This vegan stuffed butternut squash recipe is perfect for a simple and nutritious mid-week dinner! You can prepare the filling in advance and just whack it in the oven, which will do the rest for you - and before you know it: dinner's ready!

This recipe combines flavoursome curried barley with the naturally sweet notes of butternut squash, which are simply divine teamed together! For a fresh zest, I love adding pomegranate seeds into the curried barley before serving. They add delicious fruity flavour to the dish, which is altogether wholesome.

Half a stuffed butternut squash filled with curried barley and pomegranate seeds on top

For this vegan recipe, I have teamed up with Appletiser - as this butternut squash dish includes one of your five a day and teams up just wonderfully alongside one of their refreshing drinks.

Recipe Notes

I have been loving roasted stuffed butternut squash over the past few months - in many shapes and forms, so it was natural for me to include roasted butternut squash in the recipe! And since trying dried bean mixes for our work lunches, I have had a thing for pearl barley - so you can imagine that I could not combine these two amazing items here.

Ingredients

For the roasted butternut squash:

1 medium size butternut squash, halved and seeds removed
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil - you can also use rape seed oil

For the curried barley filling:

150 g dried pearl barley
1 tbsp curry powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp ginger powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp turmeric
400 ml vegan-friendly vegetable stock

For serving:

a handful of pomegranate seeds (can use frozen, if you like)
10 g chopped, fresh coriander
salt & pepper to taste

How to roast a butternut squash

With regards to roasting your stuffed butternut squash: I prefer to use a little extra virgin olive oil to brush the squash before it goes into the oven, but you could technically create this recipe without the addition of oil, if you swing that way. Simply add a little ovenproof dish with a little water to your oven, so that your squash doesn’t get too dry.

I definitely recommend cutting little slits into your squash before roasting - this helps the squash to roast all the way through easier and avoids the unwanted ‘burnt outer edges & tough inside’ phenomenon.

How to prepare this recipe ahead of time

You can very easily prepare the stuff butternut squash recipe in advance. Simply create the filling for the curried barley up to 3 days in advance and store it in the fridge in an airtight container until you're ready to start your butternut squash.

On the day, simply prepare your butternut squash for roasting then fill it with your curried barley mixture and you're good to go.

This stuffed butternut squash recipe is:

100% vegan
Great as a mid-week dinner
Easy to prepare in advance or to make from scratch
including one of your five a day
Super simple to make
Full of flavour
Easy to prepare ahead of time
Natural and nutritious

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Stuffed Butternut Squash & Curried Barley Recipe

Author: Romy
Prep Time: 10
Cook Time: 60
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Yield: 5 servings 1x
Category: Butternut Squash
Method: Mains
Cuisine: British
Diet: Vegan

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Description

Deliciously roasted stuffed butternut squash - filled with flavoursome barley that has been cooked in a curried sauce to accompany the natural sweetness of roasted squash.

Low effort to make and delicious served with fresh pomegranate seeds.

Instructions

Start by washing the butternut squash and removing any outer stains (or supermarket stickers!) under hot water. Then using a large, sharp knife cut the squash down the middle, so you get two equally sized halves.
Using a teaspoon or tablespoon start removing the seeds alongside the ‘stringy’ flesh that surrounds them.
Using a sharp-pointed knife cut slits into your squash vertically and horizontally. This will help the squash to get evenly roasted in the oven. Brush the Extra Virgin Olive Oil across the squash, and then place it in the oven with the insides facing up. Roast for about 30-35 minutes until your squash is soft and the outer skin is lightly browned.
Whilst the squash is roasting, you can prepare the filling by placing the dried Pearl Barley in a medium size pan. Add all spices to the barley, then add the boiling stock water to cover the Barley. Cook on medium heat and make sure to stir regularly so that the spices get evenly distributed and the barley does not get stuck to the bottom of the pan.
You will be able to tell when the barley is ready as it will have soaked up most of the water and more than doubled in size. If you feel like the barley is getting to dry during the cooking process, feel free to add additional water.
Once your squash is done roasting and the barley is fully cooked assemble the dish by filling the barley into the squash, then sprinkle with pomegranate seeds and chopped coriander. Season with salt & black pepper to taste.
Enjoy alongside a bottle of refreshing Appletiser!

Nutrition

Serving Size: 5 serving
Calories: 254
Sugar: 4g
Sodium: 871mg
Fat: 11g
Saturated Fat: 2g
Carbohydrates: 36g
Fiber: 5g
Protein: 4g

Keywords: Stuffed Butternut Squash,Vegan Stuffed Butternut Squash,Stuffed Butternut Squash Recipe

Pro Tip: You can use both fresh as well as frozen pomegranate seeds. I personally always buy a fresh pomegranate & then de-seed it in a bucket of cold water (mainly to avoid the mess, but it's also much easier to de-seed underwater!).

I keep my seeds in a freezer bag because I mostly only use a small amount of them and don't want them to go off and go to waste.

Add the frozen pomegranate on the top right after taking the barley off the stove - the heat of the barley will quickly de-frost your pomegranate seeds!

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Stuffed Butternut Squash and Curried Barley

Recipe Notes