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

Serves 4
1 hour
2 pans
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

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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