Main course Contemporary
Butternut Squash Stuffed with Mushrooms, Pearl Barley and Kale
Editorially prepared
Roasted butternut squash halves filled with pearl barley, browned mushrooms and kale. Walnuts add crunch, while dried sour cherries balance the squash's sweetness. The recipe uses previously cooked barley.
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Ingredients
4 servings · metric units
Allow half a small squash per serving. For a larger batch, use an additional baking tray and fry the mushrooms in batches so they can brown. Do not increase the roasting time in proportion to the servings; check each half for tenderness.
Substitutions
Substitute amounts are adjusted to your selected servings.
- Instead of dried pitted sour cherriesdried cranberries
Use instead of the cherries, adjusting the quantity to taste. Cranberries are often heavily sweetened, so start with less and taste the filling before stuffing.
- Instead of cooked pearl barleycooked brown rice
Replace the cooked barley with a similar volume of well-drained rice. The filling will be less chewy. Cook the rice separately until tender before starting the recipe.
- Instead of kale leavesfresh spinach
Add instead of kale a handful at a time until there are enough greens in the filling. Spinach softens faster; cook only until wilted and any liquid has evaporated, usually 1–2 minutes.
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Optional ingredients and substitutions
You’ll need
large baking tray and baking parchment · large frying pan, about 30 cm wide · chopping board and sharp knife · spoon and spatula · large serving platter
Method
0/10 stepsPrepare the squash
Heat the oven to 200°C conventional or 180°C fan. Line the tray with baking parchment. Wash and dry the squash, trim off the stalks and halve lengthways. Remove the seeds and stringy centres, leaving the skin on. Brush the cut surfaces with one third of the oil; reserve the remaining oil for the filling. Season with salt and pepper, then place cut-side down.
Prepare the squash Roast until tender
Put the tray in the preheated oven and roast for about 45–55 minutes. After 45 minutes, test the thickest part of each half: a knife should slide in without noticeable resistance and the edges of the flesh should be browned. Continue roasting any firmer halves, checking every 5–10 minutes. While the squash roasts, move on to preparing the filling; the squash remains in the oven.
45:00Roast until tender Prepare the filling ingredients
While the squash roasts, clean the mushrooms and cut into pieces about 1–2 cm across. Finely chop the onion and garlic, keeping them separate. Wash and dry the kale, remove any tough stalks and cut the leaves into short strips. Roughly chop the walnuts and cherries. Break up any clumps in the cooked barley with a fork.
Prepare the filling ingredients Brown the mushrooms
Heat the remaining oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and onion. Cook for about 10–14 minutes from adding them, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are browned, the onion is soft and the liquid has evaporated. If liquid remains after this time, keep cooking uncovered. Reduce the heat if the onion starts to scorch.
10:00Brown the mushrooms Add the walnuts and aromatics
Reduce the heat to medium. Add the garlic, walnuts and thyme. Stir for 1–2 minutes from adding them, until the garlic is fragrant and the walnuts are lightly toasted. Do not let the garlic darken; lower the heat if necessary.
02:00Add the walnuts and aromatics Soften the kale
Add the kale and cherries. Cook, stirring, for about 3–5 minutes from adding them, until the leaves have wilted and softened but remain green. If they are still tough, add a splash of water and keep stirring until tender; evaporate any visible liquid before continuing. Remove the pan from the heat.
03:00Soften the kale Combine the filling
Add the cooked barley, soy sauce and lemon juice to the pan. Mix thoroughly so the grains are evenly combined with the vegetables. Taste and season with pepper and salt if needed. The filling should be moist but have no liquid pooling underneath. If the squash is not yet tender, leave the filling in the pan off the heat and wait until the squash passes the knife test.
Combine the filling Fill the squash halves
Remove the tender squash from the oven, leaving the oven on. Carefully turn the halves cut-side up. Gently press the flesh along each neck with the back of a spoon to make a shallow hollow without piercing the skin. Divide all the filling between the halves, filling the hollows and piling the rest in low mounds over the flesh.
Fill the squash halves Bake with the filling
Return the stuffed squash to the oven. Bake for about 10 minutes from returning the tray, until the centre of the filling is piping hot and steaming and the surface is lightly dried. Check the centre of one mound with a spoon. If it is only warm, continue baking in 5-minute intervals; loosely cover with foil if the surface darkens too quickly.
10:00Bake with the filling Serve on a platter
Transfer the halves to a large serving platter, supporting each underneath with a wide spatula. Serve hot, allowing half a squash per person. Scoop out the flesh and filling with a spoon, leaving the skin behind if preferred.
Serve on a platter
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Tips
- Dry the squash before cutting and place it securely on a chopping board. Use a large, sharp knife and do not try to cut through the hard stalk.
- If the mushrooms cannot sit loosely in the frying pan, cook them in two batches, dividing the filling's oil between them.
- Do not scoop out all the tender flesh. Gently pressing it down with a spoon makes room for the filling without removing squash.
Storage
Divide leftovers into portions, transfer to shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking. Keep covered for up to 2 days. Reheat covered in an oven at 180°C until the centre of the filling is piping hot and steaming; start checking after 20 minutes.
Timing
Hands-on: 30 min · Cooking: 65 min
