For a cozy meal that nourishes body and soul, make this fall party for your taste buds: Quinoa Stuffed Butternut Squash with Cranberries and Kale!
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The Making of a Healthy Quinoa Stuffed Butternut Squash Recipe
This vegetarian stuffed butternut squash recipe is a shining example of the sort of healthy, but cozy fare I crave.
It’s packed with all of the nourishing ingredients my body needs, but it still leaves me feeling warm, toasty, and satisfied in a way that salad alone does not.
Stuffing vegetables like Stuffed Artichokes always gives me that feeling!
Yes, I love the combination of cranberries and kale with the butternut squash, and we know I’m obsessed with chickpeas, but what truly makes this stuffed butternut squash recipe shine is the orange zest.
The fresh zest does a happy little dance with the caramel-y squash, and it makes the recipe taste vibrant and alive.
Ways to Use Leftover Squash
- Mash with parmesan and olive oil for a quick, healthy side.
- Lightly scrape off the outer layer with the salt and pepper (this removes the savory-ness), puree, then try swapping it for all or part of the pumpkin puree in any of these recipes.
- Add it to smoothies. Try the squash, a frozen banana, cinnamon, and dates. YUM!
How to Store and Reheat Stuffed Butternut Squash
- To Store. Store leftover stuffed butternut squash in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- To Reheat. Reheat in a 350 degree oven, covered, until hot (about 20-30 minutes) or gently in the microwave.
- One of my favorite parts of this stuffed butternut squash recipe is its reheatability. We ate half of the recipe for dinner, then I devoured the leftovers for lunch later in the week.
More Delicious Squash Recipes
- Butternut Squash Pasta with Sausage and Kale
- Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash
- Spaghetti Squash Lasagna
- Roasted Spaghetti Squash with Parmesan and Mushrooms
- Butternut Squash Apple Soup
- And, all these other Healthy Butternut Squash Recipes!
Wishing you all a nourishing mid-week boost of the coziest, yummiest, stuffed butternut squash-iest kind!
Stuffed Butternut Squash with Quinoa, Kale, Cranberries, and Chickpeas
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Ingredients
- 2 medium butternut squash about 2 1/2 pounds each
- 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil divided
- ¾ cup quinoa
- 1 ½ cups low sodium vegetable broth or chicken broth
- 1 bunch kale stems removed and chopped (about 6 lightly packed cups)
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt plus additional for roasting squash
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper plus additional for roasting squash
- 1 can low sodium chickpeas (15 ounces), rinsed and drained
- Zest of 1 orange plus 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
- ⅓ cup reduced sugar dried cranberries
- Grated Parmesan cheese or crumbled feta cheese, optional
Instructions
- Place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Halve the butternut squash, scoop out the seeds, then arrange the halves on a baking tray, cut sides up. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Bake 45-55 minutes, just until the squash is fork tender. Remove from the oven and let cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees.
- While the squash is baking, place the broth in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the quinoa, return to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and let simmer for 12 minutes, until most of the broth is absorbed. Remove from the heat and let sit, covered, for 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork, then set aside.
- In a large skillet, heat the remaining 1 teaspoon olive over medium. Add the kale and cook until wilted, about 4 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium low. Add the garlic, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Cook 30 additional seconds, until is fragrant. Stir in the chickpeas, orange zest, orange juice, cooked quinoa, and cranberries.
- Once the squash is cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh, leaving a 1/2-inch-thick border around the sides and a 3/4-inch border along the bottom. Reserve the flesh for another use (or if you don’t mind a super duper stuffed squash, mix it in with the rest of the filling). Stuff the kale quinoa filling into the squash halves, then return the squash to the oven. Bake at 375 degrees until hot, about 10 additional minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and serve warm.
Notes
- IDEAS TO USE THE LEFTOVER SQUASH:
- Mash with parmesan and olive oil for a quick, healthy side.
- Lightly scrape off the outer layer with the salt and pepper (this removes the savory-ness), puree, then try swapping it for all or part of the pumpkin puree in any of these recipes.
- Add it to smoothies. Try the squash, a frozen banana, cinnamon, and dates. YUM!
- Store leftover stuffed butternut squash in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat in a 350 degree oven, covered, until hot (about 20-30 minutes) or gently in the microwave.
Nutrition
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This is a total game-changer!! I’ve never had stuffed butternut squash before! I loved following along with your cranberry farm adventures on Instagram! :)
Marina, if you like butternut squash, you must try it stuffed! And thanks :) The cranberry farm was so fun!
