Festive Parsnip, Sweet Potato, Nut & Couscous Roast with Stilton
This easy nut and Ainsley Couscous roast is great for a family dinner or for a veggie Christmas lunch. It’s packed full of flavour and texture and delicious served with all the trimmings. We’ve used our Roasted Vegetable Couscous but if you like a little kick try with our Tomato & Chilli Couscous. If you don’t like blue cheese you can swap for feta or vegan Greek-style cheese. We’ve kept the roast light, but if you want a firmer texture add a beaten egg to the mix.
Method
Put the potatoes and parsnip in a saucepan of salted water and bring to the boil. Cook for approx. 10-15 minutes until tender, drain well and mash.
Preheat the oven to 200c/180cfan/Gas6. Oil and line a 2lb loaf tin with parchment, leaving the excess overhanging the sides.
Heat the oil in a frying pan over a low-medium heat and gently fry the onion, celery and red pepper, for 8-10 minutes until softened. Add the thyme and garlic and cook for another minute. Allow to cool.
Meanwhile, prepare the couscous according to the packet instructions and fluff with a fork. Allow to cool a little.
Tip all of the ingredients (minus the sunflower/pumpkin seeds) into a mixing bowl. Season well with salt and pepper and mix thoroughly.
Transfer the mixture to the prepared tin and press down firmly to pack into the tin. Top with sunflower seeds. Fold the excess parchment on top of the mixture to cover. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and peel back the parchment, bake for a further 20 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 large sweet potato (approx. 300g), peeled and chopped
- 1 large parsnip, peeled and chopped into chunks
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 stick of celery, finely chopped
- 1 red pepper, deseeded and finely chopped
- 1 x packet Ainsley Roasted Vegetable Couscous
- ½ tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 2 cloves garlic, grated or minced
- 100g ready-to-eat chestnuts, roughly chopped
- 80g walnuts, Brazil nuts or almonds, chopped
- 80g stilton, crumbled or chopped (make sure it’s vegetarian friendly)
- handful of dried cranberries (optional)
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
- handful of sunflower/pumpkin seeds
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper