make spaghetti squash with marinara sauce and it was a fun twist on a pasta dish. I still make that dish from time to time as well as zoodles, or zucchini noodles. Ever since going vegetarian, I’ve become a little obsessed with stuffing or topping vegetables with different sauces and mixtures like stuffed mushrooms or loaded baked potatoes. This stuffed squash dish seems to be a logical extension of this type of one-dish meal.
This recipe is highly customizable – you could add a little nutritional yeast or miso paste for a more cheesy flavor. Or you could add some tempeh bacon or soyrizo for some added texture and spice. If you’re trying to watch calories, you could omit the cranberries and the sage butter.
- 2 Delicata Squash
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups chopped kale
- 1 yellow onion
- 1/2 cup white quinoa
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup dried unsweetened cranberries
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 raw pecans (omit to make nut-free)
- 1 Tbsp nondairy butter
- 1/2 tsp sage
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a saucepan. Chop the onions and add to the oil, cooking until they turn translucent and caramelized on the edges.
- Rinse the quinoa thoroughly and strain. Add to the saucepan along with the vegetable broth and cranberries. Cook over low heat for about 15 minutes.
- While the quinoa cooks, you can prep the Delicata squash. Clean the thoroughly, removing an hard spots with a knife. Chop off the very ends of each squash and slice them in half length-wise. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place each half face down on a baking sheet and place in the oven for 10 minutes.
- Use a spatula to turn the squash halves over. Bake for another 10 minutes.
- While the squash is baking, toast the pecans in a small, dry skillet over medium heat. Stir frequently and remove from the heat as soon as the pecans become fragrant. Once cooled, roughly chop then set aside.
- Once the squash and quinoa mixtures are both done cooking, plate the squash and fill each half with quinoa.
- In the same small skillet from before, melt the nondairy butter over medium heat and add fresh sage. Cook until the sage becomes crispy. Drizzle on top of the quinoa mixture. Serve immediately.