Fall Cooking: Collards & Butternut Squash

They looked so orange-y and fall-ish, so I bought a 2-lb container of diced butternut squash.  Disregard the fact that I wasn't sure what it tasted like or how to cook it.

I also bought a big bag of cut collard greens because I forgot that I already had a bag at home and I decided I had a taste for greens.  So I found myself with butternut squash and collards and no plans for either.  I don’t like to let food go to waste, so I figured I could somehow cook them together in one pot.  It felt like my own, personal episode of Chopped!

I checked my pantry and found a bag of lentils and figured, since there were no definite plans for that either, I’d throw that in the mix, too.  And let me tell you – it all came together deliciously. It took about an hour and a half, but only about 20 minutes of active, standing at the stove time. The rest of the time you can wash dishes, fold clothes, or go catch up on The Voice.  And since it’s all pre-cut, there’s very little prep. (You can of course, use a whole squash or cut your collards, if you’d like.)

Here you go.  I wish I was better at coming up with names for stuff, but I’m not, so it's just...

Collards & Butternut Squash

Ingredients

Butter

½ onion, diced

½ bag lentils

1 lb diced butternut squash

1 lb chopped collard greens

Vegetable bouillon cube

Water

Seasoning: black pepper, salt, red pepper flakes, coriander

Note: Add seasonings through-out to taste.  Feel free to leave out the red pepper if you don’t like pepper-y food.

Cook

In a large stock pot, melt a tablespoon of butter.

Add lentils. Stir and keep an eye on it, for about 5 minutes, until they get an almost nutty scent.

Add chopped onions, mix together, then continue to cook while onions soften.

Add the squash and seasoning, mix together and let cook a few minutes.

Add greens, mix into other ingredients.

Add bouillon cube and mix in with ingredients until dissolved.  Add seasoning.

Pour in 6 cups of water and stir all together.

Let cook on medium flame for about an hour or until squash is soft.

Serve as a side-dish or as a standalone meal, over rice or with naan or other flatbread. 

Enjoy!

Join the conversation on Facebook: Just Piddlin' with Frances