Roast onion squash stuffed with blue cheese risotto recipe

By Lizzie Kamenetzky

This delicious risotto makes an ideal vegetarian main course for a special occasion.

2 small squash, such as onion squash (about 500g each)
1 small onion, finely chopped
Good knob of butter
1 tbsp olive oil
100g risotto rice
50ml dry white wine
250ml vegetable stock, hot
50g baby spinach
8-10 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped, plus extra whole leaves fried in butter to serve
50g blue cheese, such as Gorgonzola or Stilton, crumbled

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan160°C/gas 4. Slice the tops off the squash and set aside. Scoop out the seeds and discard, then place the squash on a baking sheet (slice a bit off the bottoms if they sit unevenly).
2. In a pan, gently fry the onion in the butter and oil for 5 minutes until translucent, then add the risotto rice and stir to coat in buttery onion.
3. Pour in the wine and bubble, stirring, until absorbed. Pour in the stock, then add the baby spinach, stirring until it starts to wilt. Season well, then stir in the chopped sage. Divide the risotto mixture evenly between the squash. Replace the squash tops to form lids and bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes until the risotto is cooked and the squash is tender when pierced with a knife. (Check regularly while the squash is cooking and if it looks like it’s darkening too fast, cover the squash with foil for the remainder of the cooking time.)
4. Remove the squash from the oven, take off the lids and crumble the blue cheese over the risotto. Pop the lids back on and put back in the oven for another 5 minutes to melt the cheese. Remove from the oven, stir the melted cheese into the risotto and serve garnished with whole fried sage leaves.