Quinoa & Veggie Stuffed Delicata Squash with Goat Cheese

This perfectly tender stuffed delicata squash is filled with fluffy quinoa, chopped walnuts, sautéed veggies, and dried fruit. Topped with melty goat cheese, this vegetarian recipe is the perfect flavorful veggie side or as a satisfying meatless main dish.

I’m on a mission to make delicata squash everyone’s go-to squash for fall and winter.

 Don’t get me wrong, butternut squash, spaghetti squash, and pumpkins are all amazing and are frequent flyers in my house. However, and let us just be honest here, they are a bit of a pain to handle. The cutting. The peeling. The deseeding. Bleh. I love ’em, but I do find myself avoiding cooking squash just because I don’t want to think about prepping them.

That is why delicata squash is where it is at. You don’t have to peel them, people! Just cut them in half, remove the seeds and cook it up. The skin is thin and tender enough to enjoy. And there are so many ways to enjoy the beautiful (and easy) delicata squash.

This stuffed delicata squash is my latest obsession. I wanted to create a vegetarian dish for all those holiday gatherings that could be an amazing veggie side, but flavorful and hearty enough as a main for those who don’t eat meat. Onions, carrots, and celery sautéed and perfectly seasoned are combined with cooked quinoa, chopped walnuts, and dried cranberries before being spooned into tenderly roasted delicata squash halves. Naturally vegetarian and gluten free, you can make this festive dish vegan and dairy-free by omitting the goat cheese.

Suggested Adaptations

• If you don’t want to use quinoa, any cooked grain, such white rice, brown rice, farro, or bulgur wheat, will work well.
• If you can only find larger squash, use 2 and cut them in half before serving. You could also use 2 acorn squash instead of delicata but be sure the squash is tender before adding the stuffing. The larger squash may need 10 or more minutes of extra time to cook.
• To make this dairy-free, just omit the cheese.
• Don’t like goat cheese? You can use a shredded parmesan or crumbled feta cheese instead.
• To make this stuffed squash dish nut-free, omit the walnuts or use pumpkin seeds instead.
• If you don’t want to use walnuts, you can replace them with pecans.
• Instead of dried cranberries, dried cherries or chopped apricots would be great. If your dried fruit isn’t soft and easy to chew, soak it in very hot water for 20 minutes, drain the water, and then use the rehydrated fruit in the recipe.

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4.91 from 10 votes

Quinoa & Veggie Stuffed Delicata Squash with Goat Cheese

Yield: 6 stuffed squash halves

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 47 minutes mins

Cuisine: American

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Author: Taesha Butler

This perfectly tender stuffed delicata squash is filled with fluffy quinoa, chopped walnuts, sautéed veggies, and dried fruit. Topped with melty goat cheese, this vegetarian recipe is the perfect flavorful veggie side or as a satisfying meatless main dish.

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Ingredients

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 3 medium delicata squash , about  2 ½ pounds total
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons Olive oil, divided
• ▢ 1¼ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
• ▢ ½ teaspoon poultry seasoning
• ▢ 1 cup finely chopped onion
• ▢ 1 large carrot, diced small
• ▢ 1 stalk celery, diced small
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ▢ 1 teaspoon minced fresh sage, or ¼ teaspoon dried
• ▢ 2 teaspoons minces fresh thyme, or ½ teaspoon dried
• ▢ ½ Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• ▢ 2 cups cooked quinoa*, or rice
• ▢ ½ cup finely chopped walnuts
• ▢ ½ cup dried cranberries
• ▢ 1 cup baby spinach, roughly chopped
• ▢ ¼ cup water
• ▢ ½ cup crumbled goat cheese, divided and optional

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 400℉ degrees.
• Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with a spoon. Place the squash halves into a large baking dish or on a sheet pan. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and make sure all sides of the squash are coated with oil (use your hands or a pastry brush). Sprinkle the squash evenly with ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon of ground pepper, and the dried poultry seasoning.
• Roast the squash, flipping halfway through, until the tip of a knife easily pierces the thickest part of the squash, about 30 minutes.
• While the squash is roasting, make the stuffing. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil then the chopped onion, carrot, and celery. Sauté until the vegetables are tender and lightly golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Stir in the garlic, sage, thyme, remaining ¾ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper, and cook for 1 minute.
• Stir in the balsamic vinegar, quinoa, walnut, dried cranberries, chopped spinach, and water. Continue to cook for a minute or two until the spinach has wilted.
• Turn off the heat then stir in half of the goat cheese. Taste the filling and add more salt and pepper as needed.
• Spoon the filling into the squash, packing it down gently with the back of the spoon to get as much filling into the squash as possible. Divide the remaining goat cheese between the tops of the filled squash.
• Place the squash back into the oven and bake until the cheese on top is lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Serve right away or set aside for up to an hour and serve at room temperature. Let leftovers cool and store in an air-tight container in your fridge for up to 2 days.

Notes

*To cook the quinoa, add 1 ¾ cups of water to a boil. Once boiling, stir in ½ tsp of kosher salt and 1 cup quinoa. Lower the heat to a simmer, cover the pot, then cook until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is cooked through, about 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly before using.

 

If you don’t want to use quinoa, any cooked grain, such white rice, brown rice, farro, or bulgur wheat, will work well.

 

If you can only find larger squash, use 2 and cut them in half before serving. You could also use 2 acorn squash instead of delicata but be sure the squash is tender before adding the stuffing. The larger squash may need 10 or more minutes of extra time to cook.

 

To make this dairy-free, just omit the cheese.

Don’t like goat cheese? You can use a shredded parmesan or crumbled feta cheese instead.

 

To make this dish nut-free, omit the walnuts or use pumpkin seeds instead.

 

If you don’t want to use walnuts, you can replace them with pecans.

 

Instead of dried cranberries, dried cherries or chopped apricots would be great. If your dried fruit isn’t soft and easy to chew, soak it in very hot water for 20 minutes, drain the water, and then use the rehydrated fruit in the recipe.

Calories: 384kcal, Carbohydrates: 49g, Protein: 14g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 9mg, Sodium: 589mg, Potassium: 1302mg, Fiber: 11g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 5838IU, Vitamin C: 34mg, Calcium: 159mg, Iron: 4mg

Nutritional information provided here is only an estimate shared for convenience and as a courtesy. Information will vary based on ingredients + brands used to create the recipe.