Creamy Roasted Butternut Squash Orzo

• servings: 6 servings
• active time: 15 minutes
• total time: 1 hour 25 minutes

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil (divided)

1 butternut squash (large, approximately 2 lbs/1 kg)

salt and pepper to taste

2 shallots

2-3 cloves garlic

10 leaves sage (divided or 0.5 tsp dried sage)

500g/ 2 ½ cups orzo

1 litre +250ml / 5 cups vegetable stock (plus ½ cup if needed)

100g / 1 cup kale, chopped (I used cavolo nero)

50g / 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese (freshly grated)

Directions

Preheat oven to 200C/400F. Peel, de-seed and cut butternut squash into bite-sized cubes, season with salt, pepper and 1 tbsp of olive oil or low calorie spray. Arrange on a shallow pan, scatter 4-5 sage leaves throughout and roast at 200C/400F for 45 minutes or until golden.

20 minutes before the squash is done, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a deep pan and sauté chopped shallots, garlic and remaining minced sage leaves over low heat for 2-3 minutes.

Add vegetables stock, salt and kale, bring to a boil, add orzo and cook according to package instructions for approximately 7-8 minutes until tender but al dente. Stir the orzo throughout the cooking process to release starch and to avoid it sticking to the bottom of a pan. If the mixture looks too thick add 1/2 cup of vegetable stock or water to maintain creamy, risotto like consistency. Take off the heat and stir in Parmesan cheese, salt to taste and top with roasted butternut squash.

Nutrition

• Calories: 429 kcal
• Total Fat: 4 g
• Saturated Fat: 2 g
• Cholesterol: 6 mg
• Sodium: 541 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 83 g
• Dietary Fiber: 6 g
• Total Sugars: 6 g
• Protein: 16 g