Description
A flavorful and comforting Creamy Lentil Stuffed Butternut Squash recipe featuring roasted butternut squash halves filled with a hearty, spiced lentil mixture and topped with a rich butternut-tahini sauce. Perfect for a vegetarian main course.
Ingredients
Scale
Butternut Squash
- 3 medium butternut squash
- Regular olive oil or avocado oil for roasting
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Creamy Lentil Filling
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 large yellow onions, diced
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon roughly chopped fresh sage leaves
- 2 teaspoons roughly chopped fresh rosemary leaves
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/3 cup dry red wine (such as Pinot Noir, Shiraz/Syrah, or Malbec)
- 1 cup green or brown lentils (190g)
- 2 ⅔ cups vegetable broth (640 mL)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon sweet or hot paprika
- 2 ½ tablespoons tahini
- 2 teaspoons white miso paste
- 2-3 teaspoons good-quality balsamic vinegar
Butternut-Tahini Sauce
- 1 cup roasted butternut squash (from the scooped out halves)
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 3-6 tablespoons water or vegetable broth, more as needed to thin the sauce
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Roast the squash: Preheat the oven to 425°F (218°C). Slice each butternut squash in half and scoop out the seeds and strings. Place the halves cut side up on a large baking sheet, rub with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 50 minutes or until the flesh is fork tender and lightly browned.
- Prepare the creamy lentil filling: Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add onions with a pinch of salt and sauté for 9 minutes, stirring occasionally to develop browning. Add garlic, sage, and rosemary; cook for 2 minutes stirring frequently. Stir in tomato paste and cook for 3 minutes.
- Deglaze and simmer lentils: Reduce heat to medium. Pour in red wine and deglaze the pan, scraping browned bits, cooking for 3 minutes until alcohol smell dissipates. Add vegetable broth, lentils, bay leaf, and paprika. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a rapid simmer. Cook for 30 minutes until lentils are tender and liquid mostly absorbed.
- Finish lentil filling: Lower heat to low. Stir in tahini, miso paste, and balsamic vinegar until well combined. Season with ½ to 1 teaspoon kosher salt and black pepper to taste. Set aside.
- Scoop out squash flesh: When squash has cooled enough to handle, use a large spoon to remove the flesh, leaving a ½ to ¾-inch thick border around the shells. Reserve 1 cup of the scooped flesh for the sauce; save the rest for other uses.
- Reduce oven temperature: Lower oven temperature to 350°F (175°C).
- Stuff and bake: Fill each squash half with the lentil mixture. Place stuffed halves on the baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes until warmed through.
- Make butternut-tahini sauce: In a food processor, combine the reserved 1 cup squash flesh, tahini, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth, adding water or broth gradually to achieve a pourable but thick consistency.
- Serve: Drizzle the butternut-tahini sauce over the stuffed squash. Garnish with chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley if desired.
Notes
- Use avocado oil instead of olive oil for a lighter flavor and higher smoke point.
- Reserve extra butternut squash flesh for other recipes such as risotto, pasta, oatmeal, or smoothies.
- For a vegan option, ensure miso and tahini are certified vegan.
- Adjust the amount of water or broth in the sauce to get your preferred consistency.
- Lentils should be rinsed before cooking to remove any debris.
- Allow roasted squash to cool sufficiently before scooping to avoid burning your hands.
- If red wine is unavailable, substitute with additional vegetable broth and a splash of balsamic vinegar for acidity.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 stuffed half
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 450 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 45 g
- Fiber: 12 g
- Protein: 12 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
