Butternut Dahl

We all currently need alternative ways to spruce up our canned goods and, although I would usually cook lentils from scratch, throwing in tinned ones means this dahl comes together much more quickly.

I love to thicken up my sauces with nut or seed butters (tahini in this instance) and add a pop of extra colour and freshness with a handful of pomegranate seeds (actually known as arils, because of their outer sweet red flesh).

Servings: 4

Preparation Time - 10 minutes
Cooking Time - 20 minutes

Ingredients

1 tbsp Organic Kitchen extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp Just Natural Organic garlic granules (or 2 fresh garlic cloves, minced)
1 onion, finely diced (or 1 tsp onion powder)
1 small butternut squash, peeled, deseeded, and diced into bite-sized chunks
2 x 400g tins of Organic Kitchen lentils, drained and rinsed well
600ml Organic Kitchen passata (1.5 x 400g tins of Organic Kitchen chopped tomatoes)
1 tsp Just Natural Organic ground cumin
1 tsp Just Natural Organic ground coriander
½ tsp Just Natural Organic ground ginger
½ tsp Just Natural Organic cayenne pepper (or more, dependent on your desired level of spice!)
160ml water
2 tbsp tahini
½ tsp sea salt, or to desired taste
Fresh coriander, dairy-free or natural yogurt of choice, and a handful of pomegranate seeds/arils, to serve

How to Make it

Heat oil in a large, deep pot.
Add the garlic and onion if using fresh and cook out for 5 minutes. (If using powders, move straight to adding the squash to the pan and cook for 5 minutes.) Otherwise, cook for a further five minutes before adding the squash, if using fresh garlic and onion.
Add the lentils through to the water. Bring to the boil and leave to simmer for 15 minutes.
Add the tahini and stir through to combine. Allow to simmer for a further 5 minutes.
You may wish to add more liquid, depending on your desired consistency. I like mine super thick (think stick-to-the-ribs comfort food!).
Serve topped with fresh coriander, dairy-free or natural yogurt of choice, and some beautiful red pomegranate arils/seeds.