Receta Butternut squash and red lentil stew
Are you feeling a bit worse for wear this winter? I seem to get a cold without fail every year, and just generally feel a bit rotten for months on end. As if the cold, wet weather and dark mornings weren’t enough, mother nature consistently decides that this time of year should also involve a runny nose and a constant earache.
Luckily, this butternut squash and lentil stew is just the thing to nurse me back to good health, and it almost makes the month-long cold worth it. I crammed it full of all my favourite orange vegetables (butternut squash, carrots, orange peppers), so it gives a nice big boost of vitamin C to help fight off any lurgy.
Remember the magical REDMOND multicooker that I showed you back in September? I used it again to make this butternut squash and red lentil stew. It made the recipe really low effort. To begin with, you just throw everything in on the ‘fry’ setting. You can close the lid and go away for a while, just stirring every few minutes – it definitely takes less supervision than frying on the hob. Then once the veg are fairly soft, add the liquid and the lentils, and simmer on the ‘stew’ setting for an hour or so. Again, it’s very low maintenance – you can stir it every now and then, but because the multicooker is automatically programmed to the correct level of heat, you don’t need to worry about it boiling too madly.
PS: this multicooker is also ridiculously easy to clean. The pot is magically non-stick, and everything just wipes straight off! If you’d like to try the multicooker yourself, you can get your own here. You can also check out their app, Cook with REDMOND, for more recipe ideas.
Red lentils are super hearty, so a bowlful of this red lentil stew is plenty on its own. Alternatively, you could serve a slightly smaller portion alongside some rice, a big chunk of bread, or my favourite winter comfort food – creamy mashed potato! They do say ‘feed a cold’, so that’s your excuse to pile your mash high, and don’t forget a nice big heap of red lentil stew.
Butternut squash and red lentil stew Total time 1 hour 20 mins Author: Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche Recipe type: Main meal Yield: 3 Ingredients
450g butternut squash (half a large squash), peeled and diced 1 onion, halved then sliced 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 large carrot, diced 1 orange pepper, diced 1tbsp oil 200g red lentils 350ml vegetable stock 400g tin chopped tomatoes 50ml red wine 2tsp smoked paprika A couple of sprigs of fresh thyme (leaves only) Black pepper Instructions
Add the butternut squash, onion, garlic, carrot and pepper to the multicooker, along with the oil. Select the ‘fry’ setting, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. When the vegetables are fairly soft, add the red lentils, stock, chopped tomatoes, wine, and paprika. Select the ‘stew’ setting, and cook for around 1 hour, or until the lentils are completely soft (or if you’re in a rush, you can use the ‘boil’ setting to cook the chilli more quickly). Add the fresh thyme and plenty of black pepper, and serve hot. 3.2.2807
Here’s another winter warmer: Caribbean-style sweet potato stew!