I loved following along! Looks like you girls had a blast. And these stuffed squashes, gorgeous!
Thanks so much Lauren! I thought of you the whole time we were at Brass Tag!
These are beautiful!! LOOOOVE stuffing squash!
What a colorful and healthy meal! I am so in love with fall-inspired recipes like this :) Pinning!
This recipe is just the kind of thing I like. I’ve been trying to sneak in more vegetarian meals, and my husband actually doesn’t complain about them. I would need more protein than this one offers, so I might add something like goat feta (if I can find it, otherwise sheep feta)…
I hope you both love the recipe Susan! It would be delicious with feta.
What a beauty! I pinned this to my Thanksgiving board so I’ll remember to make it. Sounds like a fun retreat, it’s always fun to get together with other bloggers.
It is the best Lindsay! We are all the same kind of crazy ;-) Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Wonderful idea for a dish, love the photography as well (:
Thank you so much!!
If one wanted to try the recipe with the cubed butternut squash common in many stores, how would that change the recipe? I am guessing the two medium squash of about five pounds total would be roughly equivalent to two pounds of the cubed. And I suppose the cooking time of 45 to 55 minutes would be reduced to about 30 minutes. I am interested in your insights! Thanks!
Hi Arthur! Since the butternut squash in this recipe is left whole and not cut at any point, I actually wouldn’t recommend this swap. The squash is a “boat” that holds the filling — With pre-cut butternut squash, there would be nothing to hold the other ingredients in place.
I kind of met you in the middle on this. We wanted to use all the squash(not just the outer layer) and we’re not big on presentation, so I scooped out all the squash after roasting and stirred it up with the remaining ingredients. I finished it off in a casserole dish, ten minutes at 375 as directed. Delicious! So I don’t think you’d have any trouble substituting cubed squash.
Larry, I’m so glad that you enjoyed the recipe! I really appreciate your feedback on the changes you made as well as well—that info is very helpful to others who are considering doing the same.
I did the same, used all the squash and served it as a casserole. I also couldn’t find dried cranberries and used fresh ones. Cooked them briefly in boiling water (1 cup) and sugar (1/2 cup) until a few start to pop, so they stay whole but they’re soft. Delicious tartness to add to the dish and also the color is amazing.
Thanks for sharing how it worked with fresh cranberries, Michelle! I’m so glad you enjoyed the dish!
I just love stuffed squash! Love this…so beautiful and colorful!
I love it too. Thank you so much!
Wow. This looks amazing. I will be adding this to my meal plan this week. Thanks!
I hope you love it!!
Looks amazing. Quick question though, how much butternut squash is left for serving? Enough for for the medley of tastes?
Hi Jennie! I’m not sure I completely understand your question—do you mean how much butternut squash is left once it’s scooped out? The directions go into more detail, but you definitely have enough to taste the squash. You can also mix the hollowed-out squash right back into the filling if you prefer (the commenter a few posts above you did just that in fact). I hope you enjoy the recipe!
This recipe is so gorgeous…even though I’ve stuffed other types of squash before it had never occurred to me to stuff a butternut squash! I loved it so much that I included it in my butternut squash recipe roundup, I hope you don’t mind!
Denisse, this was my first time stuffing butternut squash, and now I am hooked! Thanks so much :)
I made this recipe tonight for my moms birthday and all three of us loved it! I haven’t made many squash dishes in the past so it was a bit of an experiment but I am glad I did. I used one very large squash instead of two medium ones and added some extra chick peas to increase protein. If I were to make it again, I would also use some extra kale. Great recipe though, thank you! :)
Woo hoo! Thanks for the nice review, Elise. I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
It was good but missing something in flavour. I added walnuts to it for a crunch.
Thanks for taking the time to leave this review, Wendy! Your idea to add walnuts is an excellent one!
I modified the recipe to use cubed butternut squash and made a few other tweaks.
• 32 ounces cubed butternut squash
• 6 teaspoons olive oil, divided
• 3/4 cup quinoa
• 1 1/2 cups low sodium vegetable or chicken broth
• 1/2 bunch kale, stems removed; leaves only, torn up
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt (plus additional for step 1)
• 1 teaspoon black pepper (plus additional for step 1)
• ½ cup fresh orange juice
• 1 cup (8 ounces) dried cranberries
• 8 ounces mozzarella cheese
• Equipment: 2.5 quart or larger casserole dish; 3 quart sauce pot; 12 inch skillet
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F; place the cubes of butternut squash in casserole dish, drizzle 2 tablespoons olive oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees.
