We try our best to have at least one vegetarian meal a week and are always looking for new ideas. We’ve been making variations of this Mediterranean quinoa stuffed squash over the last several months and finally took down measurements to create this recipe. It’s full of plant-based protein and fiber to keep you full, so you won’t miss the meat. It can easily be made vegan by omitting the feta cheese. Plus, it takes about 30 minutes to come together making it a super easy weeknight meal. All-in-all, a win in our book!

We chose to use mushrooms, tomatoes, and a mix of herbs to flavor the quinoa, but you can customize this however you like. I highly recommend the addition of the balsamic drizzle at the end to add a little acidity to the dish. We always keep balsamic glaze in the pantry (Trader Joes has a great one that’s inexpensive) because it’s great to finish off dishes that may feel like they are missing something.

The quinoa filling is honestly great on its own. We often make extra and add some greens to make a tasty salad for lunch the next day. We’ve also used this stuffing in bell peppers and eggplant and it works great! Next, we might try using it to stuff butternut or acorn squashes! If you’re not a big fan of quinoa, you could also easily do this with your choice of rice or other grain. It’s really customizable in so many ways.

Hope you can add this recipe into your weekly rotation to add some veggies to your life! We know it can be tough to find vegetarian recipes the whole family will enjoy but we hope that you can adapt this dish to your own family’s tastes and create your own version.

Mediterranean Quinoa Stuffed Squash

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Servings: 4 Servings

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• 4 Medium Yellow Squash or Zucchini Halved lengthwise and middle seeds gently scooped out with spoon
• 1 Cup Uncooked Quinoa
• 1/2 Cup Baby Bella Mushrooms Sliced
• 1 Medium Tomato Diced
• 3 Cloves Garlic Minced
• 1/4 Cup Fresh Parsley Chopped
• 2 Tablespoons fresh basil Chopped
• 2 Tablespoons Fresh Mint Chopped
• 1/2 Cup feta cheese or goat cheese Crumbled
• 1 Tablespoon Balsamic Glaze
• Kosher salt To Taste
• Black Pepper To Taste
• 2-3 Tablespoons olive oil

Method

 

1. Pre-Heat oven to 400F.
2. Place your squash onto baking sheet, cut side up and drizzle with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Bake for about 15 minutes.
3. While squash are baking, prep the quinoa. Rinse thoroughly under cold water.
4. Add rinsed quinoa to a pot with 2 cups of water and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cover. Let simmer for 15-20 minutes. Then, remove from heat and keep covered another 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork.
5. Add 1 teaspoon olive oil, garlic, mushrooms and tomatoes to quinoa and return to heat. Stir 3-4 minutes or until mushrooms have browned slightly.
6. Add fresh herbs and stir to combine. Remove from heat and set aside.
7. Remove squash from oven and stuff with quinoa. Top with crumbled feta or goat cheese. Drizzle with balsamic glaze and serve.