Blitzing butternut squash turns it into the creamiest pasta sauce. This is one of our favourite veggie recipes.
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
- 1
small butternut squash, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
- 3 Tbsp.
olive oil
- 400 g
cherry tomatoes
- 8
HECK! Meat-Free Chipolatas
- 300 g
orzo
-
zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 1/2 tsp.
dried chilli flakes, plus extra to serve
- 150 g
goat’s cheese
-
small handful of sage leaves
- 50 g
toasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped
-
- Step 1Preheat your oven to 200°C/180°Cfan/gas 6.
- Step 2Toss the squash with 1 tablespoon of the oil and plenty of salt and pepper on a large roasting tray, then spread out in a single layer. Roast for 10 minutes.
- Step 3After 10 minutes, add the tomatoes and drizzle over another 1 tablespoon olive oil. Roast for 15–20 minutes until the butternut is soft and the tomatoes are on the verge of bursting.
- Step 4Roast the chipolatas according to the packet instructions, then slice.
- Step 5Meanwhile, cook the orzo in a pan of salted boiling water for a minute less than instructed on the packet. Drain, reserving a mugful of the pasta water.
- Step 6Scoop half of the roasted squash and tomatoes into a blender or food processor. Add the lemon zest and juice, the chilli flakes and half of the goat’s cheese. Blitz until smooth, adding enough pasta water to give it the consistency of a loose sauce.
- Step 7Pour the sauce into a large saucepan, then add the orzo and chipolatas. Stir together to combine, then gently heat through over a low heat. Once warm, fold through the remaining roasted potatoes and squash, along with all the sticky juices from the roasting tray.
- Step 8Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small frying pan over a high heat. Add the sage leaves and fry for a minute until sizzling and crisp, then remove from the heat.
- Step 9Divide the orzo between four bowls, and serve topped with the crispy sage, hazelnuts, remaining goat’s cheese and some more chilli flakes, if you like.Â
If you have people coming over, the squash and tomatoes can be roasted well in advance so that is a simple task of cooking off some orzo and blitzing the sauce when you’re ready to eat.
Recipe extracted from HECK! Recipes You Can Swear By, by HECK! (Ebury Press, £18.99).
HECK! Recipes You Can Swear By: 75 recipes for sausages, burgers and mince
Cut through the noise and get practical, expert advice, home workouts, easy nutrition and more direct to your inbox. Sign up to the WOMEN’S HEALTH NEWSLETTER
