Squash and Lentil Stew
This warm, slightly spicy stew is great comfort food.
This dish is especially easy to make because you don’t have to worry about pre-baking the squash. The cold winter months are great for making soups and stews. Plus you can often get away with making a stew using just one pot – so there are less dishes to wash! This is a nice, sweet savory stew, that comes together pretty quickly. The trickiest bit is figuring out the best way to peel and cube the butternut squash. I like to cut it in half lengthwise and then cut the cylindrical top portion off from the bottom portion with the seeds. Then I slice the cylindrical portion into horizontal slices and chop these into cubes. Any part with peel on them I try to cut into a roughly geometrical shape like a trapezoid. There’s usually plenty of squash, so I don’t get to picky about losing a little squash with the peel.
Aside from figuring out how to turn the oddly shaped squash into cubes, this recipe is a cinch. Chop the vegetables and let them simmer. It takes a little under an hour, but very little of that time involves you standing over the stove or the cutting board. You can also make this recipe in a slow-cooker (as it was originally intended). I believe you’d want to put in the slow-cooker for 6 hours. My way yields quicker rewards.
Squash and Lentil Stew (adapted from a WeightWachers recipe)
Serves 4-6
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 medium onion chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups uncooked butternut squash, cubed
2 large uncooked carrots, diced
1/2 cup water or vegetable broth
1 cup dry lentils
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
In the bottom of a large pot, cook the onions, garlic and olive oil over medium heat. Once the onions are beginning to brown, add the carrots and cook for a few minutes, covered. Add the remaining ingredients, mix and cook covered over medium heat for about 40 minutes. Check the carrots, squash and lentils to see if the consistency is to your liking and cook longer if necessary. Serve with a little yogurt if it seems too spicy.
