This butternut squash daal recipe is the perfect weeknight meal.
We think this vegan daal recipe is comfort food at its finest. No matter the season, we always need some easy go-to weeknight dinner recipes that are simple but still crowd-pleasers. This roasted butternut squash daal recipe is exactly that. It’s creamy, filling and very satisfying! What more could you want from a weeknight dinner? What’s great about recipes like this is that you can make them up in big batches, giving you enough to feed the whole family, plus extra for leftovers. This recipe would also work really well as a side dish with a bunch of other Indian recipes like saag aloo or tofu saag. We often make this as part of an Indian feast for special occasions, and it’s always such a highlight.
Full of flavour and spice.
This daal is softly spiced with a gentle heat. It’s not too overpowering, letting the sweet butternut squash shine through. The squash has been cooked in a ginger, maple and cumin spice blend. It’s so delicious on its own; you could definitely cook these up and have them as a side without the daal. We’ve topped this daal with extra spiced butternut squash chunks, refreshing dairy-free yoghurt, quick pink pickled red onion and fresh coriander leaves. This helps to balance out the sweetness of the dish and adds a fresh, zingy flavour. You could enjoy this daal on its own or serve it with basmati rice or Indian bread such as naan or chapati.
This vegan butternut squash daal recipe is:
- sweet, spicy and earthy
- perfect for a weeknight dinner
- vegan and dairy-free
- simple and easy
If you like the sound of this, why not try one of our other recipes:
- Bombay Hasselback Potatoes
- Indian Inspired BBQ Vegetable Skewers
- Vegan Chick’n Tikka Onion Bhaji Burger
Roasted Butternut Squash Vegan Daal Recipe
Ingredients
For the roasted squash
- 1 butternut squash half cut into chunks to add to the daal and the other half cut into crescents for the topping
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 3 tsp ginger grated
- 2 tsp maple syrup
- 1.5 tsp cumin
For the daal
- cooking oil
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 1 onion diced
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 2 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp garam masala
- a pinch of chilli flakes
- 250 g red lentils
- 1 can of chopped tomatoes
- 1 can of coconut milk
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 300 ml water
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
For serving (optional)
- basmati rice or naan bread
- dairy-free yoghurt
- pink pickled red onions
- fresh coriander
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
- Add the butternut squash chunks to a roasting tin and add the oil, salt, pepper, ginger, maple syrup and cumin. Toss, then roast in the oven for about 30 minutes until soft.
- Heat some cooking oil in a large pan, once hot, add the mustard and coriander seeds. Cook for a few minutes until they start to pop. Then add in the onion and garlic. Cook for a few minutes until soft.
- Now add the spices (turmeric, cumin, garam masala and chilli flakes) and stir until a paste has formed.
- Add the red lentils, can of tomatoes, coconut milk, tomato paste and water. Stir, then bring to a boil. Now lower the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Once the squash is cooked, remove it from the oven. Add the chunks into the daal, leaving the crescent shape pieces to one side.
- Mash the butternut squash chunks into the daal, leaving a few bigger pieces.
- Serve with the crescent-shaped squash pieces on top with either rice or naan bread, some dairy-free yoghurt, pink pickled red onion and fresh coriander.