Cheesy Baked Celery with Pancetta

Servings: 4
Calories: 359.3kcal/1503.2kJ (per serving)
Fat: 34.9g (per serving)
Carbs: 4.6g (per serving)
Protein: 7.5g (per serving)

This buttery celery is coated with a rich cheese sauce and salty pancetta before being baked until tender and golden.

This makes for a decadent side dish to roasted chicken or pork.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Trim the bases from the celery and discard. Arrange the celery so that it is tightly packed into an oven proof baking dish. Top with one tablespoon of butter then transfer to the oven to cook for 10 minutes until just tender.
Whilst the celery is baking, heat the olive oil in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook until browned all over. Remove the pancetta from the skillet with a slotted spoon and set to one side.
Once the celery is part cooked, scatter the pancetta over the top.
Add the remaining butter to the pan that cooked the pancetta and melt over a gentle heat. Add the cream cheese and stir until melted.
Crumble in the blue cheese and add the cream, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Stir well to combine and simmer gently until hot through and the cheese has melted into the sauce.
Pour the cheese sauce over the celery and pancetta and transfer to the oven to bake for 20 minutes or until the celery is tender and the cheese sauce is golden and bubbling.