Meatless Monday: Quinoa and Chickpea-stuffed Butternut Squash

As the weather starts to cool down, there’s nothing I love more than bundling up in a sweater and scarf, going for a walk to my local farmer’s market and picking up fresh fall veggies. This squash was on my table for a few days before I decided what to do with it. Eventually, I came up with this easy dish that can be varied according to what you have in your cupboard. It also makes the whole house smell like autumn!

1 can chickpeas
1 cup dry quinoa
1/2 cup onion
2 cloves garlic
2 carrots
2 cups vegetable broth
rosemary
sage
thyme
salt/pepper
lemon juice
1/2 cup breadcrumbs (I used panko)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Cut squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Drizzle baking pan with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and then rub the inside halves of the squash on the pan until coated. Keep them face down and cook for 30 minutes, or until soft.

While the squash is cooking, boil 2 cups of vegetable broth with the quinoa, and cook for 20 minutes, or until fluffy (add extra broth if it all gets absorbed before it’s fully cooked).

In a pan, sautee onion, garlic and carrots until carrots start to soften. Add a can of chickpeas and lots of fresh spices like rosemary, sage and thyme (about 1 to 2 tbsp of each). Season with salt and pepper and a 2 tbsp  lemon juice). Add the quinoa to the chickpea mixture when it’s done cooking, mix together and season again, to taste.

Remove squash from the oven, flip over so the inside is exposed, and fill/cover with the chickpea-quinoa mixture. It will spill over, but that’s okay. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs.

Put back in the oven for another 10 minutes, or until the top is a nice light brown.

-Katharine Watts, Associate Web Editor