Wild Rice Stuffed Butternut Squash with Glazed Walnuts and Tahini Cream

Sweet and tender roasted butternut squash stuffed with a rich and nutty wild rice salad with the creamiest tahini dressing. This vegan, gluten-free lunch or dinner is hearty, wholesome, packed with nutrients and is warming comfort food at its finest.

Autumn calls for squash and lots of it. From pumpkin to butternut squash to all the varying coloured and sized squashes in between, there are so many out there. Squash makes such a good warming and hearty meal while being really healthy and filling. I love to slice squash in half, score the flesh in a criss-cross pattern and roast with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and let the oven do the rest. Leave your squash for 40-60 minutes to make them really tender and sweet. The skin turns wonderfully soft and crisp at the same time and they make a great boat for lots of delicious fillings.

Wild Rice Stuffed Butternut Squash with Glazed Walnuts and Tahini Cream

This Wild Rice Stuffed Butternut Squash with Glazed Walnuts and Tahini Cream relies on a simple wild rice salad as the stuffing. Roast some extra vegetables at the same time as the squash and stir into some cooked rice. I love using wild rice as it is incredibly nutty with a rich flavour, deep purple-black colour but you can equally use brown, white or red rice, too. Add in some umami-rich tamari soy sauce to keep the flavours simple but rich.

Serve this meal with lots of wonderfully crispy kale crisps, which I add to all my meals at the moment. Quickly massage the raw kale with some oil and salt and roast until crisp in 10 minutes – you will quickly become addicted.

Wild Rice Stuffed Butternut Squash with Glazed Walnuts and Tahini Cream

The tahini cream is another addictive element in this dish. Stir together some creamy tahini, orange juice for a sweet tang and more tamari soy sauce for salty savouriness. I also like to add some sriracha sauce for a gentle heat!

The final element of this Wild Rice Stuffed Butternut Squash with Glazed Walnuts and Tahini Cream are the glazed walnuts.

The glazed walnuts are great on their own as a snack by the handful or use them for topping simple salads and grain bowls. Heat the raw walnuts in a pan and drizzle over a little balsamic vinegar and syrup for a truly delicious and crunchy addition.

This Wild Rice Stuffed Butternut Squash with Glazed Walnuts and Tahini Cream is a really wholesome, simple and plant-based meal packed with nutrition, colour and texture. It is naturally vegan, gluten-free and filled with vegetables. It is great to serve for friends and family and is easily made in advance or prepared at the start of the week for a couple of meals throughout the week.

If you are looking for more squash-themed recipes, how about my Miso Bean Stuffed Butternut Squash with Tahini Cream, Rosemary Roasted Butternut Squash and Hemp Soup or Butternut Squash Macro Power Bowl.

Wild Rice Stuffed Butternut Squash with Glazed Walnuts and Tahini Cream

• Servings: 2
• Time: 1 hour
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

Sweet and tender roasted butternut squash stuffed with a rich and nutty wild rice salad with the creamiest tahini dressing. This vegan, gluten-free lunch or dinner is hearty, wholesome, packed with nutrients and is warming comfort food at its finest.

Ingredients

• 1 butternut squash
• 1 yellow pepper, small dice
• 1 courgette, small dice
• 1 red onion, small dice
• 16 cherry tomatoes
• 100g wild rice
• 1 tbsp tamari soy sauce
• 1 handful kale
• 50g walnuts
• 1 tbsp syrup
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 4 tbsp tahini
• 1 tbsp orange juice
• 1 tbsp tamari soy sauce
• ½ – 1 tsp sriracha

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 160Fan/180*C and line three baking trays with parchment paper. Chop the butternut squash in half lengthways and score the flesh in a criss-cross pattern. Rub in a little oil, salt and black pepper and roast, cut side up for 40-60 minutes until tender. Remove the seeds with a spoon.
2. Cook the rice according to packet instructions.
3. Toss the yellow pepper, courgette and red onion with some oil, salt and black pepper and roast on the second tray for 20-30 minutes until soft. Add in the cherry tomatoes for 20 minutes.
4. Add the kale to the third tray, rub with some oil, salt and black pepper and roast for 10 minutes until crisp.
5. Prepare the tahini cream by stirring together the tahini, orange juice, tamari and sriracha until creamy. Add a splash of water to thin, if necessary.
6. Add the walnuts to a dry frying pan and toast for a few minutes until fragrant. Pour over the syrup and balsamic vinegar with a pinch of salt and toss to combine. Remove from the heat.
7. Stir together the rice, roasted yellow pepper mix and 1 tbsp tamari soy sauce. Stuff the butternut squash cavities with the rice mixture and top with the roasted cherry tomatoes. Serve with the kale crisps, a drizzle of tahini cream and the glazed walnuts.

Wild Rice Stuffed Butternut Squash with Glazed Walnuts and Tahini Cream

I hope you enjoy making and eating this Wild Rice Stuffed Butternut Squash with Glazed Walnuts and Tahini Cream. Do let me know what you think below and tag me in your creations – I’m @nourishing.amy on Instagram and use the hashtag #nourishingamy. I’m also on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest  – please say hello!

With stuffed butternut squash love x