POLOKWANE – Looking for a new way to enjoy butternut? Try these scrumptious butternut halves, filled with Knorr’s tasty Three Cheese Pasta Sauce, crunchy chickpeas and blanched baby spinach.
What’s for Dinner says with all that goodness and flavour, you’ll love every bite.
Ingredients
– 2 whole butternuts, halved lengthwise and seeds scooped out
– 30ml olive oil
– 100g baby spinach, washed
– KNORR Three Cheese Sauce
– 250ml water
– 1 can (400g) chickpeas, drained
– 2,5ml cayenne pepper
Method
– Heat the oven to 180˚C.
– Place the butternut halves, cut side up, on a baking tray. Season with salt and sprinkle with olive oil. Roast in the oven for 30—45 minutes or until cooked. Scoop out some of the cooked butternut flesh to create a hollow, mash with a fork and keep aside until needed.
Blot the chickpeas with a paper towel to dry them. In a bowl, toss the chickpeas with olive oil, and season to taste with salt and cayenne pepper. Spread on a baking sheet, and bake next to the butternut in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until browned and crunchy.
– In the meantime, blanche the spinach for 2 minutes in rapidly, boiling water seasoned with salt. Drain thoroughly, pressing any excess water out with your hands. Leave to drain until needed.
– To prepare the cheese sauce; pour the contents of packet into a jug. Fill up to the 250 ml mark with rapidly boiling water. For best results stir with a whisk for 1 minute (alternatively use a fork). Set aside until needed.
– Fold the spinach and mashed pumpkin through the Knorr Pasta Cheese sauce and divide the sauce between the hollows created in the cooked butternut. Sprinkle with cheese. Place back into the oven for a further 10 minutes. Remove and serve with the crunchy chickpeas on the top.
