To make this leek & mushroom couscous stuffed squash, we're going to start by filling our grocery baskets with ingredients from our Fall Grocery Guide:
- Acorn squash
- Leeks
- Mushrooms
- Carrots
- Thyme
- Pecans
- Couscous
- Chickpeas
- Maple syrup
This autumn dish works perfectly as a main course or a side (served with roasted veggies and BBQ tofu?) And can be customized to your liking. Feel free to swap out the quick-cooking couscous for something a little more nutritious like quinoa or brown rice, swap out the pecans for walnuts, the acorn squash for kabocha, whatever you like! Smoky maple tempeh bacon (by Tofurky - I still can't find plain tempeh to play with! 😥 ) adds a hearty richness that takes this from tasting kinda autumn-ish, to bursting with the tastes and smells of Thanksgiving dinner.
Speaking of Thanksgiving, Canadian Thanksgiving is a mere 12 days away! This autumn stuffed squash would be a perfect addition to your Thanksgiving table (whether you happen to be vegan or not!) Chickpeas and pecans help to add a little more sustenance (so if you find yourself at Thanksgiving dinner with only this dish to eat, you'll be full and satisfied!)
Leek & Mushroom Couscous Stuffed Squash
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4 -8 servings 1x
- Category: Side Dish, Main Course, Thanksgiving
- Cuisine: Vegan
Description
A hearty autumn stuffed squash recipe that makes a great side or main course.
Ingredients
Couscous
- 1 cup uncooked couscous (cooks in 5 minutes)
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- pinch salt
Squash
- 2 small acorn squash
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- sprinkle salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp maple syrup
- ¼ tsp vinegar
Couscous Filling
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 slice maple tempeh bacon, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup thin sliced leeks (approx. 1 leek)
- ¼ cup chopped carrot
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms
- ¼ tsp salt, plus more to taste
- ½ cup canned chickpeas, drained
- ¼ cup toasted pecans, chopped
- 2 cups cooked couscous
- ¼ tsp dried thyme
- cracked black pepper, to taste
Instructions
Couscous
- Cook couscous according to package instructions, subbing vegetable broth for water. (Bring vegetable broth to a simmer, turn heat off, stir in couscous, cover and let sit for 5 minutes before gently fluffing with a fork.)
Roasting Squash
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Slice squash in half and scoop out the seeds with a spoon.
- Coat the squash (inside only) with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 40 minutes, inner side up.
- Combine soy sauce, maple syrup, and vinegar. Lightly brush squash with the mixture and bake for another 5-10 minutes. (This is a good time to toast the pecans!)
Couscous filling
- Heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chopped tempeh bacon and cook for 30 seconds before adding garlic, leeks, and carrots. Cook until carrots are nearly tender. Add mushrooms and cook until vegetables are tender. Sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt.
- Add chickpeas, toasted pecans, cooked couscous, thyme, and remaining soy sauce, maple syrup, vinegar mixture. Stir well and set aside until squash is finished cooking.
- Once the squash is cooked, scoop out ¼ cup of flesh from each squash half, and add it to the couscous. Mix well and reheat if needed.
- Spoon the leek & mushroom couscous filling into each squash half. Top with black pepper and serve.
DEBBIE
CAN I PREPAIR IN ADVANCE AND REHEAT?
Brittany
I can't see why not! Let me know how it turns out if you give it a go!
Debbie Langill
This was absolutely amazing! I had a leftover brown rice chickpea combo so used it for the grain and it was 5 star!
★★★★★
Brittany
Thank you for trying out this recipe Debbie! I really appreciate you taking the time to comment. Thanks! ♥
Dani Burger
Your recipes look amazing! I like to collect my recipes in RSS, is there any chance you could set up a feed?
Thanks!
Brittany
You should be able to use the url http://www.ilovevegan.com/feed/ wherever you collect your feeds!
Morgan
This looks delightful. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Brittany
Thanks Morgan!
Cheryl
Hooray for a a favorite autumn veggie, so beautifully prepared .?
★★★★★
Brittany
Thanks so much Cheryl, we're big fans too!