Supersize me! Autumn Stuffed Banana Squash
by Amanda • October 16, 2012 • Main Courses, Plant-based (Vegan) • 19 Comments
This is one large meal where there is no guilt in supersize portions. And it’s not primarily made of corn, unlike some *other* supersized options out there.
I’ve been dreaming of stuffed squash for the last month. So colorful. So flavorful. So fun! And with these wholesome ingredients you can’t go wrong. When we found this beauty at the farmers market, I knew the time had come.
Chopping this super size squash in half provided great entertainment for the kids, a task that proves challenging for me every time, apparently it is a talent I just may never master. Thankfully squash is forgiving.
Autumn Stuffed Banana Squash
1 Banana Squash (or a few smaller squash of your choice), halved, seeded, and ends chopped
3-4 Tbl olive oil
3 c. cooked quinoa (I cooked mine in veggie broth)
juice of 1 lemon (add a little zest for extra flavor)
2 apples, cored and chopped
3 stalks celery, diced
1 onion, diced
1 c. pecans (thinking of toasting these in the skillet for a few minutes next time so they maintain more crispiness)
1 c. raisins
Sage, 1 Tbl. fresh or 1 tsp. dried
sea salt and pepper to taste
optional veggie cheese of choice to sprinkle on right before serving
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Rub 1-2 Tbl olive oil onto flesh of halved squash. Rub in salt and pepper (to taste). Lay flesh down on baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes (30 for smaller squash.)
While it bakes, add 2 Tbl. olive oil, onion and celery to skillet. Cook until softened and shimmery. Add sea salt and pepper to taste. In a large bowl toss apple with lemon juice. Add quinoa, pecans, raisins, sage and sauteed celery and onions.
Pull the squash out of the oven, flip over and fill with quinoa stuffing. Cover with foil and bake for another 30-45 minutes, or until flesh is soft in the center.
Yum! I’ll have to try this when hard squashes start showing up in my farm delivery!
It is such a fun meal to lay out on the table. Next time I want to try a more savory version.
I have never heard of banana squash! I love stuffing acorn or butternut. These look great!
This squash was almost 3 feet long, meaning almost as tall as my daughter! So many squash varieties out there, I find new ones every year, especially in the Rare Seeds catalog.
Ok, maybe only 2 1/4 ft long…. still.
This looks delicious! I’m endlessly surprised by how many different types of squash there are; it seems you can only get butternut here.
Butternut is so lovely and versatile- if you only have one variety of squash, you couldn’t have made a better choice!
I was wondering how you were going to cut open that monster on your countertop. The stuffing looks AWESOME!
Monster it was. Now it has dwindled down to 2 small portions that will be lucky to survive until morning. Stuffing is such a happy word this time of year.
Except when your pants start not to fit… Tee hee!
Love the apples, raisins and pecans in there!
Mmmm… sweetness. Starting to brainstorm ideas for the VVP!
Looks great! I do love me some stuffed squash. Thanks for sharing!
Holy moly! That is truly a wonderful sight to behold.
I love those stuffing ingredients. I’d like to give this a try, but maybe with something a little less unwieldy, like acorn squash!
I have a bunch of acorn squash on my counter waiting to be purposed. Let me know if you mix it up!
You bet! It will have to wait, though – the next squash on my agenda is the huge butternut lurking in my cupboard.
I love fall!
Looks amazing – I never stuffed a squash before! I need to try it!
Pingback: Meatless Monday: Stuffed Banana Squash « Center For Living Peace