Simple Suppers: Baked Stuffed Butternut Squash

So thrilled was I today that the sun managed a full day’s appearance that I thought a light, colourful dish might just be in order, comprised mostly of whatever’s in my larder!

This isn’t techinically a recipe as it basically just involves baking a lot of whatever vegetables are in your kitchen so it’s pretty, cheap and involves little or no effort. Win-win in my book!

Ingredients

• 2 good fat butternut squash, halved lengthways
• Approx 400g smoked bacon, chopped
• 1 red pepper, sliced
• ½ red onion, sliced thinly
• 1 portobello mushroom, cubed
• Hefty drizzle of olive oil
• 250g goat’s cheese
• Fresh thyme and black pepper / salt

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
2. Scoop out a shallow dip in centre of butternut squashes and set aside this squash
3. Criss-cross hollowed squash halves, drizzle with olive oil, lay flat on a baking tray and cook in the oven for 25 minutes, until flesh is soft and springy.
4. While that’s roasting, chop the butternut squash left over from the hollow into cubes, add to the other chopped vegetables and bacon and grill slowly, until the vegetables start to colour and the bacon is sizzling.
5. When the butternut squash halves are done, fill the hollow with the grilled vegetables/bacon mix, add the goat’s cheese and thyme sprigs and pop under the grill for a final few minutes.
6. Et voila, a simple but beautiful sunny-day supper.