Butternut Squash stuffed with Pesto Black Rice

Fill butternut squash halves with hazelnut pesto flavoured forbidden black rice and Feta for a quick, healthy and delicious weeknight meal. It's easy to adapt and alter the stuffing (quinoa, buckwheat, spelt, or bulgur) for the squash, depending on what you have on hand and what you fancy. Homemade pesto is fresher and infinitely more delicious, but if you are in a hurry, store-bought one will work just fine.

	Parsley Hazelnut Pesto
1 / 650-750 g Butternut squash, halved lengthways, seeds removed 1 clove Garlic, crushed 1 tsp Chilli flakes Olive oil Salt flakes Black pepper, crushed 100 g Black rice 1 stalk Spring onion, chopped 80 g Feta, crumbled 50 g Hazelnuts, toasted	40 g Parsley, roughly chopped, plus extra to sprinkle 20 g Basil, plus extra to garnish 60 g Hazelnuts, toasted 50 g Parmesan, grated 1 clove Garlic, crushed Grated zest and juice 1 lemon, plus extra to serve 80 ml Extra-virgin olive oil Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oven to 220C/430F. Put the halved butternut squashes on a baking sheet, cut-side up, and rub the cut sides with the crushed garlic, chilli flakes and a little olive oil. Season with salt flakes and freshly crushed black pepper, then roast for 40-50 minutes or until tender.
Meanwhile, make the pesto. Put all the ingredients in a food processor and whizz to make a rough paste. Season, if you like, with salt and pepper.
Bring a small saucepan of water to the boil and add the rice. Simmer for 20 minutes until just tender but still with some bite left. Drain well and transfer to a mixing bowl. Stir in the chopped spring onion and pesto. Season to taste.
Divide the pesto rice among the 2 cavities of the butternut squash halves. Sprinkle over the feta, then return the filled squash to the oven for another 10 minutes until the cheese has turned golden and everything is piping hot.
Serve sprinkled with the toasted hazelnuts, chilli flakes, parsley and a squeeze of lemon.

34 comments:

Fran @ Gday Souffle 17/9/20 07:22: I've never made black rice before but the color makes a nice contrast with the butternut squash- (like Halloween colors)!Looks like this could be a delicious meal in itself!
2pots2cook 17/9/20 10:00: Perfect autumn lunch Angie !
Kitchen Riffs 17/9/20 15:37: Oooh, that black rice is dynamite! So clever -- love the idea of it with pesto. And then stuffing squash with it. Good stuff -- thanks.
Anonymous 17/9/20 18:01: This is my kind of autumn meal, Angie! So many interesting and delicious textures and flavors!
Pam 17/9/20 18:19: Yum. Great combination of flavors and textures.
Mae Travels 17/9/20 19:34: Your squash looks great. I just bought a delicata squash to make into something, I don’t yet know what. Those flavors sound tempting.

be well... mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Raymund 18/9/20 00:16: Wow that looks perfect, looks like Autumn is at your backyard
Nancy Chan 18/9/20 08:09: The only black rice I know is the black glutinous rice. Interesting recipe. I would love to taste this.
Let's Curry 18/9/20 08:20: Angie,
The show stopper of this recipe is indeed the black rice! Loved the idea of stuffing it into butternut squash. Lovely autumnal clicks!
Liz That Skinny Chick Can Bake 18/9/20 11:52: The colors of this dish are phenomenal! And I'm certtain the taste is, too!!
Natalia 18/9/20 14:09: Super yum and healthy!
R's Rue 18/9/20 16:12: Yum.
Gloria Baker 18/9/20 17:43: What beautiful recipe Angie !!! xo
Whats Cookin Italian Style Cuisine 18/9/20 18:58: oh how pretty this is especially for the upcoming fall season!
Lauren - BasicGinger.com 18/9/20 21:16: Wow! Love the hazelnut and parsley pesto-- delicious combination! And I'm really into the colors with this dish. It would make a great meal for a fancy halloween party. Such pretty colors with the black rice!
Dahn @savorthebest 19/9/20 00:09: fabulous recipe! I love butternut squash in any form ;)
Aarthi | Prepbowls 19/9/20 08:50: I use a lot of butternut squash, to make soup, this recipe is really Interesting. Seems like I can use this Parsley Hazelnut Pesto sauce over anything, absolutely love it! Garnishing with toasted Hazelnut is a great addition.
The Exclusive Beauty Diary 19/9/20 09:47: You are so talented. I like how you made and decorate that dish. Thank you so much for sharing.

New Post - https://www.exclusivebeautydiary.com/2020/09/shiseido-zen.html
Jo Rashi 19/9/20 12:59: Wow...this looks so delicious..thank for sharing dear :-)
Beauty and Fashion/Rampdiary/Glamansion
Ashley@CookNourishBliss 19/9/20 18:40: I always forget about black rice even though I love it! I need to use it more. These look fantastic!
gluten Free A_Z Blog 20/9/20 03:29: Angie,
I love the beautiful contrast of colors in this vegetable side dish. I can only imagine how good it tastes!
Julie 21/9/20 12:49: I have never tasted black rice, this looks interesting and butternut squash looks delish !!
Evi @ greenevi 21/9/20 16:02: I love both the flavors and colors here! Such a pretty recipe, Angie :)
Suja Manoj 21/9/20 20:15: Looks amazing, interesting recipe with black rice,need to try this
Catherine 22/9/20 03:34: Dear Angie , this looks so pretty and delicious!! xoxo
SavoringTime in the Kitchen 22/9/20 17:17: Butternut squash is one of the best things about autumn! What a delightful way to serve it, Angie!
Izaa 23/9/20 18:42: delicious and beautiful colors
foodtravelandwine 23/9/20 20:19: This dish is calling me.....I will make it!!......Abrazotes, Marcela
tigerfish 23/9/20 23:20: Just the start of fall but I have not got any squashes yet! Love your stuffed butternut with black rice. The colors are kinda Halloweeny too :p
Karen (Back Road Journal) 25/9/20 21:04: Angie this sounds wonderful and I've pinned to a couple of my Pinterest boards. Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe.
Abbe@This is How I Cook 2/10/20 17:44: This hazelnut pesto sounds awesome but so does this entire meal. I can't wait to go buy my squash but my freezer is filled with hazelnuts!
Alida@mylittleitaliankitchen 6/10/20 15:34: Lovely and seasonal! We love squash and pumpkins don't we? Delicious meal Angie. I must say, black rice is so good, I love its crunchiness and its nutty taste. I hope all is well xx
Noob Cook 8/10/20 10:06: I really love the presentation of this one! I think I have to start adding pumpkin & squashes to my supermarket basket :D
Pichceniomania 18/10/20 13:17: Fantastic idea for a lovely meal :) Pesto- very original. I will try this for sure.