Here’s a hearty recipe for golden winter squash stuffed with a savory quinoa and mushroom filling. It’s extra-tasty made with an earthy mushroom variety — cremini, oyster, maitake, shiitake, or porcini. Quinoa and mushroom stuffed golden squashes are sure to be a hit at holiday and other special occasion meals.
Use any winter squash variety — butternut, carnival, acorn, golden acorn, delicata, or other small- to medium-size winter squash. See our guide to winter squash varieties.
A beautiful dish to serve at winter holidays, especially Thanksgiving, this serves 4 generously (1/2 of a butternut or both halves of a smaller squash), or you can stretch it to 8 smaller (but still filling) portions.
How to cut winter squashes easily
Many recipes that blithely call for the cook to cut them in half — something the average kitchen knife can’t do well. There’s an easy way to avoid the squash struggle.
These steps are repeated in the recipe, but here they are to give you a head start and to use in other recipes calling for winter squash.
1 wrap the entire squash in aluminum foil and place in a casserole dish.
2 Bake at 375º F for 30 minutes (for smaller squashes) to 45 minutes or slightly more (for butternut, sugar pumpkin, and larger squashes). You should be able to just pierce through the skin and flesh, a couple of inches for larger squashes, about an inch for smaller ones.
3 Then, once the squash is cool enough to handle, go ahead and cut it in half. Scoop out and discard the seedy, fibrous part and proceed with the specific recipe you’re following.
That’s pretty much all it takes, though if you want more details, see How to Cut Winter Squashes Easily.
Recipe is from Vegan Holiday Kitchen by Nava Atlas.
Explore more …
- Roasted Acorn Squash with Quinoa Stuffing
- Baked Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
- Bread and Wild Rice Stuffed Butternut Squash
- Festive Stuffed Squash Recipes
Quinoa and Mushroom-Stuffed Golden Squashes

Enjoy this hearty, earthy stuffed squash recipe for fall and winter special occasions or company meals.
Ingredients
- 2 medium butternut squashes or 4 small winter squashes (carnival, golden acorn, delicata, or other small winter squash)
- 3/4 cup raw quinoa, rinsed (regular tan quinoa, red quinoa, or a combination)
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth or water with 1 vegetable bouillon cube
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium-large yellow or red onion, quartered and thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 ounces brown mushrooms (cremini, oyster, maitake, shiitake, porcini)
- 1/4 cup orange juice, preferably fresh squeezed
- 2 teaspoons salt-free seasoning (like Mrs. Dash or Spike)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 to 2 teaspoons grated fresh or bottled ginger, to taste
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- Chopped fresh or whole herbs for garnish (parsley, small basil leaves, oregano)
Instructions
- These first 3 steps are good to do a bit ahead of time, if possible. Wrap the entire squash in aluminum foil and place in a casserole dish.
- Bake at 375º F for 30 minutes (for smaller squashes) to 45 minutes or slightly more (for butternut and larger squashes). You should be able to just pierce through the skin and flesh, a couple of inches for larger squashes, about an inch for smaller ones.
- Remove from the oven, carefully open the foil, and allow to cool. (If doing a day ahead of time, you can return the squashes to the casserole dish and refrigerate until needed.)
- When the squashes are cool enough to handle, scoop out and discard the seeds and fibrous parts. Scoop out the squash pulp, leaving a sturdy shell of about 1/2 inch all around. Chop the pulp finely and set aside.
- If you do the steps above ahead of time, you’ll need to heat the oven to 375º F once again.
- Combine the quinoa with the broth in a small saucepan. Bring to a slow boil, then lower the heat, cover, and simmer gently until the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. If the quinoa isn’t done to your liking, drizzle in 1/4 cup more broth (or water) and continue to simmer until absorbed.
- Heat the oil in a stir-fry pan or large skillet. Add the onion and sauté over medium heat until translucent. Add the garlic and sauté over medium heat until the onion is golden.
- Stem mushrooms if needed (especially shiitake, whose stems are tough). Keep whole if small or cut in half if larger. Add to the pan and continue to cook until just wilted.
- Add the cooked quinoa, orange juice, seasonings, and reserved squash pulp and stir together. Season with salt and pepper.
- Stuff each squash half generously with the quinoa mixture. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Garnish with fresh herbs.
- If using butternut squash, each squash half can be cut in half for a smaller portion, or, keep the halves intact for a hearty portion. Keep smaller squash halves intact. Serve at once.

Here are lots more plant-forward vegan main dishes.
Leave a Reply