Vegan Stuffed Squash with Miso Maple Gravy
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Impress your vegan and vegetarian guests with this beautiful Vegan Stuffed Squash with Miso Maple Gravy. The sweetness of the squash is balanced by the umami of the miso gravy, while edamame and green onion add colour and texture to the brown rice stuffing. Perfect as a vegan option at a holiday gathering or dinner party!
Vegan stuffed Squash with Miso Maple Gravy
For many years, I was a vegetarian (and the only one in my family), so most of my holiday meals consisted of a big plate of side dishes. I’m not complaining. The food was delicious and I never went hungry, but there was one thing I really missed: gravy. I love gravy. There’s something about gravy on mashed potatoes that makes my tastebuds dance. But, poor me, usually the gravy was made with the turkey, so I couldn’t eat it.
If you have a vegan or vegetarian gravy lover coming to your holiday dinner (or maybe it’s for you?), look no further for a beautiful entrée. I’ve gone a little untraditional with the flavour profile for this dish, but the Japanese-inspired flavours just work so well with acorn squash.
Ingredients in Vegan Stuffed Squash
For the squash you’ll need
- Acorn squash – two medium-sized (about 2 pounds each)
- Maple syrup – the real stuff!
- Olive oil
- Sea salt
For the filling you’ll need
- Brown rice
- Soy sauce – or wheat-free tamari for gluten free
- Frozen shelled edamame
- Olive oil
- Green onion – I used two bunches (about 12 stalks), white and light green parts only
- Grated fresh ginger or ginger paste
- Sesame oil – optional but adds nice flavour
- Sesame seeds & additional sliced green onion, for garnish
Ingredients in Miso Maple Gravy
- Vegetable broth
- Brown rice miso
- Maple syrup – again, the real stuff!
- Soy sauce – or wheat-free tamari for gluten free
- Rice wine vinegar
- Arrowroot powder – for thickening
How to Make Vegan Stuffed Squash with Miso Maple Gravy
Important tip for making this recipe
I want to pause here and encourage you to do one thing before you start: read the recipe from start to finish before you begin! This might be a Captain Obvious thing for many of you reading this, but I know a lot of people that dive in to cooking before reading the whole recipe. This recipe isn’t hard, but you’ll want to understand the timing of each element before you get started. Okay, PSA over. Now on to the recipe!
Step one: Prep the Squash & Bake
- Preheat the oven to 375 °F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Fill a large pot with 8 cups of water and place on high heat to bring to a boil.
- Slice each acorn squash lengthwise, cutting through the stem. Scoop out the seeds and stringy parts. Pro tip: Use a grapefruit spoon for scooping seeds. The serrated edge makes it a lot easier!
- If the squash doesn’t sit flat the way you will serve it, slice off a small piece of the skin side to make it more level.
- Mix the maple syrup and olive oil in a small bowl and brush it onto the cut sides of the squash. Sprinkle with sea salt.
- Bake the squash skin side up on the baking sheet for 40-45 minutes, or until a fork pierces through easily.
Step two: Cook the rice
- Once the water is boiling, add the brown rice and soy sauce. Set the timer for 30 minutes and cook uncovered, maintaining a rolling boil (turn heat down if needed to prevent boiling over). Note: we’re cooking the brown rice this way (versus the absorption method) because it allows us to cook the edamame in the same pot with the rice.
Step Three: Make the miso gravy
- In a small sauce pan, add the vegetable broth, brown miso, maple syrup, soy sauce and rice wine vinegar (basically, everything but the arrowroot powder). Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes.
- Once the gravy has reduced for 20 minutes, whisk together the arrowroot with two teaspoons of room temperature water to form a slurry (a mixture with no lumps), then slowly whisk the slurry into the gravy. Allow the gravy to simmer for about a minute while the arrowroot thickens, then remove from heat. Be careful not to overheat the arrowroot, because overheating can cause an undesirable texture.
Step four: Finish the rice stuffing
- Once the rice has cooked for 30 minutes, add the edamame and boil for another 4 minutes.
- Drain the rice and edamame using a fine-holed colander (you don’t want rice falling through!). Use the pot lid to cover the rice in the colander to trap steam. In the same pot that you used to cook the rice, sauté the green onion and grated ginger in olive oil (just for a minute), then add back the rice and edamame. Cover and allow it to steam until the squash is done (about 5-10 minutes).
- Once you’re ready to assemble the squash, fluff the rice with a fork and stir to evenly distribute the green onion and edamame.
Step five: Assemble the stuffed squash
- Once the squash is done, divide the rice stuffing among the halves and garnish with sesame seeds and additional sliced green onion, if desired.
- Whisk the gravy one more time and transfer to a gravy boat, for serving.
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Vegan Stuffed Squash with Miso Maple Gravy
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Ingredients
For the roasted squash
- 2 acorn squash (washed well)
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup (the real stuff)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- sea salt
For the filling
- 8 cups water
- 1 cup brown rice (rinsed to remove excess starch)
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce (or wheat-free tamari, for gluten free)
- 1 cup frozen shelled edamame
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup diced green onion (white and light green parts only)
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger (or store-bought ginger paste)
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil (optional)
For the gravy
- 1.5 cups vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons brown miso
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup (the real stuff)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce (or wheat-free tamari)
- 2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon arrowroot powder (+ 2 teaspoons of room temperature water)
For garnish
- additional sliced green onion
- sesame seeds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 °F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large pot, bring 8 cups of water to a boil. While you're waiting for the water to boil, prepare the acorn squash. Slice each squash in half lengthwise, cutting through the stem, and scoop out the seeds (I use a grapefruit spoon to make it easier). If the squash doesn't sit flat the way you will serve it, you can slice a small piece off of the skin side to make it level.
- Whisk the maple syrup and olive oil in a small bowl and brush it over the cut side of each squash half. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt. Place the squash cut side up on the parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for about 45 minutes or until a fork pierces through easily.
- Once the water is boiling, add the brown rice and two tablespoons of soy sauce and boil uncovered for 30 minutes. Adjust the temperature down as needed to prevent the pot from boiling over.
- Meanwhile, start the gravy. In a small sauce pan, combine the vegetable broth, brown miso, maple syrup, soy sauce and rice wine vinegar. Bring to a boil, then turn heat down to medium-low and simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes. After simmering for 20 minutes, whisk the arrowroot powder with 2 teaspoons of room temperature water to form a slurry, then whisk the slurry into the gravy mixture until well combined. Simmer for one minute (see note 1), then remove from heat. Whisk once more before transferring to a gravy boat for serving.
- Once the rice timer goes off, add the edamame to the boiling water with the rice and cook for another 4 minutes. Drain the rice and edamame in a fine-holed colander and cover to trap the steam (I just use the pot lid). Add olive oil to the same pot and warm over medium heat. Sauté the green onion and grated ginger for about a minute, until fragrant. Add the rice and edamame back to the pot and cover. Let it steam for up to 10 minutes until the squash is ready. Fluff with a fork and stir to evenly distribute the green onion. Mix in the sesame oil, if desired.
- Once the squash is cooked, divide the rice and edamame mixture among the squash halves. Garnish with additional green onion and sesame seeds, if desired. Serve immediately with the gravy.
Notes
- Do not overheat the arrowroot! Arrowroot only needs to be heated for about a minute to thicken the gravy. If it’s overheated, it will start to lose its thickening properties and will create an undesirable texture.
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Hey, I’m Laura!
Creator of The Recipe Well
If you’re looking for easy meals and Instant Pot recipes, you’re in the right place! I use my nutrition degree to create simple, approachable recipes that will help you find your happy place in the kitchen.
