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Butternut Squash and Red Lentil Curry

January 11, 2016 Leave a Comment

Butternut Squash and Red Lentil Currywww.mannaandspice.com

Happy 2016! I’m so excited about blogging again, after my one week hiatus, that I can barely sit still as I write this post. It turns out that I love this blog; it’s become an integral part of my life and I want to thank each and every one of my readers for being a part of this journey with me.

And now that the sappy stuff is out of the way, let’s have a candid discussion about this butternut squash and red lentil curry. You guys, I was expecting this dish to be just okay. I thought I’d have to tinker with the spices and make it a few more times before I posted the recipe but it was fantabulous on the first try. I want to eat it by the spoonfuls. Okay, okay, who am I kidding?! I DID eat a spoonful…

…or ten in the process…

It’s a perfect harmony of sweet and fiery, in all it’s creamy glory. The butternut squash simmers with the red lentils and melts away to this ribbon of sweetness as it laces its way through the lentils, and infuses itself with the aromatic spices to create the most ah-mazingly rich curry. I have leftovers in the fridge and I’m already thinking about when I’m going to make it again. That’s how much I love it.

That, and I stockpiled pretty much all of the butternut squash at Trader Joe’s this past fall. Guys, I’m not kidding, I have bags and bags and bags and bags…well, you get the point…of butternut squash in my freezer. I think I have a real problem.

Butternut Squash and Red Lentil Currywww.mannaandspice.comButternut Squash and Red Lentil Currywww.mannaandspice.com

With my endless supply of butternut squash and recent obsession, I have posted so many butternut squash recipes, like my caramelized butternut squash and onion with goat cheese pizza (which, by the way, I just found out was posted on foodgawker!) And of course, there is the roasted butternut squash and chicken sausage lasagna.

My love for all things butternut squash runs so deep that I’m always trying to find new ways to incorporate it into more dishes (plus, remember, I hoarded all the butternut squash from Trader Joe’s?!). Did I mention that I just got back from a week long vacation in balmy Florida, the land of sunshine and beaches year round, to the bone-chilling tundra of Chicago? Winter is indeed upon us and I’m still cringing thinking about the -16 degree wind chill we saw yesterday. Brrrrrr!

And, as I’m watching big, fat, fluffy, snowflakes fall while I write this post, I want comfort food. Simple, filling, warm-my-soul kind of deliciousness in a bowl. When I mean simple, I really mean the Indian essential of simple: lentils.  I’m a daal chaawal (lentils and rice) kinda girl– it’s the way to my heart, hands down! Enter the butternut squash and red lentil curry.

But first, I have a confession to make. Growing up, my mom would make dal A LOT and I hated it. My love affair with lentil, sadly started off on very, very shaky grounds. I had this inexplicable, deep-rooted hatred for lentils and I felt like my mom would channel that and cook it just to tick me off. I would have rather skipped the meal than be forced to eat lentils.

That was then and this is now, where lentils and I enjoy a fiber and protein filled life together. But this happened later in life. I mean WAAAAYYY later on, like after I had my first apartment and I realized how easy they are to cook, as well as a cheap source of protein.

Butternut Squash and Red Lentil Currywww.mannaandspice.com

I’m going to tell you right now, you don’t want to skip the lemon. The tartness from the lemon really highlights the sweetness from the squash but also tames the heat. So seriously, DON’T SKIP THE LEMON! And if you can, use fresh lemons. I love the way fresh lemons have this bright burst of flavor and command attention.

They’re very much like my three-year-old in that way…intense and demanding…

Butternut Squash and Red Lentil Currywww.mannaandspice.com

I ate this with brown basmati rice because I’m a grown-up and grown-ups who have made a resolution to eat better are supposed to eat brown rice. At least that’s what I tell myself. I actually DO like the taste of brown basmati rice but serve it with any rice you want. OR a crusty bread/chappati. Or you can be a rebel, cut the carbs and eat it by itself but my love for carbs knows no bounds and I have to have it with rice, albeit brown rice. Just remember, squeeze that lemon wedge on top!

