Roasted Butternut Squash With Lentils and Feta
- Total Time
- 40 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:2 to 4 servings
- ½cup black or green lentils
- 1(3-inch) cinnamon stick
- 4garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
- Kosher salt
- 1(1-pound) butternut squash
- 1tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- ½teaspoon black pepper
- ¼cup crumbled feta
- 4scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced
- 2tablespoons roasted, salted pumpkin seeds
- ¼cup extra-virgin olive oil or grapeseed oil
- 2tablespoons pomegranate molasses
- 1tablespoon honey
- ½teaspoon ground cumin, toasted
- ¼teaspoon ground cayenne
- ½teaspoon black pepper
- Kosher salt
For the Salad
For the Dressing
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
384 calories; 21 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 14 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 43 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 15 grams sugars; 10 grams protein; 470 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Pick any debris from the lentils, then rinse the lentils under running water. Transfer them to a medium saucepan, then add the cinnamon, garlic and 1 teaspoon salt.
- Step 2
Add enough water to cover everything by 1 inch. Bring the water to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to low and let simmer until the lentils are tender but not mushy, about 20 minutes. Drain the lentils, discard the cinnamon and garlic, then transfer the lentils to a large bowl.
- Step 3
While the lentils cook, prepare the squash: Trim and discard the top and bottom ends of the squash. Peel the squash, halve it lengthwise, and remove and discard the strings and seeds. Slice the squash crosswise ¼-inch thick and place the pieces on a baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Step 4
Roast the squash until completely tender, slightly caramelized and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, and let cool for 10 minutes. Once cool, add to the lentils.
- Step 5
While the squash cooks, prepare the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil, pomegranate molasses, honey, cumin, cayenne and black pepper. Taste and season to taste with salt.
- Step 6
Sprinkle the feta, scallions and pumpkin seeds over the lentils and squash. Pour 2 to 3 tablespoons of the dressing over the lentils and squash. Serve warm or at room temperature, with the remaining dressing on the side.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Vicki B
Could I use black strap molasses, which I have in pantry, instead of pomegranate molasses, which isn't so easy to find?
CC Baker
You can make pomegranate molasses by boiling down pomegranate juice, which is much more widely available.
eleni
We gravitate to this awesome meal every 2-3 weeks for the past few months. For 4 (incl. 2 young teenagers) we: - double the salad ingredients but make a single batch of the dressing - slice the squash a bit thinner so it gets more crispy bits - cook up about 12oz of hearty grains (e.g. farro, freekeh, einkorn) To serve: on top of a bed of arugula or baby spinach goes the cooked grains, then the lentils, then the feta and green onions, then the dressing, with the undressed squash on top. Yum!
Katie
I couldn’t get the pomegranate mollasses to mix with the oils but the addition of a teaspoon of mustard did the trick. Substituted pistachios for pumpkin seeds. Delicious, and a new dinner staple!
Rachel
Delicious! It doesn’t yield much, 3 servings at best, so for the effort it’s worth doubling. Keeps well for leftovers.
Liza T
Sub organic Delicata squash for the butternut. No need to peel, it’s sweeter and less watery, so it caramel it’s better, and is a better shape/size for a salad. I also add roasted Brussels or broccoli, whichever is in season.
Sandra
Why would the recipe call for roasted pumpkin seeds when you could easily use the butternut seeds - wash thoroughly, dry and roast.
Anna
Truly delicious recipe, beyond the sum of its parts, I can also imagine it as an elegant side for Thanksgiving. So... not to be *that person* in the note section... but... Why use pumpkin seeds when the butternut squash has lovely perfectly edible seeds? Scrub the squash off the seeds with hot water, toss with a little oil, salt, and whatever spices you like, and put in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes.
Sarah
I’ve subbed aged balsamic for pomegranate molasses in the past with good results. This time around I made my own by reducing a Pom juice, lemon juice and sugar solution, as mentioned by others.
Leslie
I was out of pomegranate molasses so I subbed a 1/4 tsp tamarind concentrate and 1.5 tbsp sherry vinegar. Result was delicious, a very balanced and flavorful meal.
Mary Zwick
This dish was delicious. I modified in a few ways: 1. I added fresh chopped sage to the dressing because sage and butternut squash and pomegranate is amazing 2. I added roasted Brussel sprouts to the salad because i had some Brussel sprouts that needed to be used. Very tasty addition 3. I added cayenne to the butternut squash while it was roasting because I felt like the dressing would be overly sweet. I think it has a nice kick without being overly spicy. Overall, very tasty meal.