2. While the squash is baking, place the broth in a small sauce pot and bring to a boil. Add the quinoa, return to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and let simmer for 12 minutes, until most of the broth is absorbed. Remove from the heat and let sit, covered, for 15 minutes.
3. In a large skillet, add the kale and 4 tablespoons oil, and cook until wilted, about 6 minutes.
4. Add the kale to the quinoa then add garlic, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, orange juice, and cranberries. Mix thoroughly.
5. Add the kale & quinoa mixture to the squash, sprinkle with cheese, then return everything to the oven. Bake at 375 degrees, until cheese starts to melt, about 10 minutes. OK cool or can be heated in a microwave for 30 seconds.
Thanks for sharing your tweaks, Arthur! I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I am considering this for family Thanksgiving dinner – how would you suggest changing this so it can be started ahead of time and then put together and back in the oven when the turkey is resting? I am thinking that the squash can be roasted ahead of time and scooped out (I would use this for soup), make the filling, then put the two together and back in the oven ready to serve once the turkey is ready to be carved…. just wondering if this would change it in any way?
Hi Jill, I think your idea is a great one! Note that if the squash and filling have been premade and sitting out for a long time, it may need a few minutes more than the 10 minutes mentioned in the last step to heat up.
Made it for dinner tonight, served with grilled salmon and it was a hit! Thank you!
Nadine, thank you so much for taking the time to write this review! I’m glad to hear you enjoyed the squash!
Hello! I am going to try this recipie tonight for family. Looks delicious. Do you think it would taste alright if I added bacon? Thanks!
Hi Allison, I haven’t tried adding bacon, but if you think you’d enjoy the flavor, I’d say it’s worth a try! I hope you enjoyed it!
I made this dish today for a Thanksgiving dinner! I didn’t have Quinoa as originally planned. So I made this dish with a mixed grain blend that consisted of Israeli Couscous, Red Quinoa, Lentils and something else that I cannot recall. I added the extra butternut squash to the dish. I sampled it after it was finished. Wow! Wow! Wow! ??????
Really really good. We are transitioning my elderly aunt over to a whole foods plant based diet and she LOVED this. We sprinkled a little bit of cinnamon on top to give it some depth, but it was awesome even without.
Kathryn, I am so happy to hear how much you all loved it, especially your aunt! Thank you so much for trying the recipe and taking time to leave this kind review!
This looks delicious. Do you think it would work ok with spinach instead of kale? I have spinach that needs to be used!
Yes definitely Kristi! The spinach will wilt right away, so you won’t need to sauté it as long.
This was so delicious! I was feeling a bit lazy, so I cut up the squash in chunks and roasted it. Then, just mixed it all up and ate supper out of a bowl. Yummy yummy! I’ve already recommended it to my friends.
Thanks so much for reporting back, Rebecca! I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
I can’t wait to make this recipe tonight!! How Do you suggest to serve it? Just cut slices per person?
I hope you love it! We usually do about 1/2 or 2/3 per person (or hey, a whole one if you are hungry!) then each person eats it with a knife and fork. I hope you enjoy it!
Made it for my vegan, gluten free, dairy free mother on her birthday. She loved it, in fact my whole family ate it! Win! Beautiful and tasty!
Emily, I’m so glad it was a hit! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave this wonderful review!
This recipe is so good! I made it for dinner last week and made only one squash but the full recipe for the stuffing. With the leftovers I have warmed the stuffing up for breakfast and put two over-easy eggs on top and it is the bomb!
Anna, thanks for taking the time to leave this review! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe.
I found your recipe when I searched for Butternut squash and I am GLAD I did!! What an absolutely yummy dish this is. My hubby and I could not get enough. You’ve combined all my favorite things and turned them into a great dish. Thank you!!!
Thank you for taking the time to share this kind review, Hellena! I’m so happy to hear that this recipe was a hit!
The recipe is amazing! So easy to follow and outstanding results. My husband and I both loved it!
Thank you for taking the time to share this kind review, Heidi! I’m so happy to hear that this recipe was a hit!
Can I make this recipe a day ahead?
Hi Cheryl! Yes, you could make this the day before and reheat it in the oven before serving. I hope you love the recipe!
