So it's squash season and if you're looking for a low-cost and veggie mid-week meal, Squash and Lentil Stew will tick all the boxes.
Squash is a fantastic veg, full of all sorts of goodies. Did you know that 100gms of squash gives you 35% of your daily vitamin c requirements. It also contains vitamin b6, magnesium, and potassium, so it's an all-rounder
Couple this with Lentils which are a good carb and high in protein, you have a perfectly balanced meal. You can fancy it up a bit at the end with a dash of cream if you like and this evening I tweaked another variation by adding a fillet of smoked cod at the end with a dash of cream. Delicious
Recipe
Serves 4.
Ingredients
1 Butternut Squash
1 Leek
1 Onion
3 cloves of garlic
200gms brown lentils
800ml veg stock
salt pepper
Method
Chop leek and onion finenly
Saute in a pan for 8-10 mins until soft, add 3 cloves of grated garlic, season with salt and pepper
Add cubed squash
Add rinsed lentils
Saute for 10 mins of low heat
Add Stock
Simmer of 20 mins until lentils are soft
If you like at this point you can ladle off 2-3 ladles of the stew and blend it and add it back in to thicken the broth.
You can also add a dash of cream if you like
Variation
Squash and Lentil stew with Smoked Cod
To make this variation I simply added a dash of cream and some cubed smoked fish (1/2 a fillet per person is sufficient)) and cooked for a further 5 minutes.