Revisited Recipe: Butternut Squash, Lentil, & Goat Cheese Salad

I have over 600 recipes (and growing) in the Kitchen Sink Diaries archive. Some of them have been tweaked and improved since their original post or were just really special to begin with. These revisited recipes are some of my all-time favorites that deserve a second look.

This is the ideal winter lunch for me: tender black lentils, spicy caramelized butternut squash, and tangy goat cheese, served with just a handful of greens. It's best served warm (I find cold winter squash kind of weird), but most of the components can be prepared in advance and then heated before final assembly. I originally posted the recipe using arugula, but after making it again, I think a heartier green is better. I've been using baby kale lately, as it has a firmer texture and holds up to the warm butternut squash and lentils without wilting. It's the kind of meal that you can feel good about eating - it is a salad, after all - but it contains enough variety and substance to keep you full for hours. Of course, it doesn't have to be served at lunch only and makes a wonderful and unique potluck salad or dinner party side dish during the cold months.


Butternut Squash, Lentil, & Goat Cheese Salad:
Serves two - three (lunch)
Serves four - five (side dish)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 c. peeled & diced butternut squash
• 1/2 c. dried black lentils
• 2 c. loosely-packed hearty baby greens, such as baby kale
• 1/4 c. sunflower seeds
• 2-3 oz. fresh goat cheese
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 1/2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
• salt
• pepper
• smoked paprika
• ground cumin

See the entire original recipe here.