Stuffed butternut squash is one of the first dishes I ate when deciding to go vegan and since that day it holds had a special place in my heart  stomach. The recipe I made that day is hidden somewhere in my note books, I remember it had the most delicious quinoa filling, but today we’ll be making a chickpea stuffed butternut squash.

You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life.

The chickpeas are cooked with delicious warming spices, mushrooms, bell peppers and long yard beans which are absolutely optional, you can swap them for green beans or skip them all together. You can easily eat this stuffing on a wrap or with some rice, because you might be having some leftovers depending on how big your butternut squash is.

Preparing this meal will take you about 80 – 90 minutes depending on how fast you work, and although this could be considered quite some time, it’s totally worth the effort. It’s funny how you can spend almost two hours on a dish only to have it disappear in minutes.

Stuffed Butternut Squash With Chickpeas Recipe

AdminAFY Stuffed butternut squash is one of the first dishes I ate when deciding to go vegan and since that day… Vegetarian Stuffed Butternut Squash With Chickpeas American Print This

Serves: 4 Prep Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 60 minutes 60 minutes

Nutrition facts: 387 calories 5gr fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

Ingredients

• 2 medium butternut squash — about 2 1/2 pounds each
• 2 teaspoons olive oil — divided
• 3/4 cup quinoa
• 1 1/2 cups low sodium vegetable broth — or chicken broth
• 1 bunch kale — stems removed and chopped (about 6 lightly packed cups)
• 2 cloves garlic — minced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon kitchen salt — plus additional for roasting squash
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper — plus additional for roasting squash
• 1 can low sodium chickpeas — (425g), rinsed and drained
• Zest of 1 orange — plus 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
• 1/3 cup reduced sugar dried cranberries
• Grated Parmesan cheese — or crumbled feta cheese, optional

Instructions

1. 1. Place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat the  oven to 220 degrees C. Halve the butternut squash, scoop out the seeds, then arrange the halves on a baking tray, cut sides up. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Bake 45-55 minutes, just until the squash is fork tender. Remove from the oven and let cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 190 degrees.
   2. While the squash is baking, place the broth in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the quinoa, return to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and let simmer for 12 minutes, until most of the broth is absorbed. Remove from the heat and let sit, covered, for 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork, then set aside.
   3. In a large skillet, heat the remaining 1 teaspoon olive over medium. Add the kale and cook until wilted, about 4 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium low. Add the garlic, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Cook 30 additional seconds, until is fragrant. Stir in the chickpeas, orange zest, orange juice, cooked quinoa, and cranberries.
   4. Once the squash is cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh, leaving a 1/2-inch-thick border around the sides and a 3/4-inch border along the bottom. Reserve the flesh for another use (or if you don’t mind a super duper stuffed squash, mix it in with the rest of the filling). Stuff the kale quinoa filling into the squash halves, then return the squash to the oven. Bake at 190 degrees until hot, about 10 additional minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and serve warm.

Stuffed Butternut Squash With Chickpeas Recipe