Freekeh Stuffed Butternut Squash

This is fresh but filling meal that makes use of a variety of grains that bring the whole meal together. This dish shows the simplicity of plant-based cooking that anyone can easily make.
Recipe & Photography by The Bare Scientist
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Serves 4
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1 hour
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2 pans
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Beginner
Suitable for dairy-free, vegans and vegetarians
Ingredients
- 1 x 250g pouch of Merchant Gourmet Freekeh
- 1/2 x 250g pouch of Red & White Quinoa
- 1 medium butternut squash
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp ground harissa
- 1 large brown onion, roughly chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/2 red pepper, chopped into small cubes
- 1/4 small head savoy cabbage, shredded
- dried mixed herbs, ground coriander, chilli powder, salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 5 tbsp harissa paste
- 45g whole unsalted pistachios
- 1 lime, juiced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 7 (220°C)
- Wash and scrub the skin of the butternut squash. Dry and cut in half, discarding the seeds. Score the flesh of the butternut squash and brush on 1 tbsp olive oil (sufficient for both halfs) and season to taste with salt, pepper and ground harissa
- Place both halves of the squash on a baking tray and cook for approximately 40 minutes or until a fork can easily pierce through the flesh but the squash is not mushy
- Whilst the butternut squash is cooking, heat remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil in a deep frying pan over a medium-high fire. Add chopped onions and fry until turning translucent, followed by garlic, bell pepper, shredded cabbage, soy sauce and a little (approximately 1 tsp) salt and pepper and mixed herbs. Cook for 10 minutes
- Add in the 1 x 250g pouch Merchant Gourmet Freekeh and ½ x 250g pouch Merchant Gourmet Quinoa (red and white) followed by ground coriander and chilli powder and any further seasoning to taste and 1 cup water and harissa paste, leaving to simmer over a medium-low heat for 15 minutes
- Remove the cooked squash from the oven and fill with the freekeh and quinoa mix, and place the filled squash on a bed of freekeh and quinoa mix, garnishing with chopped pistachios and lime juice
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