This vegan stuffed butternut squash is a perfect main dish during the holiday season. The butternut is basted with fig jam, roasted and then topped with a quinoa stuffing. The quinoa stuffing is made with apples, figs, orange zest, and warm spices and finished with pomegranate seeds.
This gorgeous, festive main course is ideal for a fall special dinner or for a vegetarian Thanksgiving or Christmas main dish.
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Jump to:
- ❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
- 🧅 Main Ingredients + Notes
- 🔪 Recommended Equipment
- 📝 Instructions Notes and Tips
- ⏰ Tips to Simplify and Save Time
- 🧊 Storage Tips for Leftovers
- 💡Ideas for Possible Variations
- 🍽 Side Dish Ideas
- 🤩 More Butternut Squash Love
- Vegan Stuffed Butternut Squash with Quinoa, Apples, and Figs
It's not always easy to cook up a gorgeous main dish that's both delicious, easy and a show-stopper. But this delicious stuffed butternut squash dish checks all the boxes. And yes, "easy" is subjective. But I have tips to make cutting the squash in half easy, and the quinoa or the entire stuffing can be made days ahead.
For side dishes to serve with this stuffed squash, think creamy spinach, roasted carrots, roasted cabbage steaks, or this green bean casserole.
It's one of my top three dishes for special dinners, entertaining and Thanksgiving this time of year, along with this vegetarian stuffed acorn squash and my favorite whole roasted cauliflower with tahini.
And if you're feeding a crowd over the holidays, get these meal prep tips and recipes that will save you time.
❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
- It's a flavorful vegan dish that even meat eaters will love.
- It's gorgeous enough for a special dinner, party or holiday dinner.
- Very little meal prep is involved. Most of the time is roasting time.
- This vegan dinner is also gluten-free.
- It's a hearty meal.
🧅 Main Ingredients + Notes
The secret to faster and easier meals often lies in the ingredients. For example, store-bought items and ingredients you make ahead and store in the refrigerator (or freezer) can turn a 60-minute recipe into a 30-minutes meal or less.
For the all of the ingredients, measurements and directions for this vegan butternut squash recipe, go to the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post.
Roasted Butternut Squash
- Butternut squash
- Plant-based butter
- Fig jam - found in most markets or make your own spiced fig jam!
- Maple syrup
Quinoa Stuffing
- Quinoa - some markets have pre-cooked quinoa in the frozen foods section, or cook up a batch of quinoa up to 4 days ahead of time.
- Apples - use an apple that bakes well without going to mush, such as Fuji, Honeycrisp, Braeburn, or Pink Lady apples. Granny Smith apples are too tart for this recipe.
- Dried Black Mission figs - other dried figs work also, but Black Mission Figs are my favorite and easiest to find in markets.
- Dried cranberries
- Pine nuts
- Spices and herbs - provided in the Recipe Card below, along with the measurements.
- Pomegranate arils
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🔪 Recommended Equipment
Having the right equipment for recipes makes prepping soooo much easier. If you want more fuss-free prepping and cooking, check out my updated list of favorite kitchen tools and equipment.
- Chef's knife
- Silicone basting brush
- Casserole dish - large enough to hold the two butternut squash halves and stuffing. (If you don't have one, just a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.)
📝 Instructions Notes and Tips
Detailed instructions for making this stuffed butternut squash dish are in the recipe card below, but here's an overview with some notes and tips!
Overview
- The butternut squash is partially roasted, then basted with half of the basting mix, and slid back into the oven.
- Once the squash becomes tender, but is not done, baste it with the remaining basting mix, and spoon the stuffing over the squash for a final roasting.
- When the dish is done, the squash will be very tender and the apples will be softened. Top with pomegranate arils and fresh thyme before serving.
Notes
- The final cook time depends on the size and age of the butternut squash and your oven.
- A 3-pound squash, roasted at 400˚F, takes approximately 45 - 60 minutes.
- If you want to make this dish for 4 people, I recommend to use small butternut squash approximately 1.5 pounds each, and half of the stuffing recipe.
Tips
- If your butternut squash is tough, and difficult to cut, place in the microwave oven on high for 3 - 4 minutes. There's no need to puncture the squash first. You just want to soften the squash enough to cut off the top and bottom, and slice in half.
- Be sure to use apples suited for baking, such as Fuji, Honeycrisp, Braeburn, and Pink Lady apples.
- For dried figs that are super hard, I suggest soaking them in either some water or a liqueur while the squash roasts. Apple brandy (Calvados) is perfect. Depending on how dried out your figs are, pour ¼ - ½ cup of the liquid into a bowl, and toss in the dried figs to coat them completely.
- For a smaller portion that can roast in a large toaster oven, reduce the heat to 375˚F.
⏰ Tips to Simplify and Save Time
- Once the butternut squash is prepped, place in a microwave safe dish. Add enough water to cover the bottom of the dish. Cover tightly with plastic, and microwave on high for 10 minutes. Continue the recipe in the below Recipe Card at Step 2. This microwave step replaces the first roasting of the squash before it's basted.
- Make the quinoa ahead of time, and store in a container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Some markets sell frozen, pre- cooked quinoa in their freezer cases. It only needs to be steamed for a few minutes to be ready to use.
🧊 Storage Tips for Leftovers
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4 - 5 days.
💡Ideas for Possible Variations
- Use this same stuffing for roasted delicata squash or acorn squash.
- If you don't like quinoa, swap it out for brown rice.
- Dried cherries are an excellent substitute for cranberries.
- Add some pistachio nuts, pine nuts or spiced pepitas (pumpkin seeds) with the pomegranate arils.
- Drizzle a fruit-based vinaigrette over the quinoa dressing like this 10-minute pear vinaigrette.
🍽 Side Dish Ideas
- Carrots are an excellent side. Either these Citrus Roasted Carrots with Ginger or Maple Candied Carrots with Currants are fabulous with this dish.
- A simple green salad.
- Stay with the fall theme, and make these air fryer Brussels sprouts.
🤩 More Butternut Squash Love
I eat butternut squash all fall and winter and have a lot of favorites from this butternut squash and apple casserole and butternut squash and sage risotto to this flavor-packed roasted butternut, red onions and chickpeas tossed with dates and topped with a tahini sauce and za' atar (pictured below).
🌱🌱🌱
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Vegan Stuffed Butternut Squash with Quinoa, Apples, and Figs
Equipment
- cutting board
- 9" X 11" Baking Dish or large enough to hold the butternut squash and stuffing
Ingredients
Roasted Butternut Squash
- 3 pound butternut squash
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt or just a small pinch of sea salt
- 6 tablespoons plant-based butter
- 4 tablespoons fig jam (store bought or homemade)
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
Quinoa, Apple, and Fig Stuffing
- 2 ½ cups cooked quinoa (cooked from ¾ cup dried quinoa)
- 4 cups chopped unpeeled apples cored (but not peeled)
- ⅔ cup diced dried Black Mission figs
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- zest of 2 navel orange
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ cup pomegranate seeds
Instructions
Roasted Butternut Squash
- Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Cook the quinoa if you don't have any on hand using ¾ cup of quinoa and 1 cup of water or vegetable broth.
- Slice off the ends of the butternut squash, and slice it in half lengthwise. If the skin is too tough to cut through, microwave the squash on high for a few minutes and try again.Scrape out the seeds and pulp using a spoon. Rub a little olive oil on the squash cut surfaces, sprinkle with a little kosher salt, and arrange in an oven-safe casserole dish. The dish should be large enough to hold the squash and stuffing. (If you don't have one, just a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.)Roast for 20 minutes.