Butternut Squash and Red Lentil Currywww.mannaandspice.com

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Butternut Squash and Red Lentil Currywww.mannaandspice.com

Butternut Squash and Red Lentil Curry

  • Prep Time: 5 mins
  • Cook Time: 30 mins
  • Total Time: 35 mins
  • Yield: 6-8 1x
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Ingredients

  • 2 cups red lentils, picked over and rinsed
  • 12 oz butternut squash, peeled and cubed
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 medium tomato, seeded and diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tsp grated ginger
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil (olive or coconut oil works too)
  • 1 tsp whole mustard seeds
  • 2 tsp whole cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1 tsp red chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp coriander powder
  • 2–4 curry leaves (optional)
  • 2 tsp salt
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 3 tbsp chopped cilantro
  • lemon wedges for garish and serving
  • 2 tbsp additional chopped cilantro for garnish (optional)

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in a pot at medium heat. Add cumin and mustard seeds* and toast until the cumin seeds become dark brown. Add in chopped and saute until onions become soft and translucent. Add minced garlic and grated ginger and stir until the garlic and ginger become fragrant, about 1 minute.
  2. Add garam masala and cook for 30 seconds, until toasted. Add in tomato, salt, turmeric, red chili powder, and coriander powder. Cook until tomatoes melt into the mixture and the oil starts to separate from the rest of the mixture, about 3-5 minutes. Add curry leaves, if desired.
  3. Add butternut squash and saute to combine with the tomato-onion mixture. Stir in lentils and slowly add water, 1 cup at a time. Turn heat down to low and simmer, cover the pot and let it cook for 20-25 minutes, until the lentils are cooked and squash has dissolved into the lentils.
  4. Take off heat and stir in lemon juice and 3 tbsp cilantro.
  5. Serve with lemon wedges and garnish with remaining cilantro, if desired. Serve with rice and/or crusty bread/chappati.

Notes

*the seeds will splatter so use a splatter screen if necessary or cover with a lid, leaving room for the heat and steam to escape

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @mannaandspice on Instagram and hashtag it #mannaandspice

 

 

Filed Under: Comfort Foods, Gluten-Free, Lunch, Side Dishes, Vegetarian Dishes Tagged With: butternut squash, comfort foods, gluten-free, healthy, light meals

Caramelized Butternut Squash & Onion with Goat Cheese Pizza

December 11, 2015 1 Comment

Caramelized Butternut Squash and Onion with Goat Cheese Pizza|www.mannaandspice.com

We came home from a winter recital at my four year old’s preschool one night this week, where she and her friends put on the most adorable performance and the Mister asked the dreaded question: “What’s for dinner?”

“Pizza.” I replied.

“Pizza.” He repeated, trying not to sound disappointed. I preheated the oven, pulled out out the pizza from the fridge, loaded with creamy, caramelized butternut squash and sweet red onions with dollops of goat cheese and fresh slices of mozzarella cheese. He eyed the pizza uncertainly and I smiled to myself and helped the kids get ready for bed, while waiting for the oven.

With the kids finally asleep, we sat down to eat.

“OHMYGOD! WHAT. IS. THIS?!” The Mister asked, as he crammed mouthfuls of the caramelized butternut squash and goat cheese pizza into his mouth. “You are a genious!”

Ahhh, what every woman wants to hear from her husband! But really, I’m not genious. I just love pizza; if I could, I would eat it for every meal for the rest of my life and be perfectly happy. I’m convinced you can pass it down through genetics because my children are also pizza freaks and may their children also be pizza freaks. But when I say pizza, you’re thinking a chewy, carb-loaded pie, with mountains of cheese and a tangy red sauce, which is usually what my kids have in mind.

Nope, but my pizza is 100% different. My pizza has a crispy yet chewy, ultra-thin, HOMEMADE  white whole crust (recipe forthcoming) with a light brush of an olive oil and honey dressing, oven roasted and caramelized butternut squash and red onions, dotted with tangy, creamy goat cheese, and fresh mozzarella. Did I mention the cranberries? Oh, the DELICIOUS dried cranberries!  Guys, I think I found my new favorite pizza. I’ll give credit where credit is due and I was inspired by this sweet and spicy butternut squash pizza recipe I came across the other day. Of course, I had to add my own twist to it, because that’s where the fun is!  The best part is, I can eat it without doing major damage to all the effort I’ve been putting into eating healthy again.

Caramelized Butternut Squash and Onion with Goat Cheese Pizza|www.mannaandspice.com

I’m a big fan of oven roasting vegetables. It caramelizes the naturally occurring sugars in the vegetables and softens them, without taking away from their texture. I also noticed that I don’t crave sweets after a meal if my meal has roasted veggies or a naturally sweeter component in the meal itself. And given my butternut squash kick lately, I’ve been stockpiling precut and cubed butternut squash and throwing them in the freezer for use during the year. While I love roasted a whole, fresh squash, sometimes it’s just more convenient to buy the pre-peeled and cut ones. And roasting doesn’t have to be a production. I do a little salt, pepper, a tiny bit of olive oil, sometimes thinly sliced slivers of garlic and a really hot oven, heated to 425 degrees F.

