This roasted and stuffed butternut squash recipe is the perfect comfort food for the holidays. Caramelized onions, shiitake mushrooms, walnuts, currants, and crumbled tofu meld for a hearty and warming meal.
There are many recipes out there for stuffed winter squash, especially Butternut and Acorn squash, but this tofu-stuffed squash recipe uses farmer’s market varieties of winter squash (Long Squash and Honeynut), which is to say, you can make this with any variety of winter squash you have on hand or can easily pick up. First, you cut the squash in half and roast it, then stuff it with the savory filling and bake it a while longer. The result is a flavorful dish higher in protein and lower in carbs than most stuffed squash recipes. If this feels like too much work but you want to use up your tofu, try my za’atar marinated tofu that requires no cooking!
Ingredient Notes:
- Tofu: Crumble extra firm tofu, then mix it with the other ingredients. I used smoked and braised tofu (to compare), but plain would also work. This adds texture and protein to the dish. The other nice quality about tofu is that it browns nicely in the filling, based on the “good fats” it contains.
- Carmelized onions: chop a yellow onion and cook it in olive oil until soft and develops a sweet, caramelized flavor.
- Shiitake mushrooms: chop and cook down with the onions to develop their truffle-like fragrance and delicate flavor.
- Walnuts: chopped walnuts add crunch and a subtle flavor as well as antioxidants and omega fats (the good fats!). They brown up nicely in the filling.
- Currants: smaller than raisins, they add sweetness, and contain antioxidants and flavinoids (specifically anthocyanin, found in purple fruits and veggies), helping to keep us healthy.
- Ginger: I love the gingery punch of flavor that this dish has with the addition of sliced fresh gingerroot from the farmer’s market. I roasted it with the squash. See method
- Sage: Dried sage pairs surprisingly well with ginger for a warm, comfort food flavor profile.
Step-by-step instructions:
Cut open and roast the squash first on a parchment lined sheet pan. This allows the squash to develop flavor. Additional flavor comes from ginger slices nestled in the squash openings, with olive oil, maple syrup, salt, and pepper. The roasted ginger is chopped and mixed into the stuffing. Like the squash, the ginger root develops a caramelized flavor in the oven.
While the butternut squash is roasting, saute the onions and shiitake mushrooms together for a bit so it develops caramalization and flavor. Then, you simply mix all the rest of the ingredients together (crumbled tofu, currants, walnuts, spices) and stuff the roasted squash when it’s ready.
A bit about the Tofu:
You have options here. If you have firm or extra firm tofu on hand, use it, but you can create a more flavorful stuffing with braised or smoked tofu. I love the smoky and slightly tangy flavor notes in this smoked tofu (not an affiliate link) and use it all the time. The subtle flavor of this braised tofu (not an affiliate link) is lovely as well. For this recipe, I made half with smoked and half with braised, because I had not tried the braised tofu before. I was pleased with the subtle flavor of the braised tofu, but the smoked remains my favorite.
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Stuffed Roasted Butternut Squash (Vegan)
Kitchen Tools
- 1 baking sheet
- 1 skillet, I love cast iron
Ingredients
- 2-4 whole winter squash
- 8 oz extra firm tofu (or smoked or braised) (see below for smoked/braised rec.)
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 12 whole shiitake mushrooms (stems removed)
- 1/2 cup walnuts (chopped)
- 1/2 cup currants (or raisins, cranberries )
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pinch sea salt (to taste)
- 1 pinch black pepper ground (to taste)
- 2-3 inches fresh ginger root (sliced)
- 2 tsp dried sage powder (or 1 tbsp dried sage leaves)
- 1/4 cup pomagranate arils (fresh or frozen)
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tsp white miso paste
Method:
- preheat the oven to 350
- Wash the squash and cut them in half lengthwise with a large sharp knife, then scoop out the seeds.
- Peel the ginger root and slice (can leave some in chunks and save for later, but use at least 6 slices for the recipe).
- Prepare a large baking pan with parchment and lay the squash cut side up, then nestle the ginger slices in the open area where the seeds were. If you still have some chunks of ginger left, set them on the parchment in between the squash.
- Drizzle the tops of the squash with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, maple syrup, and salt and pepper to taste. Bake in oven for 30-40 minutes, until the squash can be poked fairly easily with a fork (but don't overcook till mushy, as you will return to the oven once stuffed.
- While the squash is cooking, make the stuffing. Start by heating a pan on medium heat with the other tablespoon of olive oil. Add the chopped onion and chopped mushrooms (remove their stems) to the pan, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 8-10 minutes until soft and the onions have developed color and caramelization. I added 1/4 cup of water and covered them for a few minutes to get the softening process going.
- Mix the stuffing ingredients in a bowl: pour the cooked onions and shiitakes into the bowl and crumble the tofu into the bowl. Add the walnuts, chopped, and the currants, making sure to break up the currents if they are stuck to one another. Add the sage powder and miso paste and mix in. Be sure the break up the miso paste so it is evenly distributed throughout.
- Once the squash is ready, remove it from the oven, take the sliced ginger pieces, chop them, and add to the stuffing mix. You can keep any roasted ginger chunks for another use.
- Stuff the squash with the stuffing and return to the oven for about 30 min. The walnuts and tofu will continue to brown and get dark. But since the stuffing is not overly wet, it will not get bubbly, only hot throughout.
- Decorate with the pomegranate arils once removed from the oven. These add a nice tangy crunch as well as color.
Notes
- I used one long squash (similar to a butternut in size) and 2 very small honeynut squashes. You could use 2 butternut or 2-3 acorn.
- The Soy Boy Smoked Tofu link is not an affiliate link, but I wanted you to have access to it as I think it is an amazing product.
