Delight in a symphony of flavours with this Vegetarian Stuffed Butternut Squash recipe. Where hearty, crumbled vegetarian haggis takes centre stage amongst the buttery soft squash. Full of wonderful savoury flavours and textures, it is perfect for a meat-free Sunday roast or even as the vegetarian centrepiece for your festive table!

In the realm of delicious and wholesome plant-based meals, there’s one recipe that stands out for its unique blend of flavours and its healthy appeal – Vegetarian Stuffed Butternut Squash.

There are lots of tasty stuffed squash recipes out there but none quite like this. This culinary masterpiece transforms a humble butternut squash into a gastronomic delight, combining the natural sweetness of the squash with the savoury richness of my favourite savoury vegetarian secret ingredient: vegetarian haggis.

So when you’re looking for a hearty, wholesome vegetarian meal, perhaps to replace your usual meat Sunday roast or an impressive vegan centrepiece this recipe is an absolute must-try.

The Health Benefits of Opting for a Meat-Free Meal

A meat-free meal can be an excellent choice for everyone, but in particular, if you are also living with diabetes. Not only does it open you up to a world of nourishment for mind and body it can help with your day-to-day diabetes management.

So if you are considering adding some more meatless meals to your diet here are a few more compelling reasons:

Plant-based diets tend to be rich in fibre – Fibre is wonderful and the more you can include the better as it helps to regulate blood sugar levels by slowing the absorption of glucose. It will also help to make you feel fuller for longer.

A meat-free diet often contains healthier carbohydrates – such as whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, which have a gentler impact on blood sugar compared to refined carbohydrates.

Homemade plant-based meals are typically lower in saturated fats – this will help to reduce the risk of insulin resistance. Incorporating meat alternatives like legumes, tofu, and nuts can provide essential proteins without the adverse effects of animal fats. However, be wary of some vegan and vegetarian meat substitutes as they are often highly processed and not as healthy as we believe them to be.

Sustainability in every bite – By choosing plant-based alternatives like vegetarian haggis, you can contribute to a more sustainable food system.

Ultimately, a well-balanced meat-free diet can play a vital role in maintaining stable blood sugar levels and overall diabetes management.

Why you will love whole stuffed butternut squash

Whole vegetarian stuffed butternut squash recipe is full of wonderful autumnal and wintery flavours. It uses one of my favourite ingredients, vegetarian haggis by MacSween. The haggis not only adds wonderful texture and depth to this recipe, but with a few extra additions, the flavours are really amplified. However, the piece de resistance (in my opinion) is the addition of the caramelised onion chutney, which adds a beautiful sweetness to the stuffing making it perfectly moreish.

This meatless recipe is a wholesome and nutritious choice, as we discussed above. Packed with vitamins, fibre, and essential nutrients, making it a fantastic option for those seeking a health-conscious meal.

It also looks pretty impressive right? This stuffed squash is perfect for a meatless Sunday roast or even as a vegetarian festive centrepiece for Thanksgiving or Christmas.

So, whether you’re a food enthusiast or simply looking for a satisfying and visually stunning meal, whole stuffed butternut squash is sure to win your heart.

vegetarian haggis stuffed butternut squash

What is Vegetraian Haggis?

Haggis is a traditional dish from Scotland and usually is a mixture of lamb, beef, oats, onions and spices. So a little like a mince you would use in a shepherd’s pie but with the added fibre from the oats and lentils.

However, in this recipe, I use the wonderful MacSween Vegetarian Haggis, which is a combination of vegetables, mushrooms, pulses, oats, onions and seeds. You can buy this from Waitrose in the UK.

I also use this vegetarian haggis in THE ULTIMATE VEGGIE HAGGIS SAUSAGE ROLLS, which is another mouth-watering recipe you must try!

What you will need to make vegetarian haggis stuffed butternut squash

Butternut squash

Has a wonderfully sweet, nutty flavour that goes slightly sticky when slowly roasted

Packs a brilliant nutritional punch of fibre, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants

Onion

I use pre-chopped white onions or shallots in this recipe for ease

However, you can use a small red or white onion

Vegetarian Haggis

Rich in plant-based protein and fibre, it provides essential nutrients like iron, magnesium, and folate

A great healthy carbohydrate

I use the one by Macsween which I buy in Waitrose

Fresh of Frozen Herbs

Use a combination of whatever you have or are your favourites

I used frozen chopped Thyme, Rosemary and Parsley

Caramelised onion chutney

It gives an extra sweet stickiness that compliments the herby haggis

I like this one from Sainsbury’s

Equipment Needed

Spatula / Mixing spoon

Measuring Spoon

Weighing Scales

Baking Tray

Non Stick Frying Pan

Sharp Knife

Spoon

Chopping board

How to make vegetarian haggis stuffed butternut squash

Whilst this is a fairly easy recipe to make but requires a few preparation steps before you leave your oven to work its magic for this delicious vegetarian main meal

This step by step guide and tips should help you make a delicious stuffed butternut squash:

Start by preheating the oven to 200°C / 180°C fan

Step 1 – Prepare the butternut squash

Top Tip – Place your squash in the microwave and heat on high for 4 minutes. This makes it easier to cut and prepare.

