I've been working on getting this recipe up for about a month now, but I suppose better late than never! We are still in squash season, so there is plenty of time left to enjoy this recipe if you choose to make it at home. I think it would be a great one for the Thanksgiving table!
This recipe featured my single garden butternut squash from this year. Last year I couldn't give away enough, but for whatever reason this year pickings were slim. That's how gardening goes sometimes! Luckily my farmers kept me in good supply, as usual, so I am never without these seasonal gems. I can't say I cook them like this often, but you can never go wrong with a stuffed squash for a nice meal.
I do adore fresh fennel, as well. Onions are great and all, but fennel adds that rich anise flavor, especially when you toss in fennel seeds for good measure. This recipe is allium-friendly for anyone who can't enjoy the savory note that onions and garlic impart on so many recipes, but it still has plenty of flavor despite the absence of those cooking staples. If you don't have enough of the fronds to use for the stuffing, dill would make a nice substitution. The butternut squash seed oil was from Olea Oliva! , and I very much enjoyed using little drizzles here and there this season. Though you can always omit if you prefer not to use oils, but I would add some healthy fat like seeds or nuts on top as a finisher to help absorb the fat-soluble nutrients in this dish otherwise. As always, many other subs could be made to use whatever ingredients you have at home--different mushrooms or leafy greens, perhaps an acorn squash instead of butternut. Cooking is always a good place to exert your creativity!
Lentil & Mushroom-Stuffed Butternut Squash
There are plenty of butternut squash recipes out there similar to this one, but I enjoyed this combination of flavors so much I wanted to make sure I could replicate it in the future! The stuffing was nice and earthy to offset the sweetness of the butternut squash. Plus, I just can't get enough of fennel and lentils together as they take on almost a sausage-like flavor.
This was great paired with a nice salad or even a bowl of soup to really make a hearty meal. I had plenty of extra stuffing to use in other meals, as well. In my opinion, it's always better to have too much than not enough!
- 1 large butternut squash, cut in half & seeds removed
- 1 cup dry brown lentils, rinsed & drained
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 bulb fennel, chopped (reserve the fronds to add in the mixture later)
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 8 ounces mushrooms, chopped (I used oyster, but you could sub other varities)
- 1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
- 1/4 cup fennel fronds, finely chopped
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1/8 tsp salt & pepper
- 2-3 cups dark leafy greens, chopped (I used broccoli greens, kale or chard would be great subs)
- 1 tbsp butternut squash seed oil to drizzle, optional
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the halved butternut squash on a lined baking sheet, cut side down. Roast for 45-50 minutes, or until soft. It may take more or less time depending upon how large your squash is, but you want to be able to scoop out the flesh without losing the shape of the squash when you stuff it.
While your squash is roasting, prepare the filling. Place the lentils in a saucepan with the bay leaf and enough water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until just starting to soften. Drain, remove the bay leaf and set aside once done.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the fennel and celery and sauté for 10 minutes, or until starting to soften and lightly brown. Next add in the chopped mushrooms and continue cooking for another 5 minutes. Finally, mix in the rosemary, fennel fronds and seeds, along with the leafy greens and cook for a few minutes to just wilt the greens. Turn off the heat, then stir in the cooked lentils and set aside.
Once the squash is cooked, let cool slightly and scoop out the flesh, leaving about a half an inch inside the skin to support the structure. Mix the scooped out squash into the lentil and mushroom stuffing, then add to fill each half of the squash. You may have extra, so just save that for leftovers.
Bring the temperature down to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and return the stuffed squash back into the oven for about 20 minutes to warm through. Before serving, drizzle a bit of butternut squash seed oil over top for a nutty addition to the final product, or omit if you are oil-free.
We used the extra stuffing in tortillas for a little twist on the leftovers. I am never mad to have even more leftovers to spread throughout the week's meals! Especially this time of year, meal prep is king in helping stay on course with good health and keep the stress of having to cook every night at bay. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a few treats during the holidays here and there, but I know I feel so much better with good food like this in me in between!
