Vegan Stuffed Roast Pumpkin
Vegan Stuffed Roast Pumpkin
Ingredients
- 1.8kg whole butternut pumpkin
- 2 red onions
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 small red capsicums deseeded, cut into 1cm-thick strips
- 2 small yellow capsicums, deseeded, cut into 1cm-thick strips
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tsp pure maple syrup
- 400g can brown lentils, rinsed, drained
- 150g baby spinach
- 2 tbsp pine nuts
- 2 bunches asparagus, trimmed
- Baby rocket, to serve
- Balsamic vinegar, to serve
Instructions
- 1
Preheat oven to 190C/170C fan forced. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Cut pumpkin in half lengthways. Scoop out seeds. Place the pumpkin, cut-side up, on prepared tray. Lightly spray with oil. Season. Roast for 1 hour 10 minutes or until tender. Cut 1 onion into wedges. Thinly slice the remaining onion. Set aside pumpkin to cool then scoop out flesh from each pumpkin half, leaving a 3cm-thick shell. Reserve flesh.
70 min - 2
Meanwhile, heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Cook sliced onion, stirring, for 3 minutes or until softened. Add the garlic and paprika. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add capsicum and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until just tender. Stir in vinegar and maple syrup. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes or until caramelised.
- 3
Add lentils and reserved pumpkin to onion mixture. Season. Stir. Set aside to cool slightly.
- 4
Blanch spinach in boiling water. Drain. Refresh under cold running water. Squeeze out excess liquid then coarsely chop. Stir through the lentil mixture with pine nuts.
- 5
Divide lentil mixture between pumpkin shells. Carefully join halves and use kitchen string to tie at 2cm intervals. Return pumpkin to tray. Add onion wedges. Roast for 20 minutes or until just tender, adding asparagus halfway through cooking. Set aside for 5 minutes. Remove string. Cut into 6 thick slices. Arrange on serving plates with asparagus, onion and rocket. Drizzle over balsamic vinegar.
