You probably haven’t had roasted butternut squash like this before! This recipe for oven-roasted tender butternut squash slices combines burst cherry tomatoes, chewy-crispy lentils, and a creamy herbed vegan yogurt sauce to bring it all together. Roasted on a sheet pan with spices, this robust vegetable side (or vegan main!) emerges from the oven golden brown with beautifully soft texture. Serve warm, right out of the oven with some crusty bread for mopping up all the sauce. Ready in 1 hour.
I love to make a classy side that can also work as a main. When dealing with butternut squash, roasting is my go-to cooking method. In this recipe, I combine slices of squash with cherry tomatoes and spices, and roast all of that until the squash is tender and the tomatoes have burst. The combination of mild/slightly sweet with the tangy caramelized tomatoes is incredible.
I pile the vegetables on top of a creamy and slightly spicy herbed yogurt sauce. For savoury vegan yogurt sauces, I like to use unsweetened coconut milk yogurt. I find that they have the richest flavour and the sharp tang that I’m looking for. Yoggu, Culina and Cocoyo are my favourite brands. The yogurt gets blitzed up with fresh herbs, jalapeño, garlic, shelled pistachios, lime, and a bit of olive oil. I swoosh it out on the serving platter before piling it up with the roasted vegetables. The sauce can be made up to 5 days in advance and kept in the fridge.
The crispy-chewy lentils provide a nice textural contrast. They roast in another sheet pan alongside the squash with the same spices for about 15 minutes. My partner does not particularly enjoy lentils, but loves them when they’re cooked like this. I do a similar treatment in a root vegetable salad in my cookbook!
Fans of this recipe might also like my Grounding Roasted Roots with Jalapeño Yogurt Sauce or these Grilled Cauliflower Wedges with Tahini Yogurt & Sumac Onions.
Roasted Butternut Squash with Lentils, Cherry Tomatoes & Herbed Yogurt
This vegan roasted butternut squash dish is bursting with flavour! Sweet squash, burst cherry tomatoes, tangy and creamy herbed yogurt sauce, chewy lentils for protein, fresh herbs, and a finishing touch of chili crisp.
Servings 4 -6
Ingredients
Roasted Squash, Tomatoes & Lentils:
- 2 lb (908 grams) butternut squash, peeled and chopped into slices
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder, divided
- 1 teaspoon onion powder, divided
- 1 teaspoon sumac, divided
- 1 cup cooked lentils
Herbed Yogurt:
- 1 cup mixed leafy herbs (I used mint, parsley & basil),
- 1 small jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 clove garlic, peeled
- 2 tablespoons shelled and salted pistachios
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 cup thick unsweetened vegan yogurt (see notes for recommendations)
For Serving:
- chili oil/chili crisp
- extra herbs
- chopped pistachios
Notes
- Honeynut squash or koginut squashes would be especially nice here! I find these varieties to be sweeter and to have a more concentrated flavour than butternut.
- A nice green salad and some crusty bread rounds this dish out nicely.
- I prefer a coconut-based yogurt with minimal ingredients here. My favourite brands are: Yoggu, Culina, or Cocoyo.
- I used cooked black lentils from a can here! French, brown, or green lentils will also work.
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line both a large baking sheet with parchment, and a smaller one.
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On the large baking sheet, combine the squash, cherry tomatoes, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon sumac, salt, and pepper. Toss to combine and spread out evenly. Roast the vegetables in the oven until squash is tender and caramelized and tomatoes are bursting, about 30-35 minutes. Stir veg/flip pieces with a spatula at the halfway point.
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Drain and rinse the lentils. Spread them out on a clean dish towel. Blot them until they are as dry as possible. Transfer the dried lentils to the baking sheet. Toss the lentils with remaining tablespoon of olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, sumac, salt, and pepper. Spread the coated lentils out in a single layer and roast for about 15 minutes, or until slightly crisped up and chewy. Set aside.
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Make the yogurt sauce: In a food processor, combine the herbs, jalapeño, garlic, pistachios, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Pulse the machine a few times until everything is finely chopped, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula if necessary. Add the vegan yogurt to the food processor and pulse until the sauce is fully combined and uniformly light green. Check the sauce for seasoning and adjust if necessary.
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To serve: Spread most of the herbed yogurt sauce out on the base of your serving plate. Pile the roasted squash and tomatoes on top of the yogurt sauce. Drizzle remaining sauce, sprinkle with the lentils, and garnish with chili oil, extra herbs, and pistachios.
