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Roasted butternut squash wedges served over green lentils and whipped cilantro feta, garnished with crushed pistachios and Aleppo pepper, paired with white wine glasses.

Roasted Butternut Squash With Lentils and Whipped Feta


  • Author: Julia Platt Leonard
  • Yield: Serves 6 as a side dish 1x

Description

This roasted butternut squash dish combines tender lentils with creamy whipped cilantro feta for a tasty side. 


Ingredients

Scale

For the whipped cilantro feta:

  • 1 block of feta cheese
  • 3/4 cup of whole milk Greek yogurt
  • 1/3 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
  • 1 small clove garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 1 tbsp chopped preserved lemon or the zest of one lemon
  • 1/4 tsp Aleppo pepper
  • 2 tbsp olive oil

For the roasted squash and lentils:

  • 1 butternut squash
  • 2 tbsp olive the rounded base of the butternut squash and slice in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds and any fibrous bits. Cut each half into four oil
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 cup dried green lentils
  • 1 tbsp lemon oil
  • Whipped feta
  • Aleppo pepper, chopped pistachios, and olive oil, to garnish.


Instructions

For the whipped cilantro feta:

  1. Place the feta cheese, yogurt, cilantro, garlic, preserved lemon or lemon zest, and Aleppo pepper in the base of a large food processor.
  2. Pulse the mixture and while running drizzle in the olive oil, until it’s smooth. If it’s still quite rough, you can add more olive oil.
  3. Taste and add more Aleppo pepper, if you like. It shouldn’t need any additional salt as the feta is quite salty.

For the roasted squash and lentils:

  1. Slice the butternut squash at the base of the ‘neck’ where it starts to flare out. Peel the neck, slice it in half lengthwise, the cut each half into quarters, about 1/2 inch thick.
  2. Peel the rounded base of the butternut squash and slice in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds and any fibrous bits. Cut each half into four wedges, for eight wedges in total.
  3. Place the butternut squash onto a baking pan, drizzle over the olive oil, and salt and toss to coat.
  4. Place the pan in the preheated oven. Check every 10-15 minutes, turning the squash pieces so they brown evenly. Once, they’re nicely roasted and you can insert a knife into the pieces easily – about thirtyforty minutes – remove from the oven.
  5. While the squash is roasting, rinse the lentils and remove any pieces of dirt or stones. Bring a pot of water to a boil and salt it. Add the lentils and cook until tender but still holding their shape, about fifteen minutes.
  6. Drain and place the warm lentils in a boil and drizzle with the lemon oil (if you don’t have lemon oil, use regular olive oil with the addition of some grated lemon zest).
  7. To assemble, place a large smear of the whipped feta on the plate, then add the lentils and the roasted butternut squash. Garnish with a generous sprinkle of Aleppo pepper, chopped pistachios, and a healthy glug of olive oil. Serve any remaining whipped feta on the side so you guests can help themselves.

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