Stuffed Butternut w/ Vegan Chicken

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Oh sweet mash Lordy, this is one vegan dish to bookmark.

There is something about cooking with butternut squash. It’s sweet, tender and filling. Usually if its on the pasta menu, I will always order it. But for today’s dish, we’re letting the butternut squash do all the talking.

The key to this dish is pre-baking the squash before you fill it. You want it soft and succulent before scooping the middle out and adding in the extra protein. I used vegan chicken but you can also use traditional chicken. It’s a great lunch for a breezy Summer, Autumn or Winter day.

Enjoy! x

Ingredients

  • 1 butternut squash

  • 160g vegan chicken (I use Garden Gourmet)

  • 1/2 onion

  • 3 garlic cloves

  • Handful of baby tomatoes (halved)

  • Pine nuts

  • Pomegranate

  • Parsley

  • Condiments: Paprika, mixed herbs, olive oil, butter, S&P.

Method

1. CUT the butternut squash in half and make small incisions diagonally. Rub in olive oil, paprika and salt & pepper all over.

2. BAKE the squash for 45 minutes until it looks slightly charred and the middle is tender. Use a fork to poke and test. Once it’s ready, scoop out the middle section leaving around 3cm outline.

3. MEANWHILE, sauté the onions and garlic in a pan with 1 tablespoon of butter. Allow them to caramelise before the next step.

4. ADD in the vegan chicken, along with some paprika and mixed herbs, and cook for the instructed time on the packet. Usually 5-7 minutes.

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5. FILL the squash halves with the vegan chicken, butternut mash which was scooped out and baby tomatoes. Add some pine nuts on top of the mashed squash.

6. BAKE the stuffed squash for another 10 minutes.

7. GARNISH with chopped up parsley and pomegranate, enjoy! xx

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Tips:

  • Don’t take the squash out too early, the tender the better. Just keep checking up on it every 5 minutes after 35 mins.

  • You don’t need to use butter to cook the onions and garlic, if you prefer you can use olive oil. I just particularly love the taste caramelised butter and think it compliments the squash.

  • For presentation, you can add the parsley on the bottom of the plate in a ‘C’ shape. Then casually add the pomegranate on top. Placement shouldn’t be ‘too perfect’, let the colours and textures of this dish speak for itself.

Lizbeth Pal-DevelterComment