As we look for more ways to incorporate fruit and vegetables into our diets, swapping simple things like rice and pasta for vegetable substitutes has become increasingly popular. From cauliflower rice to courghetti it's getting easier and easier to hit our five day and now we're here to introduce you to butternut squash spaghetti! This hearty butternut squash lamb spag-bowl recipe by Celebrity MasterChef winner Lisa Faulkner is a fun way to incorporate more veg - and it is absolutely delicious!
Lisa Says: ‘If you have a spiraliser, it takes minutes to make these yourself, or the noodles are now available to buy in some supermarkets. Failing that, roasting a squash, scooping out the centre and serving the lamb inside is also wonderful. The lamb ‘Bolognese’ is truly delicious and a great take on a good old classic’
MORE: Try John Torode's butternut squash and tofu red curry
BUTTERNUT SQUASH SPAGHETTI WITH LAMB, MINT AND FETA
Serves 4, Preparation time 20 minutes, Cooking time 1 ½ hours
INGREDIENTS:
• Olive oil
• 1 large onion, peeled and sliced
• 1 large clove garlic, crushed
• 400g/14oz minced lamb
• 200ml/7fl oz dry white wine
• 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 400ml/14fl oz chicken stock
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Good grating of nutmeg
• 1 large butternut squash
• 150g/5oz feta cheese , crumbled
• 1 tbsp chopped mint, plus a few extra leaves for garnish
INSTRUCTIONS:
Step 1.
Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a sauté pan and gently fry the onion for 10 minutes until really soft and golden. Add the garlic and fry for another minute then add the lamb. Increase the heat and fry, breaking up the mince with a spatula, until it is browned all over.
Step 2.
Add the wine and bubble until reduced by half, then add the tomatoes, tomato purée and stock. Season well and simmer gently for 1½ hours, adding more stock if it gets a little too dry.
Step 3.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 190°C, 375°F, Gas 5.
Step 4.
Peel the squash and use a spiraliser to spiralise the long part (body) into noodles. Cut the bulb in half and scoop out the seeds. Put the ‘bowls’ in a roasting tin, season and drizzle with oil and then roast for 10-12 minutes until the bowls are tender.
Step 5.
Stir the mint into the ‘Bolognese’ sauce. Serve the roasted noodles with the sauce and scatter over the feta cheese and mint leaves. Save the roasted bowls for another time or you could serve these as well.
This recipe taken from Celebrity MasterChef winner Lisa Faulkner's book, From Mother to Mother, published by Simon & Schuster, £20 and can be found on Amazon
OTHER: Joe Wicks's healthy lentil bolognese recipe is filling and meat-free!