Roasted Hokkaido Squash with Lentil Filling, Walnuts and Gouda

Stuffed roasted Hokkaido squash with spiced red lentils, crunchy walnuts and melted Gouda: an inexpensive, filling autumn dish from the oven. The squash skins are eaten too, making the dish an elegant eye-catcher on the table.

By yumbelo · 4 servings · 60 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 pc Hokkaido squash
• 200 g Red lentils
• 500 ml Water
• 2 pc Onions
• 2 pc Garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp Olive oil
• 1 tbsp Tomato paste
• 1 tsp Sweet paprika powder
• 1 tsp Thyme, dried
• 80 g Walnut kernels
• 150 g Gouda, grated
• 2 pc Eggs
• 1 bunch Parsley
• Salt
• Pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C, top and bottom heat. Halve the squashes, scrape out the seeds with a spoon and place the halves cut side up on a baking sheet lined with baking paper.
2. Brush the squash halves with a tablespoon of olive oil, season with salt and pepper and roast in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes until tender, when the flesh can be easily pierced with a fork.
3. Meanwhile, finely dice the onions and garlic. Heat the remaining olive oil in a pot and sweat the onions until translucent. Sweat the garlic briefly along with them.
4. Stir in the tomato paste, briefly fry it and season with paprika powder and thyme. Stir in the red lentils, add the water and simmer over medium heat for 12 to 15 minutes until the lentils are soft and the liquid has almost cooked away.
5. Coarsely chop the walnuts and toast them in a dry pan until golden brown. Finely chop the parsley.
6. Remove the pot from the heat, season the lentils with salt and pepper and let them cool slightly. Stir in the eggs so the filling binds during baking. Fold in half of the walnuts, the parsley and half of the Gouda.
7. Take the squash out of the oven and generously fill the hollows with the lentil mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining Gouda and the rest of the walnuts.
8. Bake the stuffed squash halves for another 10 to 15 minutes until the cheese is golden brown and melted. Serve hot.