Chef & Cookbook Author
Chef & Cookbook Author
Mary Berg is the bestselling and award-winning author of Well Seasoned: A Year’s Worth of Delicious Recipes and Kitchen Party: Effortless Recipes for Every Occasion. She is the host of Mary Makes It Easy and Mary’s Kitchen Crush, the Season 3 winner of MasterChef Canada, as well as a cooking expert on Your Morning, The Social, and The Marilyn Denis Show.
Image by Lauren Vandenbrook
October 5, 2023
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When Aaron and I first started dating, he’d always pitch stuffed bell peppers as a dinner option. Since he was so committed to this idea, I didn’t have the heart to tell him that I just don’t really like cooked bell peppers enough to warrant eating a whole one for dinner, no matter how good the stuffing is. I can’t fully explain how much this very strange and innocuous little thing fills my heart, but this stuffed squash is my olive branch to that pepper-obsessed 20-something, offered about 12 years late.
Curried Lentil Stuffed Squash
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 2 acorn squashes, halved lengthwise
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- ¾ cup brown lentils
- 3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 medium red onion, finely diced
- 1 stalk celery, finely diced
- 1 green apple, finely diced
- 3 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 2 handfuls baby spinach
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup dried apricots, finely diced
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
- 3½ to 5 oz crumbled feta
Note
If you have another variety of dried lentils, swap them in. Red lentils cook the fastest, taking about 20 minutes, and green lentils such as the fancy French Puy variety take 40 to 45 minutes. And if you’re looking for instant lentils, just open a can.
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F and place the acorn squash halves in a baking dish, cut side up.
- Drizzle the flesh with about 1 tablespoon of oil followed by the maple syrup. Season with salt and pepper, and roast for 35 to 45 minutes, depending on the size of the squash, until fork tender.
- Meanwhile, rinse the lentils in a fine-mesh sieve, inspecting for any bad lentils or debris. Transfer them to a saucepan and add the vegetable broth. Place the pot over high heat and bring to a boil. Cover the pot with a lid, reduce the heat to a low simmer, and cook for 20 to 25 minutes or until the lentils are tender but not mushy. Drain the lentils, transfer to a large bowl, and set aside.
- While the lentils cook, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and apple, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until tender and lightly caramelized. Stir in the garlic and curry powder, cook for another 30 seconds to 1 minute, then stir in the lemon juice, scraping the bottom of the pan to pick up any burned-on bits. Stir in the spinach and transfer into the lentil bowl.
- Add the cranberries, apricots, walnuts, cilantro, and parsley, and mix well to combine.
- Divide the mixture into the roasted acorn squash, and scatter with the feta. Drizzle the top with the remaining tablespoon of oil, and bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until the feta is golden brown.
Excerpted from In Mary’s Kitchen by Mary Berg. Copyright © 2023 Mary Berg. Photographs by Lauren Vandenbrook. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.