One Pan Tempeh Butternut Squash Bake (2024)

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This tempeh butternut squash bake is a breeze to whip up. Just throw everything in one pan and bake! It’sabsolutely delicious, vegan, gluten-free and loaded with 24 grams of plant-based protein per serving!

This recipe is for those busy weeknights when you don’t have a ton of time to prep, but still want a delicious, nutritious meal. One bowl + one pan and you’re done!

This meal is vegan, but honestly you can serve this to meat-eaters and no one will miss the meat! The combination of oven-roastedbutternut squash, mushrooms, tempeh and the delicioustamari marinade is just so dang delicious! This is agreat recipeif you’ve been wanting to try tempeh or just want to add a plant-based meal to your week.

Why I Know You’ll Love This Recipe

I’m pretty excited about this recipe for a variety of reasons.

• Itutilizes one of my favorite fall veggies: butternut squash!
• It doesn’t take long to prep. Just chop your veggies, whisk together your marinade, combine and bake!
• It’s packed with almost 30 grams of plant-based protein per serving.
• It only requires one pan and one bowl! Less dishes to wash is always a plus in my book.

What is Tempeh?

It’s a plant-based protein made of cooked soybeans (think edamame) that have been fermented. The fermentation process binds the soybeans into a cake/patty, which is what you’ll find at your local grocery store.

Tempeh vs Tofu

It’s similar to tofu, however there are some differences – tempeh is less processed, fermented, has a stronger flavor and a bit more texture. The flavor is usually described as nutty or earthy, but there are different varieties with subtle taste differences.

Here’s What You Need

• tamari – I recommend using low sodium tamari so you can control the amount of salt in the recipe! Tamari is gluten-free soy sauce but traditionalsoy sauce or soy-free coconut aminos also works.
• coconut oil –make sure your coconut oil is in a liquid state as this is part of the marinade. If your coconut oil is solid, you can heat it for a few seconds in the microwave or on the stovetop to melt.
• apple cider vinegar –a key part of the marinade! Apple cider vinegar is one of my favorite vinegars to use in recipes (check out all of the amazing health benefits of apple cider vinegar). Fun fact: vinegar helps weaken the food surface which helps it absorb the flavors in the marinade!
• fresh ginger and garlic –two key flavors of the marinade. I recommend using fresh ginger and garlic but you can also use pre-prepped ginger and garlic for a shortcut.
• tempeh –the plant-based protein source of this recipe! I loveLightlife tempeh. It’s organic, GMO-free and easy to find at mainstream stores.I gravitate towards the Three Grain variety because it is the mildest in terms of taste, but I like the Original, Garden Veggie, Wild Rice and Flax too!
• butternut squash –you can use pre-prepped butternut squash from the grocery store or buy a full squash and peel, deseed and cut into bite-sized pieces. Here’s a tutorial on how to prep butternut squash! If you can’t find butternut squash, sweet potatoes or really any squash would work in its place.
• onion –adds delicious savory flavor to this recipe!
• fresh mushrooms –cremini, portobello or white mushrooms all work in this recipe.
• sea salt and pepper–to taste. These key seasonings help bring all of the flavors together.
• crushed red pepper flakes – add a little extra spice,to taste! Feel free to skip this if you’re not a fan of heat.
• sriracha or chili sauce –optional for serving if you love spice and want more flavor.

How to Make Tempeh Butternut Squash Bake

Prep veggies and tempeh: Chop your butternut squash, onion, mushrooms, garlic and tempeh if you haven’t done so already.

Make marinade: Whisk tamari, coconut oil, apple cider vinegar, ginger and garlic in a small bowl.

Combine: Gently toss tempeh, butternut squash, onion and mushrooms in a square baking dish or a baking sheet. Pour marinade over the tempeh, squash, onion and mushrooms and toss to coat. Sprinkle on sea salt, ground pepper and crushed red pepper flakes to taste.

Bake: Cover the baking dish/sheet with aluminum foil and bake for 35 minutes at 400ºF. Pull the baking dish out, remove and discard the aluminum foil, stir and place back in the oven for another 20 minutes or until butternut squash is cooked to your liking.

Serve: Remove from baking dish and serve over quinoa, brown rice or greens.

tip! If you're like me and enjoy your tempeh a little crispy, you can turn your oven on broil for the last 5 minutes.

How to Prep in Advance

Even though this recipe requires minimal prep time, there are still some shortcuts you can take for even faster assembly on the day you want to have this for dinner. Here’s what I would prep in advance:

• Veggies and tempeh–cut all your veggies and tempeh the night before and store them in the fridge in your baking dish.
• Marinade–prep your marinade the night before and store in an airtight container like a mason jar overnight.
• Quinoa or rice–if you want to serve this dish over quinoa or rice you can prep it the night before serving. Just warm it up in the microwave or over the stovetop before serving.

tip!To save even more time use pre-prepped butternut squash and pre-sliced mushrooms!

How to Serve Tempeh Butternut Squash Bake

This dish is great on its own! If you want to add more substance, I recommend serving it over brown rice, quinoa or greens. As a volume eater, I typically serve this with the extra base just so I leave the meal feeling really satisfied!

How to Store Leftovers

This recipe stores really well. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5-7 days. To reheat, I like to pop it back in the oven for a few minutes, but the microwave will work if you’re in a rush as well.

More Tempeh Recipes You Might Enjoy

• Slow Cooker Vegan Sweet and Sour Tempeh
• Maple Mustard Tempeh Bowls
• Tempeh Veggie Burger
• Tempeh Tikka Masala
• Breakfast Sandwich with Tempeh Bacon
• Grilled BBQ Tempeh Skewers
• Tempeh Bacon
• Blackened Tempeh Salad
• Maple Balsamic Tempeh Bowls

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