Moroccan Spiced Baked Stuffed Squash
Moroccan Spiced Baked Stuffed Squash, filled with spicy tomato sauce and chickpeas, finished with a drizzle of tahini sauce, makes a sensational vegetarian or plant-based main course.
A Moroccan-inspired mix of cumin, paprika, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon and chilli gives a warm, mild heat.
To make this flavour-packed dish even easier, it features a roasted tomato sauce that can be made in the oven while the squash cooks.
All that’s left to do then is whizz up the sauce, combine it with tinned chickpeas and pile into the squash halves.
While that’s bubbling in the oven, you can make an earthy tahini sauce to drizzle over just before serving.
I love to serve the squash on a bed of grains like bulgur or rice, finished with toasted pumpkin and sesame seeds, fresh herbs and a sprinkle of spice.
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SQUASH
Old codgers like me can remember when just about the only squash you’d come across, apart from the huge orange pumpkins at Halloween, was butternut squash.
While I’ve nothing against the butternut, I think it’s great that more varieties are now available.
And that’s especially true if you subscribe to a veg box rather than relying on supermarkets.
Since I started getting a fortnightly delivery from Moorland Veg Box I’ve tried squash that I’d previously never even heard of.
The pale casperita shown above. The chestnut-like flavour of uchiki kuri. And, last week, the pretty harlequin squashes I used for this recipe.
Of course, one thing that all those squash have in common, once the seeds are removed, is a handy little cavity for stuffing.
MOROCCAN SPICED BAKED SQUASH
Stuffing a squash with good things then baking is an obvious thing to do. But I like to get as much flavour on the squash itself too.
The best way to do this is to make deep slashes in a crisscross pattern all over the cut sides of the hollowed-out squash. Do be careful not to go through to the flesh though.
A sprinkle of salt and pepper, plus a drizzle of olive oil for lubrication is obligatory.
As well as those, I start building up the flavours with a good sprinkle of a Moroccan-inspired spice mix.
By the way, I make no claims of Moroccan authenticity for the mix. Or indeed the dish I made with it.
But the combination of cumin, paprika, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, plus a little chilli heat, is one I’ve used successfully before in Harira Moroccan Soup and also my Moroccan-style Spicy Mutton Stew.
How long the squash halves take to bake until soft and browned will vary depending on the size of your squash.
My small ones took 35 minutes, the larger ones 45 minutes.
MOROCCAN SPICED BAKED STUFF SQUASH, ROASTED TOMATO SAUCE, CHICKPEAS
To stuff the squash halves, I made a spicy tomato sauce and chickpea filling.
As the oven was already on for the squash, it seemed sensible to adapt my existing Roasted Tomato Sauce recipe.
With less hands-on time than making it on top of the stove, this really couldn’t be easier.
All you do is put fresh tomatoes (cut so they’re a similar size) into a roasting tray along with onion, garlic, seasoning and olive oil.
For my standard roasted tomato sauce, which I often eat with pasta or pizza, I add fresh herbs and Balsamic vinegar.
However, for my spicy, Moroccan inspired version I skipped those and tossed everything with about four teaspoons of the spice mix.
Put in the oven above the squash, the vegetables should take 20-30 minutes to get soft and caramelized.
Give them a stir now and then to make sure they’re not sticking or charring too much.
When done, I scrape everything, including the oil and juices, into a suitable container. Then I go in with my stick blender and whizz to a smooth sauce.
Nutty chickpeas are one of my favourite pulses and also seem a suitable partner to Moroccan inspired flavours.
I take two thirds of a tin of chickpeas and combine them with about half the tomato sauce. The rest of the sauce is served alongside the finished dish.
With the chickpeas piled in, the squash halves go back in the oven to heat through and intensify those spicy flavours even more.
Again, depending on size, this stage should take around 20-25 minutes.
However, if more convenient, you can prepare everything in advance and bake later.
In that case, as the squash and sauce will be cold, this will take a little longer. Count on 30-35 minutes.
FINISHING TOUCHES & SERVING
I like to serve the soft and spicy Moroccan Spiced Baked Stuffed Squash on a bed of grains. Bulgur wheat is a favourite of mine, but brown rice, quinoa, couscous or a mixture would all work.
But we haven’t quite finished yet.
With a few extra touches I think you can take this dish to five-star level.
And they’re dead easy.
To contrast with spicy tomato sauce and earthy chickpeas, I made an easy tahini sauce for drizzling over the top.
For an extra creamy sauce, I combined half tahini and half thick yogurt. But you can skip the yogurt and double the tahini if you prefer.
Also in there are garlic, salt, lemon juice, and a little of the spice mix. Simply beat everything together, adding a splash of water to get a drizzling consistency.
