I recently started a vegetarian cookery blog and wanted to share a couple of my recipes with you
I bought one butternut squash and got both of these tasty dinners out of it. Obviously if you only fancy one of these recipes, you could buy a smaller squash and just do one or the other, or you could make double portions of one of them.
Creamy butternut squash and sage risottoI can't recommend this risotto enough. The squash tastes
fantastic when roasted - slightly sweet. I like my risotto really creamy and cheesy, but if you prefer a slightly drier risotto, just reduce the quantity of cheese slightly.
Serves 3
2tbsp sunflower oil
400g butternut squash (approx. half a large squash), diced
1 handful sage, roughly chopped
25g butter
1 onion, diced
300g arborio rice
2 stock cubes, made up with approx. 1 litre of boiling water
100g cheddar cheese, grated
Heat the oven to 200°C (Gas Mark 6 / 400°F).
Lay the cubes of butternut squash and the chopped sage on a baking tray, and coat with the oil. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes, or until the squash is soft.
Meanwhile, melt half of the butter in a risotto pan or wok. Gently soften the onion for 5 minutes.
Add the remaining butter, and once it has melted, add the rice and stir until coated.
After a few more minutes, begin adding the stock a little at a time, only adding more when the rice has absorbed the previous amount. Continue adding stock and leaving it to be absorbed until the rice is al dente - you may need more or less than the litre suggested.
Once it is soft, remove the squash from the oven. Mash half of it a little with a fork, and mix it into the risotto, along with the grated cheese. Serve topped with the remaining chunks of roasted squash and sage.
Butternut squash and sage stuffed shells in cheesy sauceAnother cheesy recipe - it works so well, why change it?! Butternut squash and sage are a match made in heaven - a little sage really brings out the flavour of the squash. This is just like macaroni cheese, but with the added goodness of the squash, and a real punch of flavour from the sage.
Serves 2-3
400g butternut squash (around half a large squash)
3 cloves garlic
20g butter
1 small bunch of sage (around 6 large leaves)
200g conchiglioni (large pasta shells)
50g cheddar cheese, grated
For the sauce:
25g butter
3tbsp plain flour
200ml semi-skimmed milk
50g cheddar cheese, grated
Chop the unpeeled squash into a few large chunks, and boil for around 15 minutes, or until tender.
Meanwhile, boil the pasta shells according to the instructions on the packet, then drain and set aside.
Once cooked, drain the squash, and leave for a few minutes until cool enough to handle. Peel each chunk, and put in a blender with the garlic, 20g of butter and the sage. Blend until the mixture forms a smooth paste.
In a saucepan, melt 25g of butter, and stir in the flour. Cook for 2 minutes over a fairly low heat. Stir in the milk a little at a time, only adding more when the mixture is smooth and well combined. Add 50g of cheese, and once again stir until smooth.
Pour the cheese sauce into a suitably sized baking dish.
Heat the oven to 200°C (Gas Mark 6 / 400°F).
Stuff each pasta shell with a little of the butternut squash filling, and lay in rows in the dish on top of the cheese sauce. If there is any leftover filling, just dot it around the pasta.
Top with the remaining cheese, and bake for 20 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the edges of the shells are slightly crispy.
I hope you enjoy the recipes, and please check out my blog for more!
