Butternut Squash Vegducken
4.3
(32)
Active Time
1 hour, 15 minutes
Total Time
3 hours, 45 minutes
There's no shame in not eating turkey at Thanksgiving, or ham at Christmas—that is, when you have Butternut Squash Vegducken. This vegetable stunner of an entrée is an entirely meatless take on turducken, with butternut squash, eggplant, and zucchini filling in for the usual suspects. An added bonus: the cheesy mushroom stuffing makes use of leftover vegetable scraps, making the dish #wasteless
Ingredients
6 servings
Special equipment:
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 350°F. Toast pecans on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing once, until fragrant and slightly darkened, 10–15 minutes. Let cool, then coarsely chop and set aside.
Step 2
Increase oven temperature to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Step 3
Cut zucchini in half lengthwise. Using a medium-size quick-release ice cream scoop or heavy spoon, scoop out insides, leaving a small divot down the center. Reserve zucchini filling.
Step 4
Cut eggplant in half lengthwise and scoop out insides, leaving a 1/4" border on all sides and creating a divot deep enough to fit zucchini halves inside. Reserve eggplant filling.
Step 5
Cut butternut squash in half lengthwise and remove seeds. Scoop out insides, leaving a 1/2" border on all sides and creating a divot deep enough to fit eggplant halves inside. Reserve squash filling.
Step 6
Using a fork, pierce insides of squash and zucchini halves. Using a sharp knife, make shallow crosshatch marks inside of eggplant, being careful not to pierce the skin. Trim scallions to match the length of the squash.
Step 7
Coarsely chop 1 garlic clove. Combine chopped garlic, shallot, mushrooms, zucchini filling, eggplant filling, and squash filling in a large bowl. Working in batches, pulse in a food processor until finely chopped.
Step 8
Heat oil over medium in a large skillet. Add vegetable purée and 3 thyme sprigs. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Return to bowl and let cool.
Step 9
Meanwhile, smash and peel remaining garlic clove and combine with butter, red pepper flakes, and remaining 6 thyme sprigs in a small pot. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until butter is melted, then stir in maple syrup.
Step 10
Pluck out thyme sprigs from vegetable mixture. Stir in eggs, Parmesan, breadcrumbs, 3 Tbsp. parsley, and 1 tsp. salt.
Step 11
Place squash halves, cut side up, on prepared baking sheet. Brush inside of each with maple syrup butter and season with 1/2 tsp. salt. Using the back of a spoon, press 3/4 cup vegetable mixture into each half until interior is fully coated. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup reserved pecans.
Step 12
Nestle eggplant halves, cut side up, inside squash halves. Brush inside of each eggplant half with maple syrup butter and season with 1/2 tsp. salt. Using the back of a spoon, press 1/3 cup vegetable mixture into each half until interior is fully coated. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup pecans.
Step 13
Nestle zucchini halves, cut side up, inside eggplant halves. Brush inside of each zucchini half with maple syrup butter and season with 1/8 tsp. salt. Using a spoon, fill zucchini halves with 1/4 cup vegetable mixture, spreading it flat. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup pecans (reserve remaining pecans), then lay scallions down the middle.
Step 14
Cut 3 (18") lengths of kitchen twine. Slip twine under one squash half, then top with second squash half, so that cut sides face each other, and press down to seal. Tightly tie twine around squash to secure. Brush top with maple syrup butter (reserve remaining butter) and season with 1/2 tsp. salt. Wrap squash in aluminum foil and place in the center of the baking sheet. Using 2 loaf pans or small metal bowls turned upside down, keep squash secure on baking sheet.
Step 15
Bake until squash is tender to the touch, 1 hour 45 minutes–2 hours. Remove foil and let rest 20 minutes.
Step 16
Meanwhile, pluck out thyme from remaining maple syrup butter, heat over medium-low until warm, then stir in mint, lemon juice, 1 tsp. salt, and remaining 3 Tbsp. parsley.
Step 17
Place vegducken on a cutting board and cut into 1" slices with a serrated knife, transferring to serving plates as you go. Spoon herb butter over slices, garnish with remaining pecans, and serve.
The sizes of the squash, eggplant, and zucchini can vary a bit from the lengths specified; the key is that they fit/nestle into one another. When possible, choose squash and eggplant that have a neck and bulb that are as uniform in width as possible.
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Reviews (32)
Back to TopIt did take me about 1.5 hours of prep. Because of other reviews I seasoned it very liberally, and going against my instincts used (almost) the amount of salt called for. The presentation as well as the flavor were both so so, a bit uninspiring for all the work involved. Glad I tried it before putting it on the menu for friends.