This recipe looks divine. I’m having some difficulty cutting the butternut squash in half. Any suggestions?
Hi Sivan! This post has great tips for how to cut butternut squash. I hope this helps and that you enjoy the recipe!
Hi! In your instruction #3 it says add orange zest and orange juice — but orange juice isn’t listed in ingredient list. How much OJ should I put in? Thanks! Making this tomorrow.
Hi Leslie! It’s 1 tablespoon (kind of hard to see—it’s to the right of the orange zest ingredient). I hope you enjoy it!
I made this recipe with 1 large butternut. I added the butternut squash to the quinoa mixture for stuffing. It came out fantastic. I thought it needed an added texture so I sprinkled some toasted slivered almonds on top. It served us well for our “meatless Monday” dinner!!!!
I am so pleased to hear it TJ, thank you for sharing!
We LOVED this recipe! I recently was told I have high cholesterol so I’ve been working to eat less meat. Your recipes, like this one, fill me up and don’t sacrifice on taste. Even my 5 year old was raving about this dinner. Makes this Mom heart happy to see my kiddos eating veggies! I am so happy I found you. My whole family loves your healthy recipes and your new cookbook!! Thank you, keep them coming!
Aimee, THANK YOU!! Can’t say enough how happy this makes me to read!
Am I supposed to cook the chickpeas or place them into the mixture raw?
Hi Ashley! No need to cook the canned chickpeas before adding them to the mixture. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Made it for thanksgiving! Had to sub spaghetti squash for butternut but it worked well! Delicious!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, NC! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Made this for Christmas dinner, it was loved by all. I changed the cranberries to pomegranate. Looked wonderful and festive.
I’m so happy that you enjoyed it, Elizabeth! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
The instructions state to add orange juice, however, orange juice is not listed as an ingredient. Please post the quantity of the orange juice used in this recipe
Hi Diana! You can find the orange juice amount listed next to the orange zest amount. I hope this helps!
This is outstanding! I cook for an individual that is vegetarian. I am always looking for new recipes that are different and have a lot of protein. I did make some changes to this. I used feta cheese instead of the parmesan cheese. I also added the squash back in. I substituted spinach for the kale because she does not like kale. Because I make individual dishes that need to be packed for lunch I used a small honey butternut squash. I am not sure if these are readily available because my grocery store guys get items that come from Individual local farms.The day she ate this she immediately texted me and asked me to make it again.
Hi Kelley! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
I made it with baby spinach leaves and cut up the extra butter nut squash and mixed it with the stuffing mixture . the stuffing is delicious I had extra I’m eating now . the rest I’m serving tomorrow for dinner.
Hi Marna! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
So delicious, and so easy to make vegan! Made it for thanksgiving and was able to keep quinoa and squash aside to purée for my baby! Perfect and beautiful dish to serve, while also being practical and nutritious!
Hi Farrah! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
A vegan family came over for thanksgiving and I made it for her, not only she loves it….all of us enjoyed it.
I don’t have dried cranberry so I used cranberry sauce that I made instead. I added it before serving.
Hi Agnes! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Yes, fulfilling it was. But way too much kale and a lot of work to chew through it. That definitely lessened the sensation of a delightful meal. The chickpeas also added to the workload.
I’m sorry to hear that you didn’t enjoy this dish, Marion. I understand that tastes differ. I know it’s disappointing to try a new recipe and not have it work out, so I am sorry that happened here!
Just made this tonight. Had a huge butternut squash that has been staring at me since the fall. I cooked beautifully and I’ll definitely adding this to my “clean food” rotation. Love it! Healthy and yummy. I would add a pic, but I’m not sure where to do that.
Hi Nancy! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Looks great! Will fresh cranberries work? I’m worried they will get soggy
Hi Madison, I’ve only tested the recipe with dried but another reader tried it with fresh cranberries and had great success. This is what she did “Cooked them briefly in boiling water (1 cup) and sugar (1/2 cup) until a few start to pop, so they stay whole but they’re soft.” If you decide to experiment, I’d love to know how it goes!
Yes please daddy
Hope you enjoyed it John!
This is a perfect fall and winter side dish. Veggies, whole grains, a little protein. Great for a family meal or pretty enough for guests. Reheats well if there are leftovers!
Hi Pattie! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
So delicious! Very flavorful. Definitely a keeper!
Hi Lisa! So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for this kind review!