Pumpkin Huevos Rancheros

I'm sure I'm not the only one to wake up on 1st November to find I've a huge glut of pumpkin to get through following Halloween festivities. Thank goodness for this Pumpkin Huevos Rancheros recipe to get started on it first thing! This makes a really delicious breakfast and is a good way to use up leftovers as well as setting you up for a successful SP day too.

As usual with my recipes, I've deviated from a lot of the 'rules' about what constitutes a traditional 'huevos rancheros' dish - adding some extra pulses and poaching my eggs separately. I've also been inspired by the recipe for Turkish Eggs that Nigella Lawson presented in her new series, this week - intrigued by the idea of yoghurty sauce and poached eggs served together. I can confirm this quark version works really well.

I prepped a lot of this the night before - roasting the pumpkin whilst I had the oven on for another dish for tea and using up some basic tomato sauce that I'd made to accompany some pasta on a non-SP day. Despite this it is also easy to make from scratch - especially useful on a cold autumnal day when you want to pop things in the oven to roast and sit back to relax a little whilst it cooks.

As with all recipes and meal plans on the blog I have highlighted the protein sources (P foods) in red, the speed (S) foods in green, healthy extra allowances in blue and syns, with syn values in brackets in orange. 

Pumpkin Huevos Rancheros

Serves 2  - syn free (no HEA used)

Flesh from a medium-sized pumpkin, cut into chunks (all skin, seeds and fibres removed)
300ml Passata
1/2 can chickpeas, drained
1/2 can butter beans, drained
1 clove garlic,  minced
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried tarragon
2 eggs
2 tbsp quark 
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp smoked paprika
Spray Oil
1 tsp dried chipotle chilli flakes

Pre-heat an oven to 180 degrees fan / 200 degrees / Gas Mark 4.

Spray an ovenproof tray with spray oil and lay the chunks of pumpkin in a single layer on to it. Spray with oil and sprinkle over the chilli flakes. 

Roast in the oven for 20 - 30 minutes (check regularly to avoid it catching - I've found different pumpkins to take different amounts of time!) You want the edges of the chunks to be browned and the flesh soften enough to be cut with a fork.

Whilst the pumpkin roasts, pour the passata into a pan and add in the garlic, oregano and tarragon. Bring to the boil and then turn down to a simmer, tipping in the beans and chick peas to heat through for 10 minutes. 

In a separate bowl, beat the quark with the lemon juice to create a thick, but pour-able sauce. Put to one side. 

Once the pumpkin is cooked, stir into the tomato sauce and leave to simmer for 5 - 10 mins, whilst you prepare the eggs.

Bring a pan of water to the boil and then turn down to a simmer. 

Tip the eggs directly into the water, one at a time and leave to cook without stirring for 2 minutes. 

Ladel the pumpkin mixture into the bottom of a bowl and then spoon over the quark mixture, following it with a sprinkle of the smoked paprika. 

Carefully lift the eggs, one at a time, from the water and place on top of the yogurt topping.

Serve quickly, with some leafy greens.