Arabic / Stuffed vegetables
About 70–80 minutes
Main dish
Green squash stuffed with soy protein, tomato and onion, then baked in a vegetable sauce. If green squash is out of season, you can use large zucchini instead.
Ingredients
- 2 green squash; if unavailable, use large zucchini
- 1 cup fine soy protein, boiled for 15 minutes in vegetable broth and drained well
- 2 large onions
- 4 garlic cloves
- 3 medium tomatoes
- 2 cups vegetable broth, or water if unavailable
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
- 1 tbsp seven-spice blend
- 1 tsp ground bay leaf
- 5 tbsp oil
- 10 whole cloves
- Salt to taste
Method
- Peel the green squash only when you are ready to use it so it does not darken. If using zucchini, leave the skin on.
- After boiling the fine soy protein for 15 minutes in vegetable broth, squeeze out the liquid well.
- Finely chop 1 large onion and sauté it in 4 tablespoons oil until softened, then add the soy protein.
- Add the seven-spice blend, half the black pepper and half the ground bay leaf.
- Cook until lightly browned, then add 2 finely chopped tomatoes. Simmer until the mixture thickens, and season it a little more generously with salt because it will flavor the squash.
- Cut each peeled squash lengthwise and hollow out the center, then fill generously with the soy mixture.
- Crush the garlic into coarse pieces and sauté it in the remaining tablespoon oil. Add the second onion, sliced, and the grated ginger.
- Add the remaining tomato, blended or grated, then add the vegetable broth and the remaining bay leaf and black pepper.
- Once the sauce boils, pour it into a baking dish that fits the squash. Place the stuffed squash on top; the sauce should reach roughly halfway up the dish.
- Brush the squash with a little oil and press 5 whole cloves into each one.
- Cover the tray with foil and bake with heat from below for 30 minutes. Watch the sauce so it does not dry out; add a little water if needed.
- Test with a knife. Once the squash is tender, remove the foil and brown it from the top.
Serve with rice. Enjoy 🙂
Why this stuffed squash works as a full vegan meal
We do not need claims that squash “activates the liver” or removes worms and mucus for this recipe to be healthy. Green squash and zucchini are water-rich vegetables that contribute vitamin C, potassium and fiber depending on the variety and serving size. USDA.
The filling matters even more than the squash alone: soy protein supplies all the essential amino acids, while the tomato, onion and squash turn the dish into a complete plant-based meal rather than reducing nutrition to one ingredient.
Randomized trials also show that soy protein modestly lowers LDL and total cholesterol. Source.
The stronger case is simple: vegetables stuffed with plant protein, without needing meat or easy-to-attack medical claims.
baked soy-protein casserole, soy-protein kebab, or soy-protein shawarma with tahini.