To all who celebrate, happy Thanksgiving and all the holidays coming up ahead! I am feeling very grateful for many things this year, and I hope the same is true for anyone reading this right now.
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This sounds delicious! I like - in addition to the fennel - the rosemary which always adds another robust flavour that works well with butternut.
You'll laugh, then, knowing that I almost forgot to note the rosemary. Thank goodness for the edit button because it did help bump up the flavor that much more!
Hahaha! You do also know that butternut and sage play well together?
Absolutely! A classic. We need to get some more sage growing in the garden. And rosemary, for that matter. The seeds I got this year didn't take, so I may go the route of buying a small plant.
I've discovered that both are fussy to grow. Finally, I have a sage plant that's survived two years - in a tub and I force it to follow the sun. We now have two baby rosemaries that have grown from slips... I am sooooo happy to be able to harvest both. I've missed them! lol
Yummy :)
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It looks delicious ñamiii 🤤
Maybe the other years you can take care in the polinization part, and make it by hand. With the male flower, you put the polen in the female flower when it is open.
Thank you for chearing that recepe 🙌🏽❤
Thank you @rukeros! It is quite delicious! I think our timing was off in the planting this year, but I will also keep in mind the pollinizing tip! I know it helped with our zucchini to thin out the leaves so that the bees could get in to the flowers. :)
Sounds amazing, Katie! I might try out an improv version of this, with less ingredients, one day soon. Thanks for the inspiration! :<)
Sending you a big hug from Portugal
Excellent dino food, this. Would love to see how you interpret it! There's no wrong way really, in my opinion. Use what you like and have on hand. :) Hugs to you, as well!
I have two halfs of a pumpkin in the oven, as we speak. My twin sister is about to come over and enjoy a late lunch with me. I filled it with carrot, courgette and garlic, that was pan fried in a nasi ( Indonesian ) herb mix and sambal. I also added some olive oil. I also have extra stuffing, pan fried pieces of soy and some pan fried rice.
Might be a little dry but I'm sure the taste will be awesome.
Thank you for the inspiration and have an awesome day!
Ooh yum, sounds delicious! Enjoy the meal and time with your sister!
It was and my sister enjoyed it too. And, even better, I have enough left over for tonight's dinner.
xx
Oh my gosh, @plantstoplanks I'm going to have to start following your posts more closely! I've spent 17+ hours consuming teachings on the scientific benefits of a diet rich in plant foods and I'm... shocked, stoked, amazed, awake! Looking forward to including more (and more and more) real food and plant foods into my diet. And... following along with your awesome recipes by the look of it! 😂
Welcome to the veg-side! ;) I don't get to share as many recipes as I would like, but always try to pop on with some veggie-packed inspiration when I can. So many awesome plant foods out there to try. I'm sure you will find lots of great meal inspiration on here as you start to include more and more of these types of dishes into your meal plan.
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Great combination, I love the concept boss. Do keep up the good work @plantstoplanks
Happy you enjoy it! Thank you for the support!
In Indonesia there are no lentils, only peanuts
Ooh, I do love peanuts. They grow here very well, too. I may have to try a peanut-stuffed variation of this as I think peanuts and butternut squash are a lovely pairing!
That makes such a good vegan dish, I love butternut squash as well 🤩
Thanks for the recipe, love it!
Butternut is so great! Well, all the squashes like this are so good. So many ways to enjoy them!
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Definitely a recipe that deserves to be tried and shared, thanks for showing it.
Happy to share it!
I hear you. I have been trying for months too to be more active on hive and put up some recipes I made ages ago but then life happens.
Even though you only had one butternut this year, you put it to very good use! I love this recipe. I bet it tastes great.
Life really does get in the way, haha! I had a good little spurt last month, but then I got pulled away again. Though it's always the balance of do I finally get up a post or do I use that time to go around and see what everyone else is posting? Haven't had much time to make the rounds, but hopefully I'll get a chance soon!
a recipe i have remembered :) Fillings of any kind are so delicious!
You can't go wrong with stuffing something full of goodies, right? Especially when you have plenty left to keep on stuffing your face, haha!
hahahaha thats true lol
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