Allane Ball
Maine
4/18/2024
So first of all for readers who don't like people to review recipes who do not follow them EXACTLY, stop reading this now. Here is the review of the dish the I made which was INSPIRED by this recipe. My ingredients: One eggplant one zucchini dried mushrooms 2 shallots 5 garlic cloves panko bread crumbs parmesan pink sea salt tellecherry pepper No egg two small yellow mini pepper honey/maple syrup Hollowed out zucchnini and eggplant. Coursely chopped eggplant and Zucchini flesh, shallots, re-hydrated mushrooms, garlic and peppers. pulsed in cuisinart. Cooked on stovetop. Added panko and parmesan. Stuffed into halves that had been brushed with honey syrup. folded halves together and wrapped in parchment paper. Vented parchment paper. Cooked maybe 60-70 minutes, not sure. This dish was excellent. Didn't take very long to prep. I will try adding a squash at some future point (I didnt have one) but since so many reviewers had trouble with the squash prep, I might try using a spaghetti squash. We loved this dish and will likely make it again (I do wish I had some rosemary which i will use next time). This version didn't create the eggplant bitterness that others described.
Great easier and delicious modification--only eggplant and zucchini
Austin, TX
10/23/2022
It is indeed a ton of work. That being said, the flavor is amazing. This year, I used all the ingredients but carved out and stuffed some acorn squash instead of doing all the layers. It also was a winner.
Anonymous
12/2/2021
Great recipe that took FOREVER to make. 1.5 hours of prep is a pipedream...and it destroyed the kitchen. Just realize what you're headed into... plan for 3 hours of prep to get it into the oven.
BKS
TN
10/15/2021
I made this a while back because one of my guests was vegetarian. It is indeed a ton of work. But the result was spectacular. Very tasty and plates beautifully. Even the meat eaters thought it was great. I have been asked for it several times since. It's just so much work!
adeslandes
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
6/17/2021
An awful lot of work for a less than mediocre result. I kicked up the seasoning and it was passable but would definitely not make again.
luvthacanes2
fort lauderdale, fl
11/8/2020
This recipe was a lot of work but absolutely delicious in the end!! Make sure to season and taste the filling and butter sauce. All the parts need salt and a sprinkle on each veggie layer as it’s assembled. If seasoned well, it’s fantastic! Prep: To carve the butternut squash, cut in half, then trace 1/2 inch inside the skin all the way around and score the inside in small grids with a parting knife to remove flesh in small chunks. Once most of the chunks have been removed, fill each cavity with boiling water for a few minutes to soften the squash and scrape with a spoon to make even throughout. I made a few modifications. I used more garlic as other reviews mentioned. I also left the butternut squash scraps out of the filling (made soup instead). This made just the right amount of filling. Hope this helps!
earthgirlnicole
Raleigh, NC
11/24/2019
Where the heck do the Parmesan and breadcrumbs go?
Mick455
10/3/2019
I was pumped to find this recipe knowing we would have some vegetarian guests at our Thanksgiving dinner. I followed the directions exactly and the result was a beautiful centerpiece...that unfortunately was tasteless. Meat eaters and vegetarians agreed it was gorgeous but not worth the time, it ended up in the trash.
certs411
San Diego, CA
6/11/2019
This was a lot of work for a result that tasted mediocre. It is a talking point so it has that going for it.
blkeyedsusan
11/28/2016
I made this this year for thankgiving for my vegetarian daughter. It was fabulous and reminded me of when I went to Florence Italy many years ago and bought a stuffed eggplant from a street vendor and was blown away! I followed the recipe here and it is great. Only note is to make time for scraping out the butternut squash-that took a lot more time than anticipated. I also had a lot of extra stuffing and stuffed red bell peppers and zucchini as side accompaniments and cooked them side by side to the ducken but for less time. I would use extra eggplant next time as that flavor blends the best in my opinion. This will be a staple in our family now with some future tweaks for sure!
boettner_susan
Manhattan Beach California
11/26/2016
Very embarrassed to have brought this to a foodie dinner. It was a ton of work for no reward. It was mushy and bland. I love all of these veggies but the combination when cooked together was like mixing the wrong group of friends at a dinner table. 1 star is being generous.
jbissinger
California
11/26/2016
Made some substitutions and baked it without tieing it together. It took 1 hour to cook and was amazing!
raiderchikk2012
Ohio
11/25/2016
Made this last Thanksgiving, and will make it again this year. One change I made was to use a delicata squash instead of an eggplant. I got that tip from someone's blog last year -- sorry I can't properly credit the person who recommended this. I think this kept the vegducken from getting soggy. Delicata skin is edible, and I found that the butternut skin was edible, too, after roasting in foil for 2 hours. With that change, I'd give the vegducken 4 stars.
Anonymous
Tacoma, WA
11/21/2016
Tasted very bland, mushy steamed texture with flavors running together, and a tremendous amount of work. No one would eat it and I ended up actually throwing it out. Such a shame.
amielakitchen
NYC
11/21/2016
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