Description
Delicious and hearty Creamy Lentil Stuffed Butternut Squash recipe featuring roasted squash halves filled with a flavorful lentil mixture, complemented by a smooth butternut-tahini sauce. Perfect for a satisfying 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 2/3 cups vegetable broth (640 mL)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon sweet or hot paprika
- 2 1/2 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
- 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 pulp with a spoon. Place each half 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.
- Make the Creamy Lentil Filling: Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add diced onions with a pinch of salt and sauté for 9 minutes until mostly browned, stirring occasionally but not too often. Add garlic, sage, and rosemary; cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in tomato paste and cook for 3 minutes.
- Deglaze with wine: Reduce heat to medium, pour in red wine, and stir to deglaze the pan, scraping up browned bits. Cook for 3 minutes until the wine evaporates and alcohol smell dissipates.
- Cook lentils: Add vegetable broth, lentils, bay leaf, and paprika. Stir and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to maintain a rapid simmer. Cook for 30 minutes until lentils are tender and liquid mostly absorbed.
- Finish lentil filling: Lower the heat to low. Stir in tahini, miso paste, and balsamic vinegar until well incorporated. Season with 1/2 to 1 teaspoon kosher salt and black pepper to taste. Set aside.
- Scoop out squash flesh: After squash cools, scoop out flesh from each half, leaving a 1/2 to 3/4-inch thick border. Reserve 1 cup of the flesh for the sauce and set aside the rest for another use.
- Reduce oven temperature: Lower oven temperature to 350°F (175°C).
- Stuff and bake: Stuff each squash cavity with the lentil filling. Place on baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes to warm through.
- Make butternut-tahini sauce: In a food processor, combine reserved 1 cup squash flesh, tahini, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth, adding water or vegetable broth (3 to 6 tablespoons) gradually to achieve a pourable yet thick sauce.
- Serve: Drizzle the butternut-tahini sauce over the stuffed squash halves. Garnish with chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley if desired.
Notes
- Use brown or green lentils; they hold shape well during cooking.
- Reserve extra squash flesh for soups, risottos, or smoothies.
- Adjust red wine amount or omit for a non-alcoholic version, substituting with extra broth.
- For a gluten-free meal, ensure vegetable broth and miso paste are gluten free.
- Sauté onions longer for deeper caramelization and flavor.
- Use a nonstick pan or extra olive oil if needed to prevent sticking while cooking the filling.
- Fresh herbs can be substituted with dried, using about one-third the amount.
- Serve immediately for best flavor, but leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 350 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 450 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 48 g
- Fiber: 14 g
- Protein: 14 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
