These stuffed squash boats bring together tender roasted butternut, pleasantly chewy wild rice, sweet-tart cranberries and toasted pecans. Onion, garlic and thyme keep the filling savory, while a small amount of maple syrup and balsamic vinegar rounds out the flavor. Each half makes a generous plant-based main course.
A colorful centerpiece for your fall table
Serve the four filled halves as a vegan Thanksgiving main or a relaxed autumn dinner. Roasting the squash separately from the rice gives you control over both textures: soft orange flesh around a filling with distinct grains. A little of the roasted flesh is folded back into the stuffing to hold it together without cheese or a heavy sauce.
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At a glance
Wild Rice Stuffed Butternut Squash for a Colorful Vegan Holiday Main
- Prep time
- 20 min
- Cook time
- 1 hr 5 min
- Total time
- 1 hr 25 min
- Yield
- 4 main-course servings
Ingredients for 4 generous main-course servings
Prep: about 20 minutes. Cooking: about 65 minutes, with the squash and rice cooking at the same time. Total: about 85 minutes; larger squash or slower-cooking wild rice may take longer. You will need a large baking sheet, a lidded saucepan, a strainer and a skillet. Metric weights are the nutrition basis; US measures are approximate.
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| Amount | Ingredient |
|---|---|
| 2 | small butternut squash, about 2 kg / 4½ lb total (approximately 1.6 kg edible flesh) |
| 200 g / 7 oz | pure wild rice*, dry; not a rice blend |
| — | Water for cooking the wild rice*, following its package; about 1 liter / 4¼ cups for a draining method, plus more as needed |
| 150 g / about 1 cup | peeled, finely diced onion |
| 2 | garlic cloves (about 10 g), finely chopped |
| 100 g / 3½ oz | fresh baby spinach, washed and well drained |
| 60 g / about ½ cup | sweetened dried cranberries* |
| 60 g / about ½ cup | unsalted pecans*, coarsely chopped |
| 30 g / about 2 tablespoons | olive oil*, divided |
| 15 g / about 2 teaspoons | maple syrup* |
| 15 ml / 1 tablespoon | balsamic vinegar*, using 2 teaspoons initially |
| 1 teaspoon | dried thyme* (about 1 g) |
| ¾ teaspoon | fine salt* to start, divided, plus more to taste |
| ½ teaspoon | freshly ground black pepper*, divided |
How to make the stuffed butternut squash
- Heat the oven to 200°C / 400°F conventional (180°C / 350°F fan). Wash and dry the squash, then carefully halve lengthwise on a stable cutting board. Scoop out the seeds and loose fibers. Rub the four cut surfaces with 20 g of the olive oil and season with ½ teaspoon salt and half the black pepper. Set cut-side up on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast for about 45–55 minutes, until a small knife slips easily into even the thick neck.
- Meanwhile, rinse the wild rice in a strainer and cook in water according to its package. For a draining method, bring about 1 liter / 4¼ cups water to a boil, add the rice and simmer gently with the lid slightly ajar for about 40–55 minutes, adding hot water if needed. Start checking at 35 minutes: the grains should be tender with some chew, and some may split open. Drain well and let steam dry for 5 minutes. Wild rice varieties differ; follow the package if it specifies another method or timing.
- Toast the pecans in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3–4 minutes, turning frequently. Transfer to a plate as soon as fragrant so they stop browning.
- Heat the remaining 10 g olive oil in the same skillet. Cook the onion over medium heat for 5–6 minutes until softened without dark browning. Stir in the garlic and dried thyme for 1 minute. Add the spinach and cook for 1–2 minutes until wilted, allowing any excess liquid to evaporate.
- Take the tender roasted squash out of the oven. Carefully scoop out about 250–300 g flesh in total, extending the cavities along the necks to make long boats. Leave at least a roughly 1.5 cm / ½-inch wall of flesh and keep the skins intact. Roughly mash the scooped flesh; all of it goes into the filling.
- Mix the wild rice, onion-spinach mixture, scooped squash and dried cranberries. Stir in the maple syrup, 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar, ¼ teaspoon salt and the remaining black pepper. Taste now: add the remaining balsamic vinegar if it needs brightness and a little more salt or pepper as needed. Aim for a savory, gently tangy filling to balance the sweet squash. If dry, stir in 1–2 tablespoons water.
- Divide the filling evenly among the four squash halves, mounding it gently. Return to the hot oven for about 10 minutes, until hot all the way through. Scatter the toasted pecans over the squash after baking to keep them from burning.
- Serve one stuffed half per person. Scoop the filling and tender flesh from the skin; you do not have to eat the skin. If some filling will not fit, heat it alongside in a small oven-safe dish and serve with the squash.
Pure wild rice versus a blend
This version uses pure wild rice, with its long dark grains and nutty flavor. Black rice varieties such as Nerone are a different ingredient. A wild rice blend can be used as an intentional variation, but its cooking time, liquid needs and nutrition differ. Follow the instructions for that specific blend.
Moist filling, crisp pecans
The scooped roasted squash adds moisture and gently binds the filling. Let the rice drain well and cook off excess spinach liquid before combining. Add the toasted pecans only after the final oven time so they stay crisp rather than becoming bitter or over-browned.
Make it ahead for guests
Cook the squash and filling separately the day before. Cool promptly in shallow containers, refrigerate ideally within one hour and use within 24 hours. Fill the chilled halves and reheat at 180°C / 350°F conventional, loosely covered at first; allow about 25–35 minutes from cold and check that the center reaches at least 74°C / 165°F. The shorter reheating time in the main recipe is for freshly warm components. Keep the pecans separate until serving.
Estimated nutrition per serving
Approximately 613 calories, 107 g carbohydrate, 14 g protein and 20 g fat per stuffed half, including one quarter of all the filling. Based on approximately 1.6 kg raw edible squash flesh, 200 g dry wild rice and all listed ingredients; skin and seeds are excluded. Squash size and products will change these estimates.
Contains pecans (tree nuts). Balsamic vinegar may contain sulfites; check ingredient labels. The base recipe is vegan. Do not leave cooked rice at room temperature for prolonged periods. Cool leftovers promptly, use within 24 hours and reheat thoroughly only once.
Recipe by myai
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