Stuffed Roasted Butternut Squash
Stuffed roasted butternut squash, This vegetable stunner is an entirely meatless entrée, with butternut squash, carrots, zucchini and orzo filling inside roasted butternut squash. This is THE thanksgiving meal that I like to make for thanksgiving dinner!
The orzo is made in an Instant pot for the ease of cooking. Orzo is loaded with carrots, zucchini, pesto, crushed tomatoes and delicious seasoning! Which complements the buttery sweet taste of the squash! This Italian orzo can be eaten as it!! This can be easily made vegan by using vegan pesto and avoiding parmesan reggiano! This dish is going to be a show stopper at my thanksgiving dinner! What are you making that stands out at your thanksgiving dinner?!?!
Hope you enjoy this as much as my family and friends do!
Happy and Healthy Eating!
Stuffed Roasted Butternut Squash
Ingredients
- 1 Butternut Squash Whole squash, cut in half, seeds removed
- 1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Black Pepper Powder
Stuffing
- 1 cup Orzo uncooked
- ½ cup Chopped Yellow Onions
- 1 cup Chopped Carrots
- 1 cup Chopped Zucchini
- 1 tbsp Minced Garlic
- ½ cup Canned Crushed Tomatoes
- 1½ cup Vegetable Broth
- ¼ cup Pesto use vegan pesto if wish to make it vegan
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- ½ tsp Dry Oregano
- ½ tsp Black Pepper Powder
- ½ tsp Crushed Red Peppers
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- ¾ cup Shredded Parmesan Reggiano optional if wish to make it vegan
Instructions
Roast Butternut Squash
- Preheat oven on 425°F.
- Wash, dry and cut the squash in half lengthwise.
- Scoop out and discard the seeds, coat both side with extra virgin olive oil, salt and black pepper.
- Put both halves on the parchment paper inside baking tray cut side down.
- Bake it for 45-50 minutes until it is fork tender. Once roasted, take it out and let it cool down some.
- Prepare stuffing while waiting for squash to roast.
Prepare Stuffing
- Put instant pot on saute mode.
- Add 2 tbsp olive oil in the pot. Saute chopped onions and minced garlic until the onions are translucent.
- Add chopped carrots and zucchini. Saute them for 2-3 minutes.
- Add uncooked orzo, canned crushed tomatoes, pesto and all the seasoning to the pot. Mix well.
- Add vegetable broth to the pot and mix it well. Cancel the saute mode.
- Close the IP lid, secure the valve and put it on low pressure for 4 minutes (half of the cook time from what box instruction says).
- Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, let the pressure release manually.
- Once the security valve releases, open the lid and stir the orzo. Wait for orzo to cool down some.
Assembly
- Preheat oven on 375°F.
- Once the roasted squash has cooled down some, Scoop out the flesh in the center of both squash halves, leaving about an inch border all around. Scoring an inch line from the edges with the tip of a spoon before scooping gives you a guide to follow.
- OPTIONAL Mix ¾ cup of shredded parmesan reggiano in cooled down/room temperature orzo. Mix well.
- Pack each squash halves with the Italian orzo stuffing as much as you can. There will be some leftover, which can be used as is or can be served with this dish itself!
- Place one half on top of the other and tie up the squash in 3-4 places with cooking Twine/cooking string.
- Place the prepared squash on the baking pan and bake it for 10 minutes.
- Season the top with salt, pepper and optional shredded parmesan reggiano.
- Serve 2 inch slices using wide spatula to hold the pieces together!
