For me this recipe is the epitome of Autumn, and is such a beautiful centrepiece that just shows you don’t always need meat to complete a meal, or to stand at the centre of a meal. This was another recipe I created for my cooking demos at the IKEA pop-up last month, and I seemed to be the most popular one of the day!
If you make full use of the microwave and use white rice instead of brown you could easily make this whole recipe in half an hour. You’ll probably end up with some filling left over, but it tastes so good I’m sure you won’t mind!
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
1 large butternut squash
Olive oil
100g brown rice
1/2 vegetable stock cube
1 can black beans
1 can kidney beans
250g tomatoes
1 small can sweetcorn (150g)
3 tablespoon Mexican spice mix (or paprika, cumin, salt, garlic, chilli)
100g cheddar cheese (plus extra for sprinkling – optional)
20g fresh coriander
1 large avocado
Salt and pepper
What to do:
- Cut the top off the butternut squash and slice in half. Leave the skin on.
- Scoop out the seeds, and rub the flesh with olive oil and salt
- Either bake in the oven at 200°C for around 45 mins, or place in the microwave for 15-20 mins
- Place the rice in a pot with enough water to cover, plus the stock
- Cook until soft
- In the meantime, drain and rinse the beans, drain the sweetcorn, chop the tomatoes, and grate the cheese
- When the rice is cooked, remove any remaining water, add all the veg and cheese, and add in the Mexican spice mix and coriander leaf. Stir everything together
- When the butternut squash is cooked, use a spoon or melon baller to scoop out the excess flesh – I recommend using it in this amazing salad instead of sweet potato!
- Pile the butternut squash halves high with the filling, sprinkle on some extra cheese (optional), and place in the oven for around 5 minutes
- In the meantime, mash the avocado with some salt and pepper, and once the squash is ready dollop it on top ready to serve!