VEGAN SAUSAGE, CHESTNUT AND CRANBERRY STUFFED SQUASH

Prep Time: 10mins - Cook Time: - 1 hour 10mins - Serves 6

Prepare this stunning centrepiece to impress your vegan guests on Christmas day. Roasting a whole butternut squash, scooping out the sweet flesh and then mixing with vegan sausage, chestnuts and sweet cranberries, is really easy to do, and gives impressive results. 

Ingredients: 

1 pack HECK Meat Free Chipolatas

1 large Butternut Squash (approx. 1.5kg)

1 tbsp Olive Oil

1 Red Onion, diced

3 Garlic Cloves, minced

180g vacuum packed Chestnuts, roughly chopped

80g Dried Cranberries

Handful of Fresh Rosemary, chopped

String to tie the squash

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200°c/ fan 180°c. Cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds and place cut side down onto a baking tray and roast for 45-50 minutes until just tender.
2. When there’s 20 minutes of cook time remaining, add the olive oil to a large saucepan, add the diced onion and sauté for 5-10 minutes until soft. Remove the skin from the chipolatas and add these to the pan, mashing with a fork to break them up. Once browned all over, add the garlic and chopped rosemary and cook for a further 2 minutes.
3. Tip the filling into a bowl with the chestnuts and cranberries and stir until combined.
4. Remove the squash from the oven and carefully cut along the edge leaving a 2 cm border. Scoop out the soft flesh from both halves of the squash to allow space for stuffing. Add the scooped squash into the sausage mixture and stir through.
5. Place two pieces of twine under one of the squash halves, spoon the filling back into both halves and place one on top of the other. Tie the twine tightly to secure the squash.
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes.
7. Removed from the oven and serve up on a chopping board.

Enjoy!