Roasted harissa hasselback butternut squash with red onion, tomatoes & parsley garnish

Another relatively simple mid week meal that's got a bit of show biz about it - the hasselback butternut squash. This healthy vegetarian recipe is something to get the family excited about!

 

Seasonal roasted harissa hasselback butternut squash

Overview:

Difficulty level: 2/5
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Recipe serves 2 people

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 medium butternut squash
  • 1 whole red onion
  • 4 tsp harissa blend (or ready made paste)
  • 300 gr pack (or tin) of cherry tomatoes
  • handful of parsley
  • 1 lemon
  • olive oil
  • salt & pepper

Method:

  1. Peel the butternut squash, chop in half length ways & scoop out all the seeds. To give the 'hasselback effect', place two wooden spoons either side of the butternut squash flat side down and cut at 1-2 cm intervals. As soon as you have cut both halves, put them face down on a baking tray and pop in the oven on 200C while you prepare the other ingredients.
  2. Roughly chop the cherry tomatoes in half and add them to a bowl then push down on them with a fork or spoon to squash them a little bit. Chop the red onion into thin slices lengthways and add to the tomatoes.   
  3. In a separate bowl mix 4 tsp harissa blend with 2 tbsp olive oil, juice from half a lemon and a few splashes of water from the tap (ideally around 50ml). Mix the ingredients together to make a paste then spoon half into the tomatoes and onion and stir together, keeping half back for the butternut squash.
  4. Remove the butternut squash from the oven, season with salt & pepper then rub the remaining harissa paste over the top of both halves. Now place the tomatoes and onion in around the base of the butternut squash and put back into the oven for a further 20 minutes. 
  5. Finely chop one large handful of parsley for garnish and cut the remaining half lemon for serving. Once the butternut squash is cooked through, plate up the squash with the roasted tomatoes and garnish with parsley then squeeze the remaining lemon over the top before serving.

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