Microwave Asparagus and Butternut Squash Risotto

Nothing’s wasted in this risotto, and it’s all made in the microwave! We’ve used Parmesan, because of its lovely depth of flavour – but you could swap it for a vegetarian Italian-style hard cheese, if needed. This recipe is based on a 900W microwave; if using a lower power, timings will increase. Hands-on time 20min, plus infusing. Cooking time about 35min. Serves 4  125g Parmesan, including the rind, see intro

 1 small butternut squash (about 650g), scrubbed

 150g asparagus

 6 thyme sprigs, leaves picked and roughly chopped (reserve stalks)  1 vegetable or chicken stock cube  300g risotto rice

 25g butter, softened

1 Slice the rind off the Parmesan and put into a large, microwave-safe jug. Finely grate the remaining cheese and set aside. Trim and halve the squash (leave skin on) and scrape the stringy pulp and seeds into the jug. Add the squash trimmings. Next, slice the woody ends off the asparagus spears and add to the jug, along with the thyme stalks, stock cube and 1 litre cold water (make sure the thyme stalks are submerged).

2 Cover with a microwave-safe plate and cook on high for 2-3min, until

steaming. Stir well, re-cover and leave to infuse for at least 30min (up to 4hr) at room temperature.

3 Chop remaining butternut squash into 1cm chunks (leave skin on) and transfer to a large microwave-safe dish. Add 1-2tbsp of the infusing stock, cover and microwave on high for 10min, until starting to soften.

4 Meanwhile, roughly chop the asparagus. Stir the rice and some seasoning into the butternut squash dish and strain in the infused stock through a fine sieve (discard trimmings and cheese rind). Re-cover and microwave on high for 20min, stirring in the chopped asparagus and thyme leaves halfway through.

5 Check the rice is tender and the stock has been absorbed (re-cover and cook for 30sec bursts if not), stir in 1/2 the grated cheese and all the butter. Check seasoning.

6 Sprinkle over remaining cheese and some freshly ground black pepper. Serve.

PER SERVING 528cals, 19g protein, 16g fat (10g saturates), 75g carbs (8g total sugars), 5g fibre