Recipes: Roasted Butternut Squash & Red Lentil One-Pot Stew

So - hello the 1st October and also, Vegan MoFo! That is - Vegan Month of Food, a celebration of vegan food and vegan food blogging for the whole of the month, with bloggers across the world joining in to blog at least 20 posts on the topic of vegan food (if you want to add their RSS feeds to your reader, they are all bundled in categories here). It is thanks to Caroline of the Tea & Sympatico blog I found out about this!

And to start off - how about some simple, tasty, autumnal food that comforts you right down to your toes on a dark night - what more could you need? Not much more, apart from maybe a mug of mulled wine to wash it down.

Using seasonal butternut squash and red lentils, this is a very budget-friendly meal which apart from the roasting of the squash, all happens in one pot. And it's made from seasonal ingredients which are not difficult to come by at all. The only one that might not be available in your local supermarket is coconut oil (which I've used because I prefer to fry with it nowadays) and if you don't have it at hand, olive oil will suffice.

I love the red and orange colours of this stew, and the sweet taste of the squash with the subtle flavour of the herbs and spices, including the warming touch the ground mixed spice adds to the dish. You could add another half a teaspoon of the mixed spice if you want a stronger flavour of it.

As long as you ensure to use gluten free stock powder or stock cube to make your stock (if not making from fresh, which I rarely do) then the meal is gluten free, too.

I like this stew served with pickled red cabbage, and also a rocket salad goes nicely with it. This recipe makes a large panful - personally, I'd say for at least 6 people - but it depends on how greedy or hungry you are! If you are cooking for 4 body-builders each over 6ft tall, maybe it will just about serve them with some bread to mop up the juices.

If you're cooking for people who focus on intuitive eating and try to eat only enough to fill their bellies, rather than build their biceps, then you've definitely got enough here to feed a few, especially with something else accompanying.

So - what are you waiting for? Go grab some seasonal squashes and warm up your evenings with nourishing food!

Roasted Butternut Squash & Red Lentil One-Pot Stew
Serves 4

1 teaspoon coconut oil, for frying (use olive oil if you don't have coconut)

1 medium butternut squash, quartered lengthways and deseeded

1 medium onion, chopped

2 large carrots, quartered lengthways and chopped into pieces

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup / 175g red split lentils

3 cups / 750ml hot vegetable stock (fresh or using a stock cube or powder)

2 cups / 500g carton passata

2 bay leaves (I use fresh ones, but dried will be fine)

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

1 teaspoon dried thyme

½ teaspoon ground mixed spice

¼ teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 200 / 400. In a roasting pan, lay the butternut squash quarters skin-side down and bake the squash for about 45 minutes or until tender. When cooked, leave aside to cool.

2. In a large, heavy based stockpan, melt the coconut oil on a medium heat then add the chopped onions. Sauté for about 2-3 minutes, then add the chopped carrots. Continue to fry for 4-5 minutes or so, then stir in the garlic and sauté just another minute.

3. Pour the vegetable stock into the pan and bring to the boil. Add the lentils, then turn the heat down to a high simmer. Add the passata, bay leaves, cumin, thyme, mixed spice and sea salt. Cover the pan and simmer for about 20-25 minutes. Stir frequently so the stew doesn't stick.

4. While the lentils are cooking with the other ingredients, prepare the cooled butternut squash. Scoop the flesh away from the skin, keeping the squash as intact as possible, and then cut the squash flesh into cubes.

5. Once the lentil stew is fully cooked and the lentils are soft and edible, turn the heat off. Gently mix the butternut squash into the stew. Leave for a few minutes so the butternut squash cubes heat through from the stew (this helps the squash to not, um, get squashed!).

6. Pile into bowls and sprinkle chopped parsley on top. Serve with crusty bread and slices of pickled beetroot or red cabbage.

Comments

[Stephanie @ Snacking☀nSunshine]

I am so happy I found your blog! My name is Stephanie, I'm a 23-year-old new vegetarian who signed up for VeganMofo to learn all about this lifestyle. I'm going to be moving to London in January 2013, so I'm really excited to be reading vegan blogs like yours to prepare for the hop!
This looks DELICIOUS!!!

[Margaret Cohen]

Thanks for this - I'm working towards being vegan after 30 years of being vegetarian. I have one vegan daughter, one vegetarian, one a bit of a mixture of things and three out of the four grandchildren being brought up vegan and the other vegetarian. I could do with printing this, but I can't work out how . . . . Once I've sorted that out, I'll be on to the next recipe - and the next - and the next . . . . .

[Andrea - Chocolate and Beyond]

@Stephanie: Hi! Thank you for commenting! I love that you described veganism as a 'lifestyle' - which it surely is, as it is not just a 'diet' (in fact, you have given me an idea for a post!). I'm excited that you would like to learn more about being vegan and I will be checking out your blog too!

@Margaret: Again, always wonderful to hear when someone says they are taking steps to be vegan. I did it by a process of swapping things in my diet (dairy milk to soya, deciding not to buy cheese at home, etc). But you have a great support around you too with so many compassionate people in your life! I shall see if I can find a way to add a 'print this' button - otherwise, may I suggest you just copy and paste the text into a Word document, and print from there? Thank you for stopping by :)

[shena steer]

This was delicious. I have been vegan for a while, and Im always looking for new recipes to try. I doubled the ingredients as I have a large family and it worked really well. I have never cooked Butternut Squash so this was a first! Your recipe was easy to follow and I especially liked the photos and the fact you put the measurements in cups and grammes. I will definitely be back to try more! Thank you :)

[Andrea - Chocolate and Beyond]

Shena thank you so much for commenting and I'm really glad the stew turned out well for you! Especially since it was the first time you have cooked with butternut squash :) Thank you for the feedback on the format of my recipe too!

[Veggie Sara]

This looks really good! I have one butternut left over, so Imight make this recipe :)

[Andrea - Chocolate and Beyond]

Thanks for stopping by Sara and please let me know how it turns out if you make it! :)

[Cathy Bryant]

Delicious! We replaced the cumin and spice with rosemary (rosemary-roasted squash, drool)but otherwise stuck to it. It only did three portions for us, prob because Keir ate a ton of it! This was fragrant, delicious and a lovely change if one has had enough of the potatoes, pasta, rice, couscous cycle. Another winner.

[Andrea - Chocolate and Beyond]

Cathy thank you so much for your comment and for coming back to let me know how the recipe turned out. I am SO glad you tried this - I imagine rosemary was very delicious too. I think I going to have to readjust my serving sizes when I post recipes, to consider man-sized portions! I am a 'little but often' eater and this dish lasted me five meals I think!