Roasted Butternut Squash With Lentils and Feta Recipe (2024)

Could I use black strap molasses, which I have in pantry, instead of pomegranate molasses, which isn't so easy to find?

You can make pomegranate molasses by boiling down pomegranate juice, which is much more widely available.

We gravitate to this awesome meal every 2-3 weeks for the past few months. For 4 (incl. 2 young teenagers) we:- double the salad ingredients but make a single batch of the dressing- slice the squash a bit thinner so it gets more crispy bits- cook up about 12oz of hearty grains (e.g. farro, freekeh, einkorn) To serve: on top of a bed of arugula or baby spinach goes the cooked grains, then the lentils, then the feta and green onions, then the dressing, with the undressed squash on top.Yum!

I couldn’t get the pomegranate mollasses to mix with the oils but the addition of a teaspoon of mustard did the trick. Substituted pistachios for pumpkin seeds. Delicious, and a new dinner staple!

Delicious! It doesn’t yield much, 3 servings at best, so for the effort it’s worth doubling. Keeps well for leftovers.

Sub organic Delicata squash for the butternut. No need to peel, it’s sweeter and less watery, so it caramel it’s better, and is a better shape/size for a salad. I also add roasted Brussels or broccoli, whichever is in season.

Why would the recipe call for roasted pumpkin seeds when you could easily use the butternut seeds - wash thoroughly, dry and roast.

Truly delicious recipe, beyond the sum of its parts, I can also imagine it as an elegant side for Thanksgiving.So... not to be *that person* in the note section... but...Why use pumpkin seeds when the butternut squash has lovely perfectly edible seeds? Scrub the squash off the seeds with hot water, toss with a little oil, salt, and whatever spices you like, and put in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes.

I’ve subbed aged balsamic for pomegranate molasses in the past with good results. This time around I made my own by reducing a Pom juice, lemon juice and sugar solution, as mentioned by others.

I was out of pomegranate molasses so I subbed a 1/4 tsp tamarind concentrate and 1.5 tbsp sherry vinegar. Result was delicious, a very balanced and flavorful meal.

This dish was delicious. I modified in a few ways: 1. I added fresh chopped sage to the dressing because sage and butternut squash and pomegranate is amazing 2. I added roasted Brussel sprouts to the salad because i had some Brussel sprouts that needed to be used. Very tasty addition 3. I added cayenne to the butternut squash while it was roasting because I felt like the dressing would be overly sweet. I think it has a nice kick without being overly spicy. Overall, very tasty meal.

A couple of suggestions. One, double this recipe. Even then it would only serve 4 people as a main course if the portions were modest. And who doesn't like leftovers! Two, don't add honey. The pomegranate molasses has plenty of sugar in it. Three, I think you should add some sort of acid to the dressing. Either balsamic or lemon juice. It needs something to balance the oil and the sugar in the molasses, and to give it some pop. I used 1 Tbsp in this recipe. Four, I would pass on the cayenne.

As with so many needful things, you can get pomegranate molasses from Amazon. And it lasts forever. There really is no substitute.

This is yummy and feels filling yet healthful. I think the dressing needs some acid so I added some apple cider vinegar which helped cut the super super sweet. I agree it’s worth doubling this recipe because the leftover are great too.

Nancy, toast the ground cumin in a dry skillet that has been heated over medium-high heat. As soon as you add the cumin, reduce the heat to low and stir constantly. It will only take a few seconds. Once you can smell the cumin and it has begun to change color, remove from the heat.

Delicious and easy. Any favorite dressing will work, especially if you find the pomegranate dressing too sharp.

I rarely follow a recipe in it's entirety. Here are the culinary tweaks I found to make this particular dish more interesting. I use Whole Foods 365 Barley & Lentils. Sautéed with butter, salt, ground cinnamon, coriander and black pepper, instead of just the lentils. Instead of feta, I chose a Lemon Stilton. For the dressing - sweet paprika instead of cayenne. Subbed sweet onions for scallions. Drizzled with olive oil, salt, pepper and brown sugar, and put them under the broiler,

This was fantastic with goat cheese

I loved most things about this recipe except that the spice in the lentils was a bit overpowering so I would omit the garlic and halve the cinnamon next time. I also did not like the feta in this and would use goat cheese or no cheese instead. Like others I omitted the honey and basically poured pomegranate molasses (slightly thinned with a tiny amount of olive oil and a sash of vinegar) over the ingredients and it was Devine. I added roasted brussel sprouts and fresh the leftovers and loved it.

This was excellent. I added a chopped onion and a stalk of celery to the squash to add interest.

Side of quinoa- used maple syrup not honey. Left garlic in

This is a winner! I followed someone’s suggestion and added sage to the dressing because sage and butternut is such an amazing combination. I bought a good quality sheep’s milk feta. The squash I fried in the air fryer, delicious! I did not add walnuts because here in the US the walnuts I see in the stores are just too old. I might vary it and add some walnut oil in the future, but it is truly delicious complex and well balanced as is. The recipe gets a five stars from me.

Why do I still use NYT cooking? If you simply peel and then cube the squash before roasting, there are many benefits: first, it’s easier than trying to scoop half-cooked squash out of molten hot squash halves. Second, the squash will cook more evenly and will actually roast and get some caramelization around the edges. Third, it’s faster. I went against my better judgement and roasted it in halves and that was a dumb mistake.

Made this with tamarind paste instead of pomegranate molasses and it was out of this world

Wow! One of the most flavorful, satisfying and delicious vegetarian recipes I’ve tried in a while. Flavors layered beautifully yet very accessible to the good but not excellent cook!

Delicious! My butternut squash took about twice as long to cook soft. I left the skin on the squash--we prefer it like that. We like lentils so I would probably double the amount when I make it next time. Served it on a bed of shredded romaine lettuce for a little bit of greenery and crispness. The salad was even better the second day. I would make the recipe just as written and make any adjustment you feel might improve it on the second try. It is a real keeper for our family.

I added baby arugula and pomegranate arils. It added great texture and color to an already exceptional salad.

Cube the squash and roast so that it has some integrity

I served this as a main course for a special dinner with friends. I made Melissa Clark's lentil soup as a first course, so I swapped the lentils in this recipe for farro, prepared exactly as written for the lentils (i.e. w/ smashed garlic and cinnamon stick). The addition of farro (which I learned from another note - thank you!) was excellent, added some "chew" and made the dish feel very hearty. Along with a side of roasted broccoli for greens, a delicious, nutritious, winter vegetarian meal.

delicious! Doubled everything except the olive oil (dressing).