Name: Butternut Squash Vegducken
Cook time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Total time: 3 hours, 45 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 1 cup pecans; 1 (7 1/2"-long) zucchini; 1 (9 1/2"-long) globe eggplant; 1 (11 1/2"-long) butternut squash; 2 scallions; 2 garlic cloves, divided; 1 shallot, coarsely chopped; 1/4 pound shiitake mushrooms, trimmed, coarsely chopped; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 9 sprigs thyme, divided; 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter; 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes; 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup; 2 large eggs; 1 cup finely grated Parmesan; 1/2 cup fine plain breadcrumbs; 6 tablespoons coarsely chopped parsley, divided; Kosher salt; 2 tablespoons mint, coarsely chopped; 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice; Kitchen twine

Vegetarian Thanksgiving recipe Butternut squash vegducken on a wooden cutting board.

Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Michelle Gatton

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

Cook's Note

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.

Recipe notes

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