Stuffed Butternut Squash with Couscous and Vegetables, a delicious and healthy vegetarian dish inspired by the colours of Fall. A great dish for your Thanksgiving of Christmas dinner, but also fantastic all year around. It might be simple, but it's packed full of flavours, and can be enjoyed either as a side or a meal on its own.
And even the taste makes us think of Fall, the delicate sweetness of the roasted butternut squash combined with the awesome fluffy texture of the couscous make a great meal that even fussy ones can't refuse.
There's still some time left to prepare all those amazing dishes for Thanksgiving. Fall is still here, although, judging by the weather and the christmassy atmosphere, it looks more like winter.
So, why not add one more dish to that never-ending list of goodies you have planned for the big day? It's dead easy to prepare this couscous stuffed squash, and will surely be a big hit.
Butternut squash, (along with the ever so popular pumpkin and sweet potato), becomes everybody's favourite vegetable this season, and rightly so. It's super healthy, delicious, and usually kids love it.
How to make stuffed butternut squash
Before stuffing the butternut, we have to roast is first.
- I have never tried roasting a whole butternut squash, but the easiest way to do it is to cut it in half lengthwise, scoop up the seeds, then drizzle some olive oil over. The butternut squash will be roasted at 200 degrees Celsius (390 Fahrenheit) for one hour, or until soft.
- Once it's cooked, use a spoon to scoop up the flesh, leaving about half an inch at the edge, then you can use the flesh together with the other ingredients for the filling.
The filling
- To make the filling, sautee the onion, add the veggies and broth, and leave to cook until the veggies are tender. Add the couscous, turn off the heat, and keep the lid on the pan for 5 minutes so that the couscous can absorb all the liquid.
Couscous can't be easier to cook. All it needs is boiling flavourful liquid (or just water) to make a meal in less than 5 minutes. It can be plain and boring on its own, l know.
- When the butternut squash is ready, stuff with couscous, top with grated cheese and bake for 10-15 minutes so that the cheese can melt.
Expert tips
But once it absorbs the wonderful broth, it becomes sheer goodness. Even my fussy-pants daughter likes it. It really must be nice then!!! Add some extra cheese for a total cheesy experience.
If you choose not to top the squash with cheese, then you've got a wonderful dish suitable for vegans too. So many ways to transform this dish, just make it the way you most like it!
Or perhaps try swapping couscous with rice or orzo? That should be an interesting change, but can't see why it won't be a successful one. For more stuffed veggie recipe, why not try my Bolognese-Stuffed Marrow? Or my Stuffed Grape Leaves (Dolma)?
If you’ve tried my HEALTHY VEGETARIAN STUFFED BUTTERNUT SQUASH or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’m getting up to.
Stuffed Butternut Squash
Ingredients
- 1 medium butternut squash
- 1 onion
- ½ courgette (zucchini)
- 1 red pepper
- 2 cups vegetable stock (500 ml)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- ½ cup wholemeal couscous (120 g)
- ¼ cup grated Cheddar cheese
- 2 tablespoon tomato puree
- ½ teaspoon salt
- black pepper to taste
- fresh parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C (390 Fahrenheit).
- Cut the butternut squash in half lengthwise.
- Scoop out the seeds and place the two halves on a baking tray.
- Bake for an hour until the flesh is soft.
- Heat up the oil in a pan and add the onion chopped finely.
- Fry for 2-3 minutes until it softens, then add the chopped courgette and red pepper, give them a good stir, add the vegetable stock and boil for 15 minutes.
- Use a spoon to scoop out the flesh from the butternut squash, leaving about 1 ½ cm around the edges.
- You can add some of the flesh to the pan. I enjoyed the rest of it on its own, it’s super delicious!
- Take the pan off the heat, add the couscous and place a lid on the pan.
- After 5 minutes, remove the lip the fluff the couscous up with a fork.
- Season with salt and pepper and mix in the tomato purée.
- Stuff the butternut squash halves with the couscous, sprinkle some grated cheese over, and bake in the oven for a further 5-10 minutes.
- Garnish with freshly chopped parsley.
Nutrition
Jay
Looks really healthy 🙂
Daniela Anderson
Thank you, Jay! It's a delicious low-carb recipe.
Charlotte Allen
I have made this recipe but used quinoa instead of couscous (to make it gluten free) and it worked great! Thank you!
Daniela Apostol
Thank you, l am glad you liked it!