The Dude
A couple of suggestions. One, double this recipe. Even then it would only serve 4 people as a main course if the portions were modest. And who doesn't like leftovers! Two, don't add honey. The pomegranate molasses has plenty of sugar in it. Three, I think you should add some sort of acid to the dressing. Either balsamic or lemon juice. It needs something to balance the oil and the sugar in the molasses, and to give it some pop. I used 1 Tbsp in this recipe. Four, I would pass on the cayenne.
Mary
As with so many needful things, you can get pomegranate molasses from Amazon. And it lasts forever. There really is no substitute.
Sophie
This is yummy and feels filling yet healthful. I think the dressing needs some acid so I added some apple cider vinegar which helped cut the super super sweet. I agree it’s worth doubling this recipe because the leftover are great too.
Nanoo52
Nancy, toast the ground cumin in a dry skillet that has been heated over medium-high heat. As soon as you add the cumin, reduce the heat to low and stir constantly. It will only take a few seconds. Once you can smell the cumin and it has begun to change color, remove from the heat.
Jessie
Made this with what we had at home (carrots for squash sub, maple syrup for honey, smoked almonds for pumpkin seeds) and skipped feta. Added dried mint to the dressing. LOVE the dressing and will make again.
Maria
I love this recipe. One suggestion is to skip peeling the butternut squash; it isn't necessary. Also, as many mentioned, pomegranate molasses is hard to find so I substitute tamarind paste.
Judy
Easy preparation and great contrasting flavors. I think this dressing could be used in many salads. Buff it up with greens or whole grains.
Emily in France
Use less salt for the lentils, at least half as much
D in El Cerrito
Fantastic recipe. Had plenty of leftovers still delish. Had to make some adjustments based on what was findable so FYI delicate squash worked fine. Doubled the lentils. Used Sorghum Molasses. Adding red onions, carrots and red peppers changed it too much so would recommend sticking to the recipe via a vis adding or just a touch of red onion.
Anne L.
Add a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to the dressing. It’s a good idea to double this recipe.
karen
Used palm sugar instead of honey (because i was out of honey) and added a dash of balsamic vinegar. for a vegan dish, substitute oil cured black olives for the feta
Julie
Delicious and easy. Any favorite dressing will work, especially if you find the pomegranate dressing too sharp.
Paula
I rarely follow a recipe in it's entirety. Here are the culinary tweaks I found to make this particular dish more interesting. I use Whole Foods 365 Barley & Lentils. Sautéed with butter, salt, ground cinnamon, coriander and black pepper, instead of just the lentils. Instead of feta, I chose a Lemon Stilton. For the dressing - sweet paprika instead of cayenne. Subbed sweet onions for scallions. Drizzled with olive oil, salt, pepper and brown sugar, and put them under the broiler,
jf
This was fantastic with goat cheese
Al
I loved most things about this recipe except that the spice in the lentils was a bit overpowering so I would omit the garlic and halve the cinnamon next time. I also did not like the feta in this and would use goat cheese or no cheese instead. Like others I omitted the honey and basically poured pomegranate molasses (slightly thinned with a tiny amount of olive oil and a sash of vinegar) over the ingredients and it was Devine. I added roasted brussel sprouts and fresh the leftovers and loved it.
Fred
This was excellent. I added a chopped onion and a stalk of celery to the squash to add interest.
alta
Side of quinoa- used maple syrup not honey. Left garlic in
Munch
This is a winner! I followed someone’s suggestion and added sage to the dressing because sage and butternut is such an amazing combination. I bought a good quality sheep’s milk feta. The squash I fried in the air fryer, delicious! I did not add walnuts because here in the US the walnuts I see in the stores are just too old. I might vary it and add some walnut oil in the future, but it is truly delicious complex and well balanced as is. The recipe gets a five stars from me.
Ben
Why do I still use NYT cooking? If you simply peel and then cube the squash before roasting, there are many benefits: first, it’s easier than trying to scoop half-cooked squash out of molten hot squash halves. Second, the squash will cook more evenly and will actually roast and get some caramelization around the edges. Third, it’s faster. I went against my better judgement and roasted it in halves and that was a dumb mistake.
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