Every year, I get messages from people asking for a beautiful and filling main course for vegans. Well, I definitely have come up with one you will love! Below you will find my new Savory Stuffed Squash, and I can assure you that it gets raves from vegans and non-vegans alike. Please do not be intimidated by the number of steps… I promise that they are all easy to do AND easy to follow.
Equipment
- Baking sheet
- Two frying pans
- Wooden spoon
- Glass containers or mason jars with lids (for storing leftovers)
Ingredients
- 4 acorn squash (or substitute other winter squash as desired)
- 12 button mushrooms
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 2 tsp vegan butter
- 4-5 garlic cloves
- 2 cups kale
- 2.5 cups brown rice, cooked
- 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses (you can substitute balsamic vinegar if necessary)
- 1 can chickpeas
- 2 tbsp nama shoyu (or preferred soy sauce)
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
Optional
- Fresh parsley, chopped
- Pomegranate arils (aka seeds)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- While the oven is heating, cut your squash in half, remove and discard seeds, and place the cut side down on a baking sheet. (I like to add a little vegan butter or olive oil to the edge of the squash that is touching the pan to keep it from sticking.)
- Wash and chop your mushrooms, garlic and kale.
- Prepare sauce for chickpeas by whisking together tomato paste, maple syrup and Nama shoyu.
- Drain the can of chickpeas and prepare a frying pan for them with a tsp of olive oil.
- Add chickpeas to the frying pan and then add whisked sauce. Stir every few minutes, cooking on medium heat until the sauce is mostly absorbed by the chickpeas.
- Heat another frying pan on medium with a tsp of olive oil and add the mushrooms. Use a wooden spoon to move them around while they are cooking.
- Once the mushrooms release their water and begin to turn golden, add your chopped garlic and continue stirring with your wooden spoon, for about 2 minutes. Then add the kale and drizzle with pomegranate molasses.
- Once the kale is wilted, add 2 cups of the cooked rice and the chickpeas to that pan and give a good stir. Once it has been well mixed, cover and remove from heat.
- Remove squash from the oven, flip over and leave the open side up so you have a cup/bowl shape. Allow to cool slightly. Once cooled a bit, fill with stuffing.
- Right before serving, sprinkle with fresh parsley and pomegranate arils (seeds) as desired.
Notes
Enjoy immediately. Leftovers will keep freshly refrigerated in a sealed container for up to 5 days. When ready to use, reheat in the oven at 300°F for 15 minutes.