Caramelized Butternut Squash and Onion with Goat Cheese Pizza|www.mannaandspice.com

The dried cranberries and the wheat crust are a match made in heaven. The tart and sweet, plump cranberries provide the perfect contrast to the creaminess of the squash. Though the ingredient that really brings everything together in this pizza is the hint of crushed red pepper flakes. I know, I know, a lot of people don’t really eat spice but I’m not saying cover the entire thing in red pepper flakes. Just a little bit, sprinkled as a final touch before putting it in the oven provides an incredible, warm lingering taste, after the pizza has been consumed. It’ll subtle presence is not front and center but its absence will very much be felt.

While it’s a great pizza to have on pizza night, it works as an upscale date night in meal too. Or better yet, wow your guests and whip it for a dinner party. They will stare at you with awe as you walk in with this beauty; you will be the gourmand chef!

Caramelized Butternut Squash and Onion with Goat Cheese Pizza|www.mannaandspice.com

Caramelized Butternut Squash and Onion with Goat Cheese Pizza|www.mannaandspice.com

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Caramelized Butternut Squash and Onion with Goat Cheese Pizza|www.mannaandspice.com

Caramelized Butternut Squash & Onion with Goat Cheese Pizza

  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 30 mins
  • Total Time: 40 mins
  • Yield: 4* 1x
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Ingredients

  • Butternut squash and onion topping:
  • 4 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed
  • 1 red onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced or minced
  • Pizza:
  • 12-inch whole wheat pizza crust, rolled out as thin as possible (I use white whole wheat)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tsp honey
  • 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  • 4 oz crumbled, mild goat cheese
  • 2 oz sliced fresh mozzarella cheese
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries

Instructions

  1. Roast butternut squash
  2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
  3. Toss butternut squash and onions with salt, pepper, olive oil, garlic and cinnamon. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast for 20-30 minutes, until onions are tender and squash is easily pierced with a fork.
  4. Assemble pizza
  5. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
  6. Place pizza crust on parchment paper for easy removal and cleanup.
  7. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil and honey. brush onto pizza crust evenly.
  8. Spoon the butternut squash and onion mixture onto the crust. dot with goat cheese, mozzarella cheese, spread cranberries evenly. Sprinkle with crushed red pepper flakes.
  9. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until crust is cooked through and goat cheese is slightly melted.
  10. Let cool and cut into squares.

Notes

*Yields 4 three piece servings

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @mannaandspice on Instagram and hashtag it #mannaandspice

 

 

Filed Under: Comfort Foods, Everyday Meals, Main Course, Vegetarian Dishes Tagged With: butternut squash, comfort foods, fall dinners, healthy, light meals

Roasted Butternut Squash & Chicken Sausage Lasagna

November 4, 2015 7 Comments

lasagna cover

We are having unusually warm weather for November, not that I’m complaining. The warmth combined with colorful leaves makes me want lighter, summery food but with an abundance of winter squash in my kitchen, I gave a makeover to a classically decadent food that’s not so easy on the calories or figure. Really, who doesn’t love lasagna, right? I mean, just look at it!

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The layers and layers of noodles, hot, gooey cheese, homemade chicken sausage (I promise, recipe to come!), fresh spinach (thank you, indian summer) mixed with sweet ricotta cheese, and creamy butternut squash folded into a bubbly béchamel sauce are baked to perfection. And vegetarians and meatless monday lovers take note, this recipe can easily be made meatless. Simply leave out the chicken sausage and you’re good to go.

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Roasting fresh butternut squash gives the squash the consistency that gives the sauce body and texture. Don’t puree the roasted squash either–you want that texture. Just mash lightly with a fork and break it up a little bit more when you fold it into the béchamel.

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The key to keeping the lasagna from becoming a soupy mess is in the sauce. The béchamel needs to be velvety and smooth, so it can handle the texture of the squash. Whisking the roux continuously guarantees buff arms and an amazing white sauce.

