Vegan stuffed butternut squash

Photo: Nora Cooks

The Thanksgiving centerpiece for the people who don't eat turkey. Roasted butternut halves heaped with wild rice, savory crumbled tempeh, mushrooms, kale and cranberries, with a lemony tahini sauce.

From Nora Taylor at Nora Cooks · @nora_cooks_vegan_

Tempeh cooked with fennel, oregano, chili and soy tastes like sausage stuffing; it makes the dish hearty enough to be the main.

You need

• 3 medium butternut squash (2 to 2.5 lb each)
• 2 tbsp olive oil, plus salt and black pepper
• ¾ cup wild rice and 1½ cups water
• 16 oz tempeh
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp fennel seeds
• 2 tsp dried basil
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp red chili flakes
• ⅓ cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 8 oz sliced mushrooms
• 4 cups loosely packed chopped kale
• ½ cup dried cranberries
• For the tahini sauce: ½ cup tahini, ¼ cup water (more as needed), ¼ cup fresh lemon juice, 2 tbsp maple syrup (optional), 2 garlic cloves, minced, ⅛ tsp ground cumin, ½ tsp salt

How to make it

1. Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Halve each squash lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Brush the cut sides with the 2 tablespoons oil, season with salt and pepper and roast cut side down on lined sheet pans for 45 to 60 minutes, until a knife slides easily into the neck.
2. Meanwhile, rinse the wild rice and simmer it in the 1½ cups water, covered, for 40 to 45 minutes, until the grains split open and are chewy-tender. Drain off any extra water.
3. Crumble the tempeh into small pieces. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add the tempeh and cook 6 to 8 minutes, stirring, until golden. Add the garlic, fennel seeds, basil, oregano and chili flakes and cook 1 minute, then pour in the soy sauce and stir until absorbed.
4. Add the mushrooms and cook 5 minutes until soft, then the kale until wilted, 2 minutes. Stir in the cooked wild rice and the cranberries.
5. When the squash is done, turn the halves over. Scoop out some of the flesh from each to make a wide hollow, leaving a ½-inch wall, chop it and stir it into the filling. Pile the filling into the halves.
6. Bake 10 to 15 minutes more, until hot through. Meanwhile whisk all the tahini sauce ingredients together, adding water until it pours.
7. Drizzle the squash with tahini sauce and serve; each half feeds one hungry person or two at a big dinner.

Written in our own words from Nora Taylor's recipe, with their quantities. The original: Vegan stuffed butternut squash, Nora Cooks.

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