Quinoa Stuffed Squash Rings (Print View)
Baked butternut squash circles loaded with nutritious quinoa, lentils, chestnuts and dried cherries for a wholesome dish.
# What You'll Need:
01 -
1-2 average-sized butternut squash
02 -
2 tablespoons olive oil, with extra for drizzling
03 -
1 yellow onion, chopped finely
04 -
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
05 -
3-4 fresh thyme sprigs, stripped and diced
06 -
80g prepared chestnuts, chopped roughly (around 1/2 cup)
07 -
120g prepared quinoa (roughly 1 cup)
08 -
400g cooked brown lentils, washed and drained
09 -
20g dried cranberries or cherries, chopped coarsely (about 2 tablespoons)
10 -
Small amount of ground nutmeg
11 -
30g plant-based butter (roughly 2 tablespoons)
12 -
50g fresh baby spinach (2 generous handfuls)
13 -
Sea salt, as needed
14 -
Black pepper, freshly ground, as needed
# Directions:
01 -
Warm your oven to 190°C. Put the squash on its side and slice it into 1½ inch rounds. Make a hole in each slice center using a small cookie cutter. Keep the cut-out middle bits and chop them up, throwing away any seeds.
02 -
Put your squash rings in a baking dish, add a splash of olive oil, and sprinkle with sea salt. Pop them in the hot oven for 20 minutes.
03 -
While that's going, warm olive oil in a big pan over medium heat. Toss in the chopped garlic, onion, and thyme. Let them cook until soft, about 7 minutes.
04 -
Throw in the chopped chestnuts, cranberries, squash cubes, and plant butter. Cook until the butter melts, add a tiny bit of nutmeg, and mix it all together.
05 -
Dump in the quinoa and lentils. Keep cooking for 5 more minutes, then add the spinach until it shrinks down. Season with salt and pepper how you like it, then turn off the heat.
06 -
Take your half-cooked squash rings out. Stuff each ring full with your mixture. Add a little olive oil on top, then put them back in the oven for another 20-30 minutes until the squash feels soft when poked.
07 -
Take them out and enjoy while they're hot with some plant-based gravy and whatever sides you want.
# Notes:
01 -
You can swap in French shallots instead of yellow onions if you want.
02 -
No cookie cutter? Just grab a spoon and scoop out the middle of each slice.
03 -
Pre-cooked packaged chestnuts work great in this dish.