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I like to,both alternate the direction of my noodles in each layer and overlap them so it holds together when you cut out pieces. So, if I lay the noodles lengthwise with the first layer, I lay them down widthwise the next and so forth, putting each noodle slightly over the preceding one. After a lot of failures, I have learned to undercook the noodles (and always salt the water well!) so they absorb the liquid from the sauce in the oven- cook them until they’re pliable, about 5-7 minutes. Trust me, you will not eat mushy noodles and sauce if you do it my way.

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roasted butternut squash and chicken sausage lasagna

Roasted Butternut Squash & Chicken Sausage Lasagna

  • Prep Time: 30 mins
  • Cook Time: 50 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hour 20 mins
  • Yield: 8-10 1x
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Ingredients

  • 1 lb mild or spicy italian chicken sausage, casing removed
  • 2 tbsp olive or vegetable oil
  • 12 lasagna noodles, cooked al dente
  • 3 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella
  • for the sauce:
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 5 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 cups roasted butternut squash (instructions below)
  • 2 cups reduced fat milk
  • 2 cups water
  • for the spinach and ricotta mixture:
  • 2 cups packed spinach, chopped
  • 2 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Heat the oil in a saucepan on medium high heat. Add sausage and lightly mash the meat while browning to break it up, about 5-6 minutes. Remove from pan once lightly golden brown and set aside.
  3. To make the sauce: Heat 4 tbsp olive oil and add a pinch of the flour to test the temperature. If the flour starts sizzling add the remaining flour in, while whisking rigorously, so no lumps form. Use the whisk to scrape off the sausage bits. Cook for 1 minute. Slow add milk while continuing to whisk, preventing lump from forming. Whisk in water, 1 cup at a time. Continue whisking until the sauce starts to boil, about 2-3 minutes. Add salt and pepper. Reduce heat and simmer to thicken sauce, about 3 minutes. The sauce will slowly bubble. Remove from heat and gently whisk in the cooked butternut squash, until fully incorporated.
  4. To make the spinach and cheese mixture In a large bowl, lightly beat egg with a wire whisk. Add ricotta and salt and beat until incorporated. Stir in parmesan cheese and spinach. Set aside.
  5. Lightly grease a 9X13, oven-safe pan. Spread 1 cup of sauce at the bottom on the pan. Layer 4 lasagna noodles, slightly overlapping so all the noodles fit, lengthwise. Spread 1/3 of the spinach and ricotta cheese mixture onto the noodles. Add 1/3 of the cooked sausage. Sprinkle with 1 cup mozzerella cheese. Top with 1 cup sauce.
  6. Repeat layer, this time, layering the noodles widthwise, overlapping. Continue for 2 more layers.
  7. For the final layer, line with remaining noodles, add remaining sauce and top with remaining mozzarella cheese.
  8. Cover pan with aluminum foil and bake on the middle rack in the oven for 30-35 minutes.
  9. Remove foil and continue baking for 5-10 minutes.
  10. Move the pan to the top rack and turn oven to full broil. Carefully watch as the cheese browns on top, 3-4 minutes.
  11. Remove from oven and let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.

Notes

to roast butternut squash:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cut the butternut squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds and remove ‘guts’ with an ice cream scoop. Coat the squash with cooking spray and lay on a cookie sheet, faced down. Spray with cooking spray over the skin as well.
Cook for 35-40 minutes, until tender and the flesh is easily pierced with a fork. Let cool.
When cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh from the skin and discard skin. Lightly mash and break up with a fork.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @mannaandspice on Instagram and hashtag it #mannaandspice

 

Filed Under: Everyday Meals, One Pot Meals, Uncategorized Tagged With: butternut squash, fall dinners, main dish, pasta

Curried Autumn Beef Stew

November 2, 2015 1 Comment

Ask anyone who knows me well and they’ll tell you my favorite season is Autumn. Slightly crisp days turn into cool evenings and come dinnertime, all I want is a nice, rich bowl of stew. Not just any stew. I want a go-down-and warm-my-belly kind of stew. Rich with texture, full of seasonal vegetables, with a slightly spicy punch, you’ll be going back for seconds.

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Filed Under: Comfort Foods, Everyday Meals, One Pot Meals Tagged With: butternut squash, comfort foods, fall dinners, one pot meals

Hi there! I'm Sadiya, welcome to my little corner of the world (currently Boston, Mass) where I marry flavors from my traditional Indian upbringing with a fresh, healthy, American approach. I launched my blog in 2015 as a hobby, life happened (which is does when you're a mom of four and you move halfway across the country), and now here I am, back at it! Read More…

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