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    Home » Recipes » Vegetarian Dinner Recipes

    Nov 12, 2014 · Modified: Jul 11, 2022 by Becca Heyes · This post may contain affiliate links · 15 Comments

    Paneer stuffed butternut squash with spiced yogurt

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    Total time: 1 hour 20 minutes
    Servings: 2
    5 from 2 votes
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    Paneer stuffed butternut squash with spiced yogurt - a great vegetarian option for an alternative Thanksgiving!

    (please remember to take my reader survey!!)

    I am in love with paneer cheese - it's my go-to when we have Indian food (yes, apparently even when I'm having a curry I still gravitate towards cheese...). I'm usually very unimaginative, and I have saag paneer (paneer with spinach) every single time we get a take away curry. I like to tell myself it's a good way to compare the quality of different restaurants, but in truth I just absolutely love the stuff.

    However, since this time I was cooking at home, I decided to use my paneer for something a bit different - sticking with the autumnal theme, I made paneer stuffed butternut squash!

    Paneer stuffed butternut squash with spiced yogurt - a great vegetarian option for an alternative Thanksgiving!

    If you've never had paneer, it's a very mild-tasting cheese, which is why it goes so well with bold Indian spices. You can cut the cheese into cubes, but this time I crumbled it up to give a stuffing mixture that was easy to scoop into the butternut squash halves. I flavoured the mixture with cumin, ground coriander and turmeric, and also added some spring onions, garlic, and some tomatoes to keep things nice and juicy.

    Paneer stuffed butternut squash with spiced yogurt - a great vegetarian option for an alternative Thanksgiving!

    Although the paneer stuffing is the star of this recipe, the roasted butternut squash itself can't be forgotten! The top side becomes slightly sweet as it caramelises in the heat of the oven (look at those crispy bits!), and the flesh becomes as soft as butter (and I don't mean butter that's been in the fridge...). Scooping a fork or spoon through the tender squash and then into the spiced paneer is just heaven!

    Paneer stuffed butternut squash with spiced yogurt - a great vegetarian option for an alternative Thanksgiving!

    My butternut squash was fairly big, so half a squash each was plenty for a main course - make sure you don't choose a squash that's too enormous, especially if you're planning on serving it with some side dishes! You could even make this dish into an appetiser if you choose a couple of very small squashes, splitting the paneer filling into four portions instead of two.

    Paneer stuffed butternut squash with spiced yogurt - a great vegetarian option for an alternative Thanksgiving!

    By the way, don't forget to drizzle the spiced yogurt on top! It adds a wonderful creaminess to the dish and keeps it moist - and a good handful of fresh coriander on top is pretty great too.

    What do you reckon - a good vegetarian option for a slightly alternative Thanksgiving?

    Paneer stuffed butternut squash with spiced yogurt - a great vegetarian option for an alternative Thanksgiving!

    Paneer stuffed butternut squash with spiced yogurt

    If you've cooked this recipe, don't forget to leave a star rating!

    5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin Comment
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour
    Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
    Servings: 2
    Calories:
    Author: Becca Heyes

    Ingredients

    • 1 medium butternut squash
    • 1 tablespoon oil
    • Salt
    • Black pepper

    For the paneer stuffing:

    • 1 tablespoon oil
    • 3 cloves garlic minced
    • 225 g paneer cheese
    • 3 spring onions sliced
    • ~12 cherry tomatoes quartered or roughly chopped
    • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
    • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
    • ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
    • 3 tablespoon fresh coriander chopped

    To serve:

    • 2 tablespoon Greek yogurt
    • ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
    • ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
    • 2 tablespoon fresh coriander chopped

    Instructions

    • Wash the skin of the butternut squash thoroughly, and cut it in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds and pulp with a spoon. Rub both sides of the two halves with a little oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast at 190°C (Gas Mark 5 / 375°F), skin side down, for around an hour, or until the flesh is fairly soft.
    • While the squash is roasting, heat 1tbsp of oil in a frying pan, and add the garlic, paneer, spring onions, tomatoes and spices. Cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes, until the tomatoes have cooked down and the mixture is fragrant. Add a few tablespoon of fresh coriander, and set aside.
    • When the squash is ready, scoop out a small amount of the flesh from the area around where the seeds were, and add it to the paneer mixture. Mix well, and spoon the stuffing back into the squash halves. Return to the oven for a further 15 minutes.
    • Add the ¼ teaspoon of cumin and ¼ teaspoon of ground coriander to the yogurt, and mix well.
    • When the stuffed squash is ready, serve it topped with the spiced yogurt and more fresh coriander. The skin is perfectly edible, but you might want to just scoop out the flesh if it feels a bit tough.

    Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on your exact ingredients. Please calculate your own nutritional values if you require accuracy for health reasons.

    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @EasyCheesyVeg or tag #EasyCheesyVegetarian!

    Paneer stuffed butternut squash with spiced yogurt - a great vegetarian option for an alternative Thanksgiving!Love butternut squash? Don't miss my smoky coconut and butternut squash soup:

    Smoky coconut and butternut squash soup

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    Comments

    1. Simon says

      April 28, 2015 at 6:37 pm

      Hmm these look delicious, thanks for posting up this recipe, looks quite simple to make.

      Simon

      Reply
    2. Lisa says

      December 30, 2014 at 3:33 pm

      This is gorgeous. I too am a big fan of paneer. I will be trying this one.

      Reply
    3. Deena Kakaya says

      November 24, 2014 at 9:34 pm

      Now this is a recipe that is tickling my fancy! what a glowing mix of spice, sweetness, heat, and moist dense flavours. lovely lovely x

      Reply
    4. Bintu @ Recipes From A Pantry says

      November 21, 2014 at 7:51 am

      I love this idea and will need to borrow it.

      Reply
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    Hi, I'm Becca! I've been a vegetarian for 20+ years, and unlike most of my other childhood pursuits, I actually stuck with it! I love cooking vegetarian food that's full of flavour, but doesn't take a lot of effort to make.

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    Hi, I'm Becca! I've been a vegetarian for 20+ years, and unlike most of my other childhood pursuits, I actually stuck with it! I love cooking vegetarian food that's full of flavour, but doesn't take a lot of effort to make.

    More about me →

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