I have to introduce you to one of my current favorite veggie dishes! Welcome my beautiful, whole roasted butternut squash, stuffed with rocket, pea shoots, goats cheese and sprinkled with pine nuts. It looks and sounds impressive but the taste is even more incredible. Butternut is an earthy, sweet, nutrient rich, flavourful vegetable. In saying that, it is a battle for me to get my family to enjoy this beautiful superfood, not even my husband has a liking for it. This dish changed his mind as well as a couple of the kids and trust me, I’ve tried many times! The addition of cheese and nuts will have them willing to taste anything.;) The goats cheese adds a beautiful salty, creaminess to the dish, while the salad leaves and nuts add the cheeky crunch factor. You can easily substitute goats cheese with feta and pine nuts with any other nut of your choice. The salad is super flexible to your imagination.
What I love so much about this veggie dish is that it takes very little effort to cook and put together, however, the flavours are so hearty that it feels like you have been cooking all day. You can forget about it in the oven while it’s roasting and assemble the salad components as you’re dishing up. It works wonderfully as a side to a wintry meal, however, I also think the butternut will taste delicious, cold, the next day, combined with a fresh assembly of salad. Perfect for a quick and healthy lunch at work or at home. I hope this recipe helps to convert some of your fussiest eaters…OR, just enjoy its deliciousness all for yourself! 😉
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- One whole butternut squash
- Fresh thyme leaves
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil
- 4 large garlic cloves
- 70g pine nuts – lightly roasted
- 100-150g soft goats cheese
- A handful of rocket leaves
- A handful of pea shoots
- Pre-heat your oven to 180℃.
- Carefully cut the butternut open lengthways and place on a large baking tray.
- Scoop out the seeds and fibrous bits.
- Score the flesh with a sharp knife as shown.
- Using the back of your knife, squash the garlic cloves till their skin splits and place them (with the skin on) inside the hollowed out section of the butternut.
- Drizzle the butternut with olive oil – about 1 tablespoon for each half.
- Season the flesh with salt and pepper, then sprinkle the thyme leaves roughly over the top.
- Place the butternut in the oven and bake for about 45-60 minutes, or until the skin starts to blister and a fork inserted into the butternut slides through easily.
- When the butternut is ready, remove it from the oven.
- In a medium bowl, combine the rocket, pea shoots and goats cheese with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil and salt and pepper.
- Take the garlic out of their skins, break them in half and toss them through the salad.
- Serve with the salad inside the butternut hole and sprinkle with a good amount of roasted pine nuts (as shown).
- You might want to finish off with a drizzle of good quality olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt.
