Butternut squash, lentil & Stilton salad

This is a really nice dish to make when the weather’s cold, but you still fancy a salad. It can be eaten warm or cold (room temp is best), as part of a spread or just on its own. 

Remember this one after Christmas when you can’t stand anymore turkey and you’re wondering how to use up all that Stilton in your fridge. It’s easy to make and won’t take you too long to prep.  It’s also very nutritious, so that’s a win, win, win.

Ingredients

Serves 4-6

• 20 ml lemon juice (approx 1 lemon)

• 1/2 red onion, sliced thinly

• 1 butternut squash (approx 1kg), chopped into 3cm wedges

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 150g dried green lentils

• 1 vegetable stock cube

• Handful of parsley, chopped

• 60g stilton, crumbled

Dressing

• 60ml olive oil

• 20ml lemon juice

• 1 tsp dijon mustard

• 1 tsp honey

• 1/4 tsp sea salt

Method

• Preheat the oven to 200ºc.

• Place the sliced onions into the lemon juice so they can pickle while you prep the rest of the ingredients.

• Chop the squash, spread out on two large trays, and drizzle over the olive oil. Mix to coat well, sprinkle with sea salt and put in the oven for 25 minutes. Turn and put back in for a further 25 minutes.

• While the squash is roasting, simmer the green lentils for approx 30 minutes (check the packet for instructions) with 1 vegetable stock cube and a generous pinch of salt. Drain well and put back in the pan.

• Mix all the dressing ingredients and pour 2/3 on to the warm lentils and sprinkle in another 1/4 tsp sea salt.

• Layer the salad on a large platter: squash, lentils, stilton, parsley, repeat finishing with the cheese and herbs then top with pickled onions.

Tip

• Use the small green lentils which look like Puy as they stay firmer. Larger green lentils like these are better for making dal. I buy mine in 2kg bags from Real Food Source. They’re really good value and great quality. Or Tesco do a smaller bag if you don’t want to commit to a big one!