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Stuffed Butternut Squash Recipe
Butternut squash is an amazing, versatile vegetable that shines when used to make this stuffed butternut squash recipe. With both sweet and savory ingredients, this recipe will please everyone!
Delicious Stuffed Butternut Squash
Butternut squash is such a useful vegetable. It can be baked in the oven, boiled in water or broth, made into a soup, eaten plain or turned into a complete meal. The possibilities are endless! Butternut squash also makes a perfect sweet treat that you can enjoy at breakfast, as a midday snack or even as a dessert. And that is exactly how we have used butternut squash in this recipe- as sweet, almost dessert-like ingredient.
Savory Butternut Squash
You may think of butternut squash and immediately think of savory foods. After all, it is a vegetable and most vegetables are used in savory applications. They do not often have the sweetness or plain old sugar content that you find in butternut squash.
However, butternut squash is naturally sweet. In fact, when you bake the squash in the oven or broil it under high heat, you will be making the squash even sweeter as the natural sugars in the squash caramelize as it cooks. This recipe for stuffed butternut squash takes advantage of the sweetness and takes a savory vegetable and turns it into an irresistible dessert.
Health Benefits of Butternut Squash
Yes, butternut squash can lean toward the sweeter side of the spectrum but that doesn’t mean that it is unhealthy. All sugar isn’t bad! In fact, butternut squash is quite healthy. Take a look at some of the nutritional benefits it has:
- Butternut squash is low in calories while being high in nutrients. It contains protein, fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, magnesium and potassium, just to make a few.
- This vegetable is high in antioxidants which can help reduce your risk of conditions like heart disease, cancer and can keep your mind sharp.
- Since butternut squash is low in calories while being very fibrous, it will fill you up quickly and therefore can help with weight loss. When you feel full, you will eat less!
These are just a few points about how nutritious butternut squash can be- there are many more. However, it is clear that this is one vegetable you can feel good about eating, even when it is used in a sweet application like in our recipe.
How to Make Stuffed Butternut Squash
Now, lets get down to the important things- how to cook this amazing stuffed butternut squash recipe! It is actually quite a simple recipe and you will be able to easily master cooking (and eating) the stuffed squash after just one or two times making this dish. Take a quick look at how to make our delicious recipe.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Cut your squash in half lengthwise. You may be able to purchase squash halves already pre-cut and cleaned in the grocery store. However, if you have a whole squash, cut it in half front the top to the bottom and then scrape out the seeds from the center.
- Place the squash halves on a baking sheet and then use a pastry brush to apply the melted butter, coconut oil or olive oil to each half. You can also sprinkle a little salt on the squash halves to add some extra flavor at this point )a little salt goes a long way so just use 1/8 teaspoon salt or so!).
- Drizzle the squash halves with the syrup and then place in the hot oven to bake for 30 minutes. (Depending on the size of the squash, it may take a little more than 30 minutes to cook thoroughly. The squash is done cooking when the flesh is soft to the touch. Try to find a medium sized squash if possible to get as close to the 30 minutes as you can.
- While the squash is cooking, combine the remaining butter, brown sugar, oats, pecans, dried cranberries, salt and diced apple in a large bowl and toss together.
- Remove the roasted squash from the oven and divide the prepared filling between each squash half, filling the cavity where the seeds have been removed completely.
- Return the squash to the oven to bake for another 15 minutes or so, cooking the stuffed squash until the filling begins to turn a golden brown.
- Serve the butternut squash while it is hot, scooping the flesh and filling out of each half and into bowls.
At first glance, this recipe may seem like it will take a while to cook, however, it really only takes a few minutes of prep time. Most of the time is spent with the squash happily roasting in the oven! The ingredients are actually quite simple and the time it takes to roast squash and then stuff it is quite minimal. You will be able to master this recipe in no time!
Make Stuffed Squash Quickly
There are a few ways to cut back on time and save yourself a few minutes in the kitchen when you are making this recipe. Take a look at these shortcuts to help you make our butternut squash recipe even faster.