Cut your squash in half carefully and then scoop out the seeds.
Using a knife cut a channel down the top part of the squash and scoop out some more of the flesh so that you create a hollow running along the length of your squash.

Keep any of the squash you scoop out as it will be chopped and added to the stuffing.

Step 2 – Make the Stuffing

vegetarian haggis with herbs added to the frying pan

Start by heating a little olive oil or a little knob of butter in a frying pan. Add your onion and cook for a couple of minutes.

Now crumble in your haggis and stir well, heating it through and breaking done the chunks for another couple of minutes.

Then Stir through the chopped herbs and chutney. And finally add the leftover chopped butternut squash, combing everything well.

Top Tip – To help with carb counting I would weigh the complete stuffing to help you accurately carb count a serving

Step 3 – Stuff the Butternut Squash

uncooked stuffed butternut squash on the weighing scales

stuffed butternut squash wrapped in foil

It’s now time to bring it all together and stuff the squash. Simply Fill each half of the squash with your stuffing, place the two halves back together and wrap tightly in foil.

Place the butternut squash in the preheated oven for 90 minutes, turning over halfway through.

Top Tip – To help with carb counting I would put each half of the squash on your weighing scales and jot down how much stuffing you use.

Suggestions for the Leftover Stuffing

This recipe makes more filling than you need for your stuffed butternut squash. But don’t throw it away! Here are some ideas of what you can do with the extra:

uncooked vegetarian haggis stuffing balls on a plate — Vegetarian stuffing balls

Make delicious stuffing balls – Simply roll the stuffing into balls (weighing each ball as you go). I can normally make 4-5 balls with the leftovers. Place them in a small roasting tin and cook in the oven at 180c for 20 minutes Find the full recipe here – QUICK HOMEMADE STUFFING BALLS
Make it into a sausage roll – Wrap the stuffing in some puff pastry, cut and cook for a tasty snack. Find the full recipe here – VEGGIE SAUSAGE ROLLS
Store for another day – Allow the filling to cool and keep it in your fridge for 3 to 4 days to use in another dish.

How to Serve

For a touch of freshness and vibrancy, garnish your Vegetarian Stuffed Butternut Squash with freshly chopped herbs like parsley or chives.

And to complement this dish, serve with more tasty vegetable sides – Below is a selection to try with your vegetarian roast dinners

vegetarian haggis stuffed butternut squash with stuffing balls

Diabetes Note

This is a really tasty and filling vegetarian option for your Sunday roasts or dinners. But it is a little trickier on the carb counting front than some of the other recipes. However, this break down should give you a general idea of how we calculated the total carbs.

One thing to note is the carb count for the vegetarian haggis. We don’t typically have to count for pulses or beans so what I did was work out the countable carb amount based on the percentage of oats used (23%) which was very helpfully listed on the nutritional label.

Carb Counting

This is how I worked out the carb count amount for MacSween Vegetarian Haggis

For 100g of Veggie haggis = 23g of carbohydrates
The percentage of that which is oats = 23%
23% of 23g = 5.3g of carbs
This recipe uses the whole pack – 500g, So, 5.3 x 5= 26.5g of countable carbs for 500g of MacSween vegetarian haggis

We also have to count for the chutney so below is the breakdown for the vegetarian stuffing

The carb count for ALL of the vegetarian stuffing

500g of MacSween vegetarian haggis = 26.5g of carbs
40g Caramelised Onion Chutney = 20.2g of carbs

Now add all the carbs together – 26.5+20.2 = 46.7g of carbs for all of the stuffing

The carb count per serving

Because the stuffing isn’t evenly spread throughout the butternut squash I found it easier to remove the stuffing on the serving I had to carb count and weigh that separately.

To accurately work out the carb count by portion I used the following formula

infographic of the diabetic carb counting formula

So for one serving, the total countable carbs of the stuffing = 46.7g, I used 385g of stuffing to fill the squash and a portion was approx 95g

46.7/385*95 = 11.5g of carb per portion

If you made the stuffing balls, subtract the weight of the stuffing used in the squash (385g) from the total weight of the stuffing (685g) = 685-385=300g

Then weigh 1 ball (@60g) and use the same formula above – 46.7/300*60 = 9g of carbs per stuffing ball

Please note this carb count amount per portion is based on the standard ingredients listed above and may differ depending on what you use and how much you choose to eat.

If you liked this recipe, then take a look at these other delicious and nutritious recipes that are blood sugar-friendly and beneficial for managing diabetes

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