As I mentioned before, I found a recipe for stuffed butternut squash (gluten-free!) on Arthritis.org! The original recipe is here but my changes are below.
Leeks, peppers, and sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 large butternut squash
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large, well-washed leek
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 1/3 cup chopped carrot
- 1 small zucchini, chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped roasted red bell peppers
- 1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
- 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped finely
- 8-9 kalamata olives, pitted and cut in half
- 1-2 tablespoons capers
- 1/4 cup cooked rice (I used Minute Rice)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, or 1 teaspoon dried
- 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- freshly ground pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut the ends off the squash and slice in half lengthwise. Scoop out and discard the seeds, then prick the squash all over with a fork (outside, not inside of squash). Drizzle a little olive oil on the cut side of the squash and place cut side down on a large baking dish with low sides. Pour a little water into the bottom of the pan. Roast until tender, 35 to 45 minutes.
While the squash is roasting, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and pour in the olive oil. When it is hot, add the chopped leek and sauté for a few minutes until soft. Add the chopped/sliced carrot, zucchini, mushrooms and bell peppers and continue to sauté for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, walnuts and garlic and continue to cook 1 to 2 minutes. Add the olives, capers, rice and wine and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes.
When the squash is soft, remove from the oven and let cool. Make lengthwise slit (not all the way through the skin) down the cut-side center of each half and scoop out the squash along this center slit, making a groove for the sautéed vegetables. Cut the removed squash into bite-sized chunks and add to the vegetable mixture. Stir in the parsley and basil, and add pepper and salt to taste. Stuff this mixture into both halves of the squash and place back on the baking sheet. Lower the oven temperature to 350°F and bake for about 30 minutes, or until heated through.
*As you can see, I left off the mushrooms {not a big fan} and the wine {for some reason, I really don’t like the taste of wine in food}. I left off the capers and kalamata olives, but only because I didn’t have them!
Prepping the ingredients
Sauteing the vegetables
Stuffed butternut squash ready for the oven!
On a random weeknight dinner, the girls and I dug into this dish, along with Quinoa Black Bean Corn Salad and my sister’s Mediterranean Quinoa Stuffed Chicken. Needless to say, it was a lot of flavorful one-dish meals, which are my favorite!
