Butternut squash stuffed with mushrooms, stilton and thyme

by Paul Warburton on 07 October 2010  |  2 comments
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Check out this amazing recipe for butternut squash stuffed with mushrooms, stilton and thyme - for £1.25 per person!

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Butternut squash stuffed with mushrooms, stilton and thyme (Serves 4)

A hearty vegetarian recipe this week, but it’s not just hearty. It’s also right in the middle of season for butternut squash so we’re seasonal as well. To get the best out of butternut squash you should always choose roasting as a cooking method. This way you lock in the flavour and tease out the sweetness in the flesh of the vegetable.

Ingredients

• Two 800g butternut squash (£1.60)
• 400g of mushrooms (88p)
• 2 large red onions (30p)
• 200g of blue stilton (£1.56)
• 25g of fresh thyme (65p)

The cupboard staples…

Salt, black pepper, olive oil, 5 cloves of garlic and a little butter.   

Total cost

If you already have the cupboard staples, then according to mysupermarket.co.uk, this trolley was cheapest at ASDA where it came to £4.99 - that's £1.25 per head!

Instructions

• Start by pre-heating the oven to 200C (Gas mark 6 or 400F).
• Now cut each squash in half, scoop out the seeds and make some nice deep cuts in the fleshy part of the squash. Four big ones about halfway down into the squash flesh will do. This ensures it cooks evenly. Then drizzle generously with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and place in the oven skin side down.
• The squash will need 50 minutes to 1 hour in the oven. The flesh will be soft and the skin slightly browned when ready.
• Whilst the squash is in the oven you can make the stuffing.
• Start by prepping your ingredients. So finely chop the mushrooms, red onion, thyme and garlic.
• Now get a good thick bottomed pan on a medium heat and add a dessertspoon of butter along with a good glug of olive oil. Once the butter is foaming, lower the heat and add the onions. Cook slowly for about 8 minutes until the onions have softened down. Then turn up the heat slightly and add the mushrooms and cook for a further 5 to 6 minutes until nicely browned. Finally, add the garlic and thyme and cook for a further minute. Set to one side until the squash is ready.
• When the squash is ready to come out of the oven, scoop around three dessertspoons of flesh out of each squash and add to the stuffing mixture in the pan along with the crumbled up stilton. Mix well and then return the stuffing into each squash. You will have a very generous helping of stuffing for each squash.
• Put back in the oven and cook for a further 15 minutes until browned on top. Or alternatively cook for 10 minutes and then finish on the grill.
• Happy eating!

A bit about the Frugal Recipes chef, Paul Warburton

Paul Warburton, a lovemoney.com staff member, had a hectic career in the world of hot kitchens and screaming chefs before joining the lovemoney.com products development team.

During these years, under the tutorage of some great chefs, he honed his skills in cooking for numbers within a tight cost and portion-controlled environment.

Now he's planning to regularly offer his help to all budding chefs in the lovemoney.com community, so you can enjoy his original, low-cost recipes with your family and friends every Friday for free!

What lovemoney.com readers have said about Paul's other recipes

"We enjoyed this recipe very much: easy to make and even easier to eat!" varneyrob

“Thanks Paul, another great tasting easy recipe. It was my first risotto attempt ever and it was great, I even impressed my in-laws with it. Many thanks...” welshlady

"I made this recipe and it was absolutely delicious! Seriously good! Five of us feasted on it, and feasted well..." Ibeshy

"I made this recipe on Saturday night, and my 13 year-old son promptly requested it again for the following night!" Malcolm Wheatley

"This is a cracking risotto recipe. Just had it for lunch & it's a winner. More recipes please. Thanks." SavvyLass

"Another delicious offering from Paul. Thank you - keep 'em coming!" Palefire

Please add your own comments using the comments box below!

If you like this recipe, why not also try Paul's other Frugal Recipes:   Fusilli with a rich beef ragu sauce | Toad in the hole with mustard crème fraiche sauce & pickled red cabbage | Pot roasted chicken with paprika, shallots and potatoes | Smoked haddock and leek risotto | Prawn and chilli linguine | Homemade Cornish pasties | Teriyaki chicken legs with coriander and lime noodles | Turkey, mozzarella and sage meatballs with fettuccine and tomato sauce | Lemon and garlic roasted lamb breast, boulangere potatoes and minted peas | Posh macaroni cheese with crispy bacon and oven dried tomatoes | Falafel, roast pepper and feta salad with chilli tomato salsa | Chicken ‘oven baked’ with cream, mushrooms and thyme | Slow roasted pork shoulder ‘Chinese style’ with pak choi | Chilli steak burgers, paprika wedges and homemade coleslaw |Broad bean, halloumi and mint farfalle | My chicken curry, basmati rice and coriander yoghurt | Barbecued whole mackerel and a spicy lime salsa | Moussaka | Pan fried trout fillets with a dill potato salad | Chicken braised with cider and red cabbage (and proper baked potatoes) | Lincolnshire sausages with red onion gravy and thyme and Gouda polenta | Beef enchiladas with a lime sour cream | Slow roasted duck legs and charlotte potatoes with a carrot and cumin salad | Paella | Asparagus and gruyere tart with new potatoes | Haddock fishcakes with radish and watercress salad and lemon crème fraiche dressing | Prawn and pea risotto | Honey roasted gammon and apples with champ | Hot chocolate fondants with crème Chantilly | Shin of beef, kidney and ale pie Tandoori chicken with coconut rice & mint raita | Homemade gnocchi with a tomato & thyme sauce, spinach and ricotta  | Frugal Pancakes | Griddled black pudding, chimichurri mash and caramelised apples  | Mixed bean and coriander green curry with fragrant rice  | Lamb koftas with a feta, mint and chickpea salad & chilli grilled pittas  | Pork, rosemary and white bean ravioli with a chilli tomato sauce  | Sausage & leek casserole with parsley dumpings | Pork, chorizo & cannellini bean stew | Rabbit, bacon & thyme pie | Potato rosti with creamed spinach and poached egg | Pumpkin and sage risotto | Slow braised oxtail with autumn mash | Spiced whole mackerel with chickpea salad | Twice cooked belly pork (with gravy) parsnips and sweet apple red cabbage | Roasted pheasant | Portobello mushroom, port and stilton wellington | Lemon tart with fresh vanilla mascarpone | Massaman curry |  Smoked mackerel pate on crostini and red onion confit  |Rolled breast of lamb with garlic mash and Savoy cabbage | Lemon & rosemary chicken thighs |  Thai Pollock curry with egg noodles | Chunky pea and ham soup| Spaghetti alla carbonara | Pork stroganoff | Green chilli meat balls, sunflower seed couscous salad and mint yoghurt |  Tagliatelle with air dried cured ham and minted peas | Beef, thyme and mushroom loaf with potato dauphinoise | Mixed bean and coriander green curry with fragrant rice | Egg Florentine with smoked cheddar and rocket salad | Beef, mushroom and thyme pie | Spicy tuna, bean and coriander lasagne |  Beef koftas with a feta, spinach and fresh mint salad | Chorizo and pea risotto | Sausage and rosemary hotpot | Beef & thyme (Lancashire) hotpot

Remember, if you're registered on lovemoney.com, you can follow this blog and find new posts as soon as they are published, via your personal homepage. Never miss a frugal recipe again - register now.