Vegan Stuffed Butternut Squash With Rice and Lentils

two vegan stuffed butternut squash filled with lentils and rice

5 from 1 vote

Vegan Stuffed Butternut Squash With Rice and Lentils

Flavorful vegan stuffed butternut squash with rice and lentils. Oven-roasted tender squash flesh filled with brown rice stuffing without oil.

Prep Time15

Cook Time45

Resting Time5

Total Time1 5

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Any

Diet: Gluten Free, Low Fat, Vegan

Servings: servings

Calories: 337kcal

Author: Janelle Hama

Ingredients

2 medium-large Butternut squash washed (2⅔lb)
¼ cup Scallion finely sliced

Rice and Lentil Stuffing

1 cup Brown rice rinsed under cold water
2 cups Water see note #1
1⅓ cups Canned brown lentils drained and rinsed
2 Vegetable bouillon see note #1
1 medium Onion finely chopped
2 Garlic cloves minced
1 teaspoon Cumin powder
1 teaspoon Paprika powder
Black Pepper to taste
⅓ cup Slivered almonds
1½ cups Broccoli pulsed, see step
1 pinch Salt to taste

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Preheat Oven and Prepare the Squash

Preheat your fan forced oven to 395°F (200°C). Rinse the butternut squash under cold running water to remove any dirt or debris. Using a sharp knife, start by trimming off both ends of the butternut squash, then cut it vertically. Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and stringy pulp from the cavity.
2 medium-large Butternut squash
Place the halved butternut squash on a baking sheet, cut side down. Roast in the preheated oven for 45 minutes or until the squash is fork-tender (use a fork to pierce it). Let the squash cool down to handling temperature.

Prepare the Lentil Rice Stuffing

Whilst the squash is roasting. In a medium non stick pan, add the slivered almonds and toast over medium heat until golden brown. Transfer the toasted almonds to a plate and set aside.
⅓ cup Slivered almonds
Combine brown rice, onion, garlic, cumin, paprika in a pot. Dissolve the vegetable bouillon in ½ cup of boiling water. Add this and 1½ cups of cold water to the rice mixture. Stir the ingredients together.
Cover and bring to a boil on high heat, then reduce to low heat, and simmer until the rice is tender and liquid is absorbed (about 35-40 minutes). Then turn the heat off, keep covered and let the pot rest for 5 minutes.
Whilst the rice is cooking, chop the broccoli into florets and place them into a food processor. Pulse until a "rice-like" texture is achieved. See video or images above. Set this aside.
Once the rice has cooked and rested, mix through the brown lentils and broccoli to it and place the lid back on. Let it sit for 5 more minutes. This will heat up the lentils and broccoli (see note #2)
1 cup Brown rice, 2 cups Water, 1⅓ cups Canned brown lentils, 2 Vegetable bouillon, 1 medium Onion, 2 Garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon Cumin powder, 1 teaspoon Paprika powder, Black Pepper, 1 pinch Salt, 1½ cups Broccoli
Add the toasted slivered almonds to the rice and fluff using a fork, combining the broccoli too.

Stuff the Butternut Squash

Carve out the flesh from the roasted butternut squash, leaving at least a ¼ of inch perimeter. Save the flesh for another recipe.
Place the stuffing into the cavities (if there is any juice left in the rice, scoop a spoonful and add it on top of the stuffing.
Top with scallion and serve immediately with or without your favorite sauce, see attached hot sauce.
¼ cup Scallion

Video

Notes

There are more tips and visual instructions in the above article. Use the article menu to jump to the relevant sections to help guide you.

Serving sizes can either be 4 large portions or 8 smaller portions.

Note #1a - the 2 cups of water is used to cook the brown rice. As I used vegetable bouillon to flavor this rice stuffing, I used ½ cup of boiling water to dissolve the cubes and then added 1½ cups of cold water to cook the rice in, this equates to 2 cups of liquid.

Note #1b - the vegetable bouillon and 2 cups of water can be replaced with 2 cups of vegetable stock or broth. Adjust the salt as needed.

Note #2 the broccoli can be left raw or given a quick pan fry to soften before combining with the cooked brown rice

Olive oil - whilst I purposely didn't use oil to keep this meal low fat, you can brush some olive oil onto the cut side of the squash before roasting.

Nutrition