Thanksgiving isn’t the most vegetarian-friendly holiday. It’s a sad but ever-so-relevant reality, especially with the beloved November holiday on the horizon. Fortunately, there are options for us veg-heads out there looking to celebrate family, football and gratitude with a cruelty-free feast. Behold: mushroom and rice-stuffed butternut squash.
To serve two people with stuffing to spare, you’ll need:
One butternut squash, sliced in half length-wise and gored
½ lb of baby bella mushrooms, wiped and dried
One cup cooked white rice
One cup cottage cheese
¾ cup breadcrumbs
½ cup of yellow onions, diced
One Tbsp. of olive oil
Two tablespoons of butter, melted
A generous helping of garlic powder
Salt and pepper
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and prep your sliced squash with a glaze of olive oil and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Roast the squash inside-down on a baking sheet for 30-40 minutes.
In the meantime, sautée the melted butter, some garlic powder, some salt, the chopped onions and the clean and dried mushrooms until the onions are soft and slightly browned. In a separate bowl, cook the rice and mix it in with the sautéed mushrooms and onions, stirring in the cottage cheese and breadcrumbs until the stuffing is a solid but squishy consistency.
After the squash slices are roasted, fill the gored sections with the stuffing mix. Sprinkle a light dusting of breadcrumbs on top of the stuffed section. Roast again, this time with the stuffed innards facing up, for 10-15 minutes or until the breadcrumbs on top are browned and crispy. Serve with a dash of parmesan cheese. Bon appetit!