Soft and delicious as it is, I think Moroccan Spiced Baked Stuffed Squash does need a little contrasting crunch. And what could be more fitting for a squash dish than pumpkin seeds?
You could just sprinkle them over straight out of the packet. But toasting for a couple of minutes will make them extra crispy and deepen the flavour.
I always keep a jar of toasted black and white sesame seeds in the cupboard. As well as matching the flavour of tahini, they add extra nuttiness to this dish.
A few chopped herbs scattered over brings a little freshness. Here it’s mint. But coriander or parsley would also be good.
To complete the meal, I made a crunchy carrot and onion salad.
A dressing of orange juice, olive oil and honey gave it a sweet yet tangy edge.
IMPRESSIVE BUT EASY VEGGIE OR PLANT-BASED MAIN
While the ingredients list and instructions may look lengthy, Moroccan Spiced Baked Stuffed Squash is not difficult.
Nor is the hands-on time that great.
Easy enough for a weeknight meal (maybe do the initial baking of the squash and make the tomato sauce in advance?), I think this is special enough for entertaining.
An impressive vegetarian or plant-based main course, it’s full of warmly spicy flavour. Utterly satisfying, it has pleasing contrasts of texture too.
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Moroccan Spiced Baked Squash with Spicy Tomato Sauce, Chickpeas & Tahini
Baked squash, filled with roasted spicy tomato sauce and chickpeas, finished with a drizzle of tahini sauce, makes a sensational vegetarian or plant-based main course.
Ingredients
- 2 medium squash e.g. acorn, harlequin, casperita, uchiki kuri
- salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ground black pepper
- 160 g cooked chickpeas
Spice mix
- 3 level tsp ground cumin
- 2 level tsp paprika
- 1 level tsp ground ginger
- 1 level tsp ground turmeric
- 1 level tsp ground cinnamon
- ½-1 level tsp chilli powder or flakes
Roasted tomato sauce
- 500 g tomatoes cut into roughly uniform chunks
- 1 large onion roughly chopped
- 6 cloves garlic finely sliced
- 4 level tsp spice mix
- 1 rounded tsp brown sugar optional
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Tahini sauce
- 60 g tahini
- 60 g yogurt can be replaced with more tahini
- 1 small clove garlic very finely chopped
- 1 tsp spice mix
- salt
- ½-1 lemon juice only
- water
To serve
- cooked grains (optional) e.g. bulgur, quinoa, rice
- 25 g toasted pumpkin seeds
- 2 tsp toasted black and white sesame seeds
- chopped fresh mint or coriander or parsley
- 1 pinch spice mix
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 170C/150C fan/gas 3.
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Make the spice mix
Put all the spices in a small jar with a lid, give it a good shake to combine then set aside.
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Prepare and bake the squash
Cut the squashes in half, scrape out the seeds and discard.
Using a sharp knife, make deep crisscross cuts all over the inside flesh but without going through the skin: this will help the spice mix penetrate.
Put the squash halves on a lined roasting tray, cut side uppermost.
Season lightly with salt and pepper then sprinkle some of the spice mix over each one.
Drizzle or brush with the tablespoon of olive oil then place in the oven on the middle shelf.
Bake until the squash feel tender when pierced with a knife: approx 40-50 min depending on size (baste or brush occasionally to prevent the spices burning).
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Make the roasted tomato sauce
Put the prepared tomatoes, onion and garlic on another roasting tray.
Season with salt, pepper, 4 teaspoons of the spice mix, plus the sugar if using.
Drizzle with the 2 tablespoons of olive oil then toss so everything is coated in seasoning and oil.
Put in the oven above the squash and cook until the tomatoes and onion are softened and starting to brown. Remove from the oven.
Scrape the contents of the tray, including any juices or oil, into a blender (or suitable container if using a stick blender) and whizz to a smooth sauce.
Taste and add more seasoning if needed.
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Stuff and bake the squash
Put the chickpeas in a bowl and coat generously with around half the roasted tomato sauce.
Pile the chickpeas into the squash and put back in the oven at 190 c / 170c Fan / Gas 4 to heat through (20-25 min).
Note: you can prepare in advance up to this point and bake later (30-35 min if baking from chilled).
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Make the tahini sauce
While the squash is baking, take a bowl and stir together the tahini, yogurt if using, garlic, spice mix, a pinch of salt and half the lemon juice.
Stir in a splash or two of water to give a consistency that can be drizzled.
Taste and add more seasoning or lemon juice if needed
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Serving
Serve the squash on a bed of grains if liked, then drizzle generously with the tahini sauce. Sprinkle with the toasted pumpkin and sesame seeds, the chopped herbs and a little spice mix.
Serve the remaining tomato sauce on the side, reheated if necessary.