Butternut Squash Red Lentil Stew
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This butternut squash lentil stew features red lentils, coconut milk and a robust blend of spices. Recipe has instructions for the slow cooker or stovetop.
It’s the perfect time of year for this cozy stew. It feels like spring should be right around the corner, but my guess is that half of the U.S. is still covered in snow and doesn’t feel like spring is anywhere near. So for those