Unstuffed Winter Squash with Rice and Lentils
Perfect for the holiday table as the star of table or as vegetarian side dish. Serve this beautiful dish whenever you need an impressive vegetarian main.
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 294kcal
Ingredients
- 1 large butternut squash scrubed and cut into chunks, do not peel, about 2 lbs
- 2 tablespoon sriracha sauce (optional)
- 2 tablespoon honey or other liquid sweetener (optional)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
For the rice and lentils
- 2 large onions finely diced
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 2 teaspoon whole cumin seeds or 1 teaspoon ground cumin seeds
- 1-¼ cups medium grain white rice
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- pinch chili flakes
- 2 cups or 18oz can of cooked lentils green, brown or black
- 7 cups baby spinach
- 2-½ cups vegetable stock
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375. Wash the squash and remove seeds. Slice in large, 1 inch thick chunks. Larger than bite sized. Optional: combine sriracha and honey and oil in a small bowl then brush on the squash pieces. Arrange on a rimmed baking sheet and roast 25-35 minutes. Alternately: arrange squash on a rimmed baking sheet and brush with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast at 375 for 25-35 minutesCheck squash at the 20 minute mark, flip the pieces if you feel driven to do so. It will need an additional 10-15 minutes more. Err on the side of more. You want the squash to be fork tender and browned around edges. Look for carmalization before removing from the oven.
- While the squash is roasting, start the onions. In a large saute pan heat 2 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add onions and fry, stiring often for about 10 minutes. Onions should begin to soften and brown. Reduce heat and allow the onions to fry, stirring occasionally. They should become very soft and brown. This could take an additional 10-15 minutes. Add a bit more oil if they seem to be sticking too much. You want them very soft and caramelized. Season with salt and set aside. Leave in the fry pan.
- While the onions are cooking, make rice: place cumin seeds, coriander and 2 tablespoons of oil in a medium sauce pan. Bring oil to temperature over medium heat then quickly add rice, stock and tumeric. Do not burn the spices. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 25 minutes or until rice is tender.
- When rice is complete, add spinach. Folding it into the hot rice so that it wilts. Stir in lentils. Then hot onions. Check for seasoning. Add salt and pepper as necessary. Make sure the rice if nicely seasoned. You should taste the spices.
- Remove the squash from the oven. In a serving platter arrange squash and rice mixture, layering and gently tossing together. Serve.
Nutrition
Calories: 294kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 1409mg | Potassium: 865mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 15221IU | Vitamin C: 37mg | Calcium: 116mg | Iron: 4mg