- But a squash that has already been cut in half and the seeds removed. Not only will you not have to cut the squash, but you won’t have to scoop the seeds! This will definitely save you time and effort (cutting a butternut squash can be tricky!
- You can look for butternut squash roasted already. Some grocery stores that have a good sides prepared meal section may already have squash for sale that has been roasted in the oven for you. This would save a significant amount of time!
- Be sure to prepare the filling while the squash is cooking. When the squash is done, you can stuff it quickly and bake it for the remaining amount of time. No need to wait while you mix up ingredients!
If you have any other great time-saving tricks for roasting butternut squash, please let us know in the comments below. We are always interested in making our recipes faster and easier as we know how valuable your time is. New recipe tips (especially time saving tips) are the best.
FAQ’s
Can You Freeze Stuffed Butternut Squash?
When wrapped well with plastic wrap and stored in an airtight container, you can successfully freeze butternut squash. However, you will have to take the time to re heat the squash, thawing it and putting it back in the oven to bring it back to its original delicious texture. So, while you can freeze this recipe, it may be just as easy to make it fresh. You will not really be saving much in the way of cook time and since there is not a lot of prep time involved, you may want to skip the freezer and always plan to make the recipe just when you are craving it.
Of course, you can always microwave the frozen butternut squash, cooking it for a few minutes on medium heat in your microwave until it is heated through (check after a few minutes, add a little more time if needed- microwave time will vary depending on your machine).
How do you peel a butternut squash?
Peeling a butternut squash may seem tricky but there are a few easy ways you can accomplish this task. First, you can use a very sharp vegetable peeler to remove the thick skin. You can also opt for a good paring knife, placing the squash on a cutting board, cutting off the top and bottom and then using your knife to remove the skin gently. One way which most people find easy is to roast the squash in the oven and then scoop the flesh away from the peel. When the butternut squash has been heated, even just for a few minutes to heat it through, the skin will pull away from the flesh much easier!
Is this recipe Vegan?
Our stuffed butternut squash recipes, vegan approved! However, you will need to make one small change and add coconut oil or olive oil in the place of butter. Coconut oil tends to work best in this recipe when compared to olive oil since it has a nice sweet taste and a similar texture to melted butter. However, olive oil will do the trick as well!
We hope you are excited about trying our stuffed butternut squash recipe because it is one we really love! Let us know what you think and check out our other great recipes as well- there is something for everyone on our website. You can also sign up to have new recipes delivered right to your email as a convenient and exciting way to get the latest recipes we have with very little effort. Enjoy!
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Simple Stuffed Butternut Squash
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 mins
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Delicious oatmeals and fruit stuffed squash that is a perfect side or main dish.
Ingredients
- 2 Butternut Squash, halved and seeded
- 4 tbsp melted butter
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp real maple syrup
- 1/2 cup uncooked oatmeal
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 green apple, peeled and diced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350
- Place squash halves on baking sheet and brush with 1 tbsp melted butter and 1 tbsp maple syrup
- Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the squash is tender
- Toss the remaining butter with the rest of the ingredients and mix until well combined
- Spoon the mixture into the squash cavities and then put back into the oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until the oatmeal is browned slightly
- Enjoy!
Notes
Pro Tips:
- Rather than turning your whole stove on, look into a countertop convection oven that will roast this squash perfectly. These small ovens will save you time since you do not have to wait for a large oven to heat up. They will also save money as they are quite efficient and perfect for making full recipes like this one, or for when you just want to heat your food for a few minutes!
- Add a little salt and pepper before roasting it. The pepper will add a nice savory flavor to the dish without overpowering the sweetness. Salt and pepper make every recipe just a little better!
- To make the stuffed squash a little more easy to eat, scoop it out of the flesh after it has roasted and serve it in bowls along with the filling. You can also simply cut each squash in half and put it on a plate, allowing people to scoop the squash and enjoy on their own!
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