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I have Whole Foods to thank for this idea.
If you follow me on Instagram, you probably saw my recent find at Whole Foods– they were selling raw squashes stuffed with raw veggies and herbs, with the simple instruction to roast them at 350F for an hour. It sounded so easy, that I had to see if this idea were too good to be true.
These stuffed squashes were priced at $10 a piece, so I decided to make my own version at home for half the price. The result is surprisingly tasty, and would make an excellent weekday meal that you can prep ahead over the weekend. As an added bonus, it’s very allergy-friendly without any eggs, nuts, or grains!
I have a feeling any vegetables and herbs would work well in this, so feel free to use whatever you have on hand– the goal is to have about 2 cups of chopped vegetables total to fill up both squash halves. I hope you enjoy them!
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Stuffed Kabocha Squash
Serves 2
Ingredients:
1 Kabocha squash, cut in half with seeds removed
1/4 red onion, diced
1 cup zucchini, diced
1/2 cup bell pepper, diced
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, minced
Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, combine the diced onion, zucchini, bell pepper, olive oil and fresh rosemary, and season with salt and pepper to taste. (I used about 1/4 teaspoon each.)
Arrange the squash halves cut-side-up on the baking sheet. If they are wobbly, you can slice the rounded bottoms off (as pictured above) to give them a flat bottom to them stand up straight– you don’t want them to fall over with the filling inside! Bake at 350F until the squash is fork-tender, about one hour, then serve warm.
If you’d like to spice up them up a bit, top them with a bit of your favorite dressing or sauce. I added a drizzle of Creamy Caesar Dressing (from my cookbook) to these, and they were unbelievably delicious! I have a feeling my Creamy Tahini Dressing would be great on top, too.
Ingredients
- 1 Kabocha squash , cut in half with seeds removed
- 1/4 red onion , diced
- 1 cup zucchini , diced
- 1/2 cup bell pepper , diced
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary , minced
- Salt and pepper , to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, combine the diced onion, zucchini, bell pepper, olive oil and fresh rosemary, and season with salt and pepper to taste. (I used about 1/4 teaspoon each.)
- Arrange the squash halves cut-side-up on the baking sheet. If they are wobbly, you can slice the rounded bottoms off (as pictured above) to give them a flat bottom to them stand up straight-- you don't want them to fall over with the filling inside! Spoon the filling into the center of each squash and bake at 350F until the squash is fork-tender, about one hour. Serve warm.
- If you'd like to spice up these squashes a bit, feel free to add your favorite dressing or sauce. I added a drizzle of Creamy Caesar Dressing (from my cookbook) to these, and they were unbelievably delicious!
Nutrition
Calories per serving: 242, Fat: 7g, Carbohydrates: 44g, Fiber: 8g, Protein: 5g
Note: I only tried this recipe using Kabocha squash, but I have a feeling it would work well with acorn squash, as well. Please let us know in the comments below if you have success with any other modifications!
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Reader Feedback: Have your meals been inspired by a grocery store or restaurant lately?
I liked this recipe a lot. I had to change cooking temperature and time a bit. The first time, I cooked as directed and squash didn’t cook as well as I like it..
The second time, I increased cooking time by 15 minutes and temperature to 400 degrees. Maybe it’s just me, I like the squash cooked really well. I like that the veggies stay warm for a long time, I have some fresh herbs that I will throw in next. One can change up and do so much with the recipe. Thank you!
At what point do you place the filling into the squash? Usually a winter squash is cooked first then the filling is added toward the end last 20 minutes or so. This filling is in the squash the entire time? Thank you
I just made that more clear in the recipe– you actually do add the filling at the beginning and cook it the whole time. This was inspired by a make-ahead meal I saw at Whole Foods where they sell it cold and pre-stuffed, and it actually works! Normally I think the filling is usually sautéed a bit before baking, but this method makes things as easy as possible.
I’m going to try this out tonight but sub the zucchini for cauliflower, since it is what I have on hand. I will also make the creamy tahini dressing to drizzle on top 🙂 Thanks for a great idea!
This was so good and went wonderfully with the dressing from your book. We might be a little addicted. I love the combination you used and that it doesn’t have corn. SO GOOD!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This is a great basic recipe. Modifications are endless.
I used acorn squash with silken tofu, shallot, garlic, and the Rosemary…was so delicious!
Thanks for passing your inspiration along. ?
I really appreciate your recipes. I visit your site or book on a daily basis. So this recipe inspired me (once again). However, I was totally feeling your coconut curry and had a kabocha squash on hand, so I made that (added tofu and veggies, and took out the sweet potato and quinoa) and cooked it in the Kabocha squash! WOW. Two of your recipes in one. It was also my first time “roasting” curry and my husband and I LOVED it. Thanks for all that you do. 🙂
Yum! That sounds totally delicious.
I love how simple this is and kabocha is my FAVORITE!
This is one of my favorite things to do with pumpkins and winter squash!! Well, besides using the fresh pumpkin puree for pumpkin pie…! Great idea for a filling – yum!
My neighbor made something similar to this and brought it over! It was delicious. We didn’t like some of the spices he put in, but we do love like you alluded to, this is very customizable. (is that even a word?) Stuffed squash is also so filling, and yes, over 10 bucks at the store. I know you said you can make it at half price, but I’m super excited about this recipe because I have every ingredient on this list from the last remnets of my garden, so it’s free to make. That makes my day! Thanks.