- Melt the plant-based butter, jam, and maple syrup together. I use a microwave safe dish, and heat it for 1 minute in my microwave. Alternatively, melt them together in a small saucepan over medium heat. Baste the cut surfaces of the squash with ⅓ of the butter mixture. Slide the squash back into the oven and roast for another 20 minutes, or until it begins to soften. A great way to test this is to insert a sharp knife into the squash.
- In a large bowl, combine the cooked quinoa with the remaining ingredients for the stuffing EXCEPT the pomegranate arils.
- Baste the squash with another ⅓ of the butter mixture, and spoon the quinoa stuffing in and around each squash half. Drizzle the remaining butter mixture over the stuffing. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the butternut squash flesh is fork tender and a deep golden brown where it was basted. Just before serving, finish the dish with a flourish of pomegranate arils.
Renee
Spectacular Susan! So colorful and so much goodness.
Hezzi-D
Great idea to cook the stuffing in the squash! Plus these are such fabulous fall flavors!
Brianne @ Cupcakes & Kale Chips
Love your monthly day of thanks idea! And I LOVE this dish. I have to make it! I don't have any figs but I have everything else, so maybe I'l use dates.
Liz
What a gorgeous dish! The jewel tones of the squash and pomegranate arils make this one irresistible meal!
Katie @ Recipe for Perfection
I am just in love with this whole recipe. The flavors, the textures, the colors, everything! We have vegetarians coming to Thanksgiving, so this would be a great option. Thanks!
Mary @ Fit and Fed
I'm sure this is very lively with the zested citrus and all the spices. Fig season is so short, I like how you've extended it by using dried figs and fig jam. Roasted butternut squash and quinoa is practically getting to be a staple, I like your take on it here.
Cindys Recipes and Writings
Time slips away from us so fast. Reserving time for what is really important is hard but so necessary.
Shaina
Butternut squash is my FAVORITE fall veggie. Especially when paired with such amazing flavors.. I would eat this entire dish. It's perfect!
Julie
I'd make this anytime - Thanksgiving or no!
Lindsey | Cafe Johnsonia
Oh my goodness! That just looks incredible. I adore fig jam and never would have thought to use it like this. So, so gorgeous!
Serena | Serena Bakes Simply From Scratch
Such a stunning main dish! I can't wait to make it!
sue|theviewfromgreatisland
This is a STUNNING dish --- the colors and flavors are fabulous. Happy Thanksgiving <3
mjskitchen
This would make a fabulous dish for the holiday table!!! So colorful and full of everything! Love it!
Meaghan
Can't get over how gorgeous this looks! Stunning. And all the flavors!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much! Happy Holidays to you and your family!!
Nancy
Susan,
I tried to do every cork counts, but the site says it has ended,. perhaps I'm in the wrong place. This stuffed squash will be on the holiday table. Thanks for all the great recipes
The Wimpy Vegetarian
This is an older post, and the every cork counts program has ended. You may have seen this as part of a Vegetarian Thanksgiving round up I did. I'm thrilled you plan to make this one. I'm making it this weekend - it's an annual fall favorite here. Hope you're well, and thanks so much for your comment!
nancy
This stuffing with added Butternut squash is so delicious!!!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
I'm so glad you like it!!
GUSTAVO DE OBALDIA
I really enjoyed adding figs to my butternut squash, my husband got me into his addiction to Figs, and here I am! What a treat this recipe is! I will keep going back over and over again for sure! Thank you!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much! I'm so happy you made it and liked it so much!
Chris
Yum! I love this recipe! It was so flavorful, perfectly seasoned and everyone loved it! Thank you!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much! This is such a popular dish around Thanksgiving!
Kayla DiMaggio
This roasted butternut squash stuffing was so delicious! I loved all the flavors and the apple had the best crunch!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Glad you liked the combination of flavors and textures!
Anaiah
That quinoa, apple, and fig stuffing was absolutely perfect in this butternut squash. It was such a delicious combination of flavors. Great recipe!
The Wimpy Vegetarian
Thanks so much - I'm so glad you liked the flavors!