Kabocha Squash & Lentil Stew from The Colorful Family Table Cookbook
In honor of my new cookbook, The Colorful Family Table, officially being available for preorder (yay!!), today I’m sharing one of my family’s very favorite dinners from the book.
We love this recipe so much that it even made it onto the cover of the book! See the bowls on the top right and bottom right sides?
I had to think long and hard about which recipe to share with you, because I really want your first taste (literally!) of the book to give you a true sense of what the food is like. The chapters of the book are organized by season, and each chapter is filled with easy-to-make recipes that use seasonally available produce. The goal of the book is to help make it easier for you to prepare delicious, wholesome, plant-based food that your entire family will love (whether you’re an omnivore, vegan, or anything in between!).
Since there is finally a hint of crisp fall weather in the air, I decided to share a warming and nourishing recipe that my family has been enjoying for years: Kabocha Squash & Lentil Stew. We love this recipe so much because its super delicious and still cheap and easy to make! It has only 7 ingredients (without toppings) and the instructions have only 3 steps!
If you haven’t tried kabocha squash before, you’re in for a treat. It’s one of the sweetest varieties of squash and it becomes super creamy when cooked. The skin is actually edible so you don’t even need to peel it! You should be able to find kabocha at most farmers markets and grocery stores, but if you can’t, this recipe works well with any kind of squash. I’ve made it with butternut and acorn and it was also perfection! Just make sure to peel your squash if you use a variety other than kabocha.
Now, let’s chat toppings. The beauty of this stew is that it makes a great simple meal on it’s own, but it’s also the perfect canvas for toppings. My go-to additions for a filling dinner are brown rice, sauteed greens (kale, chard and/or spinach), sauerkraut and a drizzle of tahini. I also like to add leftover baked tofu or tempeh if I have some around, vegan sour cream, fresh herbs or even chopped nuts for a little crunch. The possibilities are endless and I can’t wait to see you what you come up with!
One last note: is This is a great recipe to make for babies and toddlers because the stew is thick enough to serve as a finger food!
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3–4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup dried green lentils
- 1 medium kabocha squash, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon tamari
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- Cooked Brown Rice
- Sautéed Greens
- Sauerkraut
- Drizzle of tahini
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 5–7 minutes, until the onion is translucent.
- Add 3 cups of the vegetable broth, lentils, and squash, cover the pot, and bring everything to a simmer. Let the pot simmer at medium heat for 35–40 minutes, until the lentils are soft, stirring every 10 minutes and adding more broth if the bottom of the pot starts to get dry.
- Stir in the tamari, salt, and pepper. Serve warm, with desired accompaniments.
I hope you love this stew as much as we do!
Like this recipe? Preorder The Colorful Family Table wherever books are sold:
For the Kabocha Squash Lentil Stew do you peel the squash before cooking?
Kabocha is one variety that you actually don’t have to peel since the skin is edible!