A creamy red lentil daal with acorn and butternut squash, ginger, and coconut milk.
Red Lentil Daal with Squash and Coconut is a delicious and warming recipe to make on the weekend to later warm up for a quick lunch or dinner. We make it for two and it lasts all week long, so even for a family of four, you’re sure to get multiple meals out of this 1 dish!
One of my favorite slow-cooking recipes is daal. Daal (dal or dahl) is a very popular dish in Indian cuisine made with lentils, split peas, and pulses. It’s typically served with rice, flatbreads, and garnishes like yogurt sauces — all of which are delicious!
There’s nothing better than slow cooking this recipe, letting all the flavors build, the daal reduce to get the thick and creamy texture, and continuing to adjust the seasonings as it change during the cooking process.
When you cook on low heat for a couple of hours, the red lentils break down, the butternut and acorn squash break down and everything just melts together. I prefer to cut the butternut squash and acorn squash into large chunks, so the end result has some chunks of squash to bite into. Otherwise, you can dice it for a pureed texture. Either way, it’s delicious and it’s one of those recipes where you put everything into 1 pot and leave it to cook with minimal oversight! Another addition to this recipe, which makes it delicious, is the fresh ginger. I love stirring in fresh parsley upon serving (you can see the green in the pot from parsley).
Stripped
Fiber-rich:
There’s roughly 16g of fiber per 1 cup cooked lentils along with about 18g protein! Not to mention, the addition of butternut and acorn squash increase the fiber as well making this dish overall a great source of fiber and an easy way to increase your daily amount of fiber in just one meal
Protein:
Lentils are one of the Top 10 Plant-based Proteins You Should Be Eating, for good reason. They’re affordable, easy to cook with, versatile, delicious, and packed with minerals, fiber, and protein.
Antioxidants:
Beta-carotene is the red/orange pigment found in many fruits and vegetables. Our body converts beta-carotene into vitamin A, a fat-soluble antioxidant in both butternut and acorn squash which helps reduce inflammation, improves immune function, plays an important role in eye health, hair and skin health.
Optimizer Option:
Serve with a dollop of your favorite coconut milk yogurt (unsweetened, plain), ghee, or cilantro for a little flavor boost and a boost of healthy fats from the optional yogurts.
