Vegan Roasted Honeynut Squash with Herby Chickpea Quinoa Stuffing & Tahini Drizzle
These roasted honeynut squashes are filled with a quinoa and chickpea stuffing that’s loaded with peak fall ingredients like pecans, cranberries, and herbs. Topped off with a tahini dressing for creaminess and acidity for a deliciously balanced, super satisfying, and ultra nourishing whole plant food Thanksgiving/holiday dish!
Nothing says *peak fall* like the abundance of squashes this time of year! Honeynut, delicata, kabocha, acorn, buttercut, red kuri, georgia candy, not to mention the classics like pumpkin and butternut?! 😍 I love them all, but honeynut squashes have to be some of my absolute favorites. They’re small, so they’re super cute and naturally make a perfect sized portion, and they have a richer, sweeter flavor than butternut, making them great for stuffing.
With all the great varieties out there, it’s only natural I’d want to include at least one (in addition to pumpkin in pie!!) as part of a holiday spread. And whether you’ll be the only vegan person at the Thanksgiving table this year, or you’ll be surrounded by vegan friends and family, I promise this dish will satisfy all the things that everyone looks for in a Thanksgiving dish - and more. Not only does it highlight some of the season’s most delicious ingredients and flavors - honeynut squashes, pecans, cranberries, and fresh herbs - it’s also loaded with plant variety and sneaks lots of nutritious whole foods into your holiday meal! And even outside of the holiday season, you can serve this as part of a wonderful, GOURD-GEOUS late fall/early winter dinner.
Why You’ll Love this Stuffed Honeynut Squash
Peak late fall, Thanksgiving-y flavors. When I think of Thanksgiving, my mind immediately jumps to the three fresh herbs that, for me, are the defining flavors: rosemary, sage, and thyme. So to impart those traditional Thanksgiving flavors into this dish, I incorporate plenty of these fresh herbs into a chickpea and quinoa stuffing, along with some toasted pecans and dried cranberries for some extra Thanksgiving-y flavors. And if you’re reading this and thinking “too bad Thanksgiving already passed,” don’t worry - this dish is great anytime during the fall and, IMO, would make a lovely meal throughout the late fall and winter.
Loaded with textures. There’s nothing worse than a Thanksgiving spread that’s dominated by goopy foods, by which I mean mushy textured things like mashed potatoes, gravy, casseroles, etc. Don’t @ me - I love mashed potatoes as much as the next person (probably more, actually). But a meal that’s primarily made up of mush? Pass. The only acceptable times to eat exclusively mushy-textured foods are if you are a baby (and you’re reading this, so you most definitely are not) or if you just had your wisdom teeth removed (or some other medical reason).
As much as I might love all forms of creamy foods, a meal isn’t nearly as satisfying or even interesting without textural variety. Humans crave texture because texture enhances our eating experience. It’s one of the most important factors in how much we enjoy our food, along with taste, look, and smell.
So you can bet this dish is filled with lots of different textures! 😂 Soft roasted squash filled with a very textured stuffing of quinoa, chickpeas, crunchy pecan bits, and chewy dried cranberries. And to top it all off, a creamy tahini dressing adds moisture and acidity while tying the entire dish together. So regardless of what else is on your Thanksgiving table, you can count on this dish to add loads of textures.
Nutritious. There’s absolutely no reason that holiday dishes can’t be nutritious on top of already being delicious. If you’re planning on serving this dish for the holidays, chances are that this dish will be part of a larger spread that prooooobably already has some of those ultra indulgent dishes. Regardless of what else is being served, this dish is a great way to sprinkle in some whole plants into the meal! It’s got your starchy veg (the squash) along with various plant-based protein sources like quinoa, chickpeas, pecans, and tahini, each of which are packed with fiber and tons of nutrients. So from a dietary standpoint, this dish is very nourishing!
Incorporates plant variety. Not only is this dish loaded with nutritious whole foods, but it’s got a huge variety of them, too. In fact, it’s got 13 unique whole plants - 13!! The recommended weekly target for fueling a healthy gut microbiome is to eat at least 30-40+ different plant foods each week, so this dish easily sets you up to do that! (Challenge: if you’re feeling super inspired, I bet you could easily incorporate 30 different whole plant foods into your Thanksgiving meal! After all, this dish gets you almost halfway there.)
Sized for individual portions. As a little bonus, I love that each stuffed squash half is its own portion. This makes it very easy in terms of planning (if you’re piecing together a meal for guests) and serving.
Dish Component Overview
Three primary components work in tandem to create this balanced, nourishing, and super satisfying dish.
1. Roasted honeynut squash. Honeynut squashes are roasted until tender and provide a cavity that’s perfect for loading up with stuffing! If you’ve never had a honeynut squash before, think of it as a smaller, sweeter and richer-tasting, and way cuter child (honeynut is a crossbreeding of buttercup and butternut) of the butternut! And in addition to bringing in those peak squash flavors, it’s loaded with beta-carotene and vitamins A, C, and E.
2. Quinoa & chickpea stuffing. Quinoa binds together the mix of lightly pan-fried chickpeas, onions, celery, pecans, cranberries, along with plenty of sage, rosemary, and thyme that infuse the stuffing with those *peak fall* flavors. Without geeking out too much about the nutrition of each of these foods, just some of the nutritional benefits of this dish include protein-rich chickpeas and quinoa, along with loads of fiber and various nutrients like iron, copper, zinc, and more.
3. Tahini dressing. Adds a moist and creamy element that ties the whole dish together! And it really couldn’t be easier to make as it’s just a mix of tahini, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and water. If you’re unfamiliar with it, tahini is a paste made of ground sesame seeds, so it’s loaded with healthy fats and even sneaks some extra protein into the dish! In terms of micronutrients, tahini is particularly rich in copper, and it’s also got selenium, phosphorus, iron, zinc, and calcium. Just make sure to use a tahini brand whose flavor you really enjoy!
Now that you’ve got the components down, let’s make this dish!
Roasted Honeynut Squash with Herby Chickpea Quinoa Stuffing & Tahini Drizzle
Vegan
Yields 6-8 stuffed honeynut squash halves
Ingredients
Squashes:
3 medium or 4 small honeynut squashes, ~2.75 lbs. total (I recommend using similar sized squashes so that they take the same amount of time to roast!)
Olive oil
Salt & pepper
For the herby chickpea quinoa stuffing:
⅓ cup quinoa (to yield 1 cup cooked quinoa)
⅔ cup water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas OR 1 15.5-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt OR ½ teaspoon fine sea salt (plus more to taste, as needed)
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
½ small yellow onion, diced
2 medium ribs celery, sliced
1 tablespoon fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped
¼ cup toasted pecans*, chopped
¼ cup very soft dried cranberries**
For the tahini drizzle:
⅓ cup well-stirred tahini***
2 ½ tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 medium clove garlic, very finely grated
¼ teaspoon sea salt or ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or to taste)
3-4 tablespoons water
To serve:
Fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
Directions
For the squashes:
Pre-heat the oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
Prepare the squashes. Wash the squashes, cut them into half lengthwise, and use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and ribbings. Arrange the squashes halves onto the baking sheet with cut sides up. Brush or drizzle them with some olive oil (enough to coat) and sprinkle on some salt and pepper.
Transfer the squashes to the oven and roast until they’re soft enough to pierce with a fork but still retain their shape, about 20-35 minutes (exact timing depends on the size of your squashes; the larger the squashes, the longer they take to roast).
Once done roasting, remove from the oven and set aside briefly until the filling is ready.
For the herby chickpea and quinoa stuffing:
In a small pot, combine the quinoa with ⅔ cup water and a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until all the liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, give the quinoa a stir, then cover again and set aside for 10 minutes to steam. Then, uncover and fluff the quinoa with a fork.
Meanwhile, start working on the rest of the stuffing. Heat a cast iron skillet (or other 10-inch skillet) and add the oil. Once the oil has heated, add the chickpeas in a single layer, salt, and several fresh grounds of black pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally (no more than 1-2 times) to allow the chickpeas to crisp up slightly while cooking evenly.
Add the onion and celery and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the onion and celery begin to soften, about 3 minutes.
Add the fresh thyme, sage, and rosemary and cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant, stirring frequently to prevent the herbs from burning.
Add in the cooked quinoa, pecans, and cranberries and cook for 30-60 more seconds to warm through. Taste and add a bit more salt and freshly ground pepper, if desired. Turn off the heat and set aside until ready to use (your squashes should be roasted, or close to it, by this point!).
Bake the stuffed squashes:
Lower the oven temperature to 350°F.
If the squash cavities are very small, scoop out some of the roasted flesh above the cavities to create room for extra stuffing. (Re-purpose any roasted squash flesh in smoothies, sauces, etc.)
Distribute the filling evenly between each squash cavity, allowing the filling to heap generously (use up all the filling!).
Transfer the stuffed squashes to the oven and bake for 10 minutes until everything is warmed through.
For the tahini dressing:
While the stuffed squashes are baking, make the tahini drizzle. In a small measuring cup or bowl, whisk together the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and the lower amount of water until smooth. If the dressing is too thick, add more water (½-1 tablespoon at a time) until you reach your desired consistency.
To serve:
Drizzle the tahini sauce onto the roasted stuffed squashes and top with chopped fresh parsley. Serve immediately.
Notes:
*To toast the pecans, heat a cast iron skillet or other small-medium skillet over medium heat. Add the pecans and toast until lightly browned and fragrant, stirring occasionally, about 2-4 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool until safe to handle, then roughly chop them into small pieces. (Skip this step if using store bought pre-roasted pecans.)
**If your dried cranberries are hard, place them in a bowl, cover them with hot water, and allow them to sit and soften for 5-10 minutes to rehydrate them. Then, drain and proceed with the recipe as written.
***I recommend using a high-quality tahini that you like the taste of! My favorite brands are Seed & Mill (this is not sponsored - I just love this stuff!) and Whole Foods 365 Organic for a more budget-friendly option. In particular, stay away from the Trader Joe’s tahini as it has a very unpleasant, bitter taste.
I hope this dish adds some nourishing and delicious plant-based flavors into your holiday meal! As always, if you try this dish, I would be very appreciative if you left a review in the comments below and shared the recipe. And if you’re on Instagram, tag me (@teostinykitchen) so I can see how those beautiful honeynut squashes turned out!