Persian Rice-Stuffed Butternut Squash from 200 Best Sheet Pan Recipes

Why We Love This Recipe

Tender roasted butternut squash is stuffed with spiced Persian rice—and cleanup is a breeze because you only need a sheet pan, a bowl, a knife and a spoon to make it. We're always on the lookout for easy dinners that happen to be healthy too and this stuffed butternut squash recipe fits the bill.

About 200 Best Sheet Pan Recipes

Although it's not entirely vegetarian, the breakfast, dessert, and meatless main dish chapters make 200 Best Sheet Pan Meals: Quick and Easy Oven Recipes One Pan, No Fuss! useful even for those cooks who don't eat meat. Highlights include:

• Crispy Sweet Potato Cakes with Kale and Black Bean Salad
• Sheet Pan Stir-Fry with Napa Cabbage, Mushrooms & Cashews
• Poblano Peppers with Cheesy Rice and Bean Stuffing
• Miso Roasted Vegetables and Tempeh
• Spinach and Feta Sheet Pan Quiche
• Carrot Cake Breakfast Cookies
• Sheet Pan Cheesecake
• Caramelized Bourbon Bananas with Vanilla Ice Cream

Purchase This Book

200 Best Sheet Pan Meals: Quick and Easy Oven Recipes One Pan, No Fuss! by Camilla Saulsbury is available on Amazon.com.

Persian Rice-Stuffed Butternut Squash

Dried cherries, pistachios and ready-cooked rice make an easy, flavorful stuffing. Roasted butternut squash is the perfect cooking vessel, with extra-easy cleanup! Courtesy of 200 Best Sheet Pan Recipes by Camilla Saulsbury © 2016 www.robertrose.ca Reprinted with publisher permission. Available where books are sold.

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Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegetarian

Keyword: Persian Rice-Stuffed Butternut Squash, Stuffed Butternut Squash

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 496kcal

Author: Oh My Veggies

Ingredients

• 2 butternut squash halved lengthwise
• 4 tbsp olive oil divided
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 red bell pepper chopped
• 1 package 12 oz/375 g frozen brown rice, thawed
• ¾ cup roasted pistachios or almonds coarsely chopped
• ½ cup finely chopped green onions
• ⅓ cup chopped dried cherries
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ¾ tsp ground cumin

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C)
• 18- by 13-inch (45 by 33 cm) rimmed sheet pan, lined with foil or parchment paper
• Using a metal spoon, scrape out seeds and membranes from squash halves. Using a sharp knife, score the flesh. Place squash, cut side up, on prepared pan, spacing evenly. Brush cut sides with 2 tbsp (30 mL) oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in preheated oven for 35 minutes.
• Remove pan from oven and add red pepper alongside squash. Drizzle pepper with 1 tbsp (15 mL) oil. Roast for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine rice, pistachios, green onions, cherries, cinnamon, cumin and the remaining oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Remove pan from oven and spoon rice mixture into squash cavities. Roast for 15 to 18 minutes or until squash is fork-tender and stuffing is warmed through.

Notes

Tips
If packaged frozen rice is not available, substitute 2 cups (500 mL) cooled cooked brown rice.
Other dried fruits, such as cranberries, raisins or chopped apricots, can be used in place of the cherries.

Nutrition

Calories: 496kcalCarbohydrates: 66gProtein: 11gFat: 25gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 16gSodium: 21mgPotassium: 1678mgFiber: 12gSugar: 17gVitamin A: 41379IUVitamin C: 120mgCalcium: 235mgIron: 4mg

Craving more veg-friendly recipes? Shop our collection of vegetarian and vegan cookbooks, including our new Vegan Thanksgiving and Vegan Christmas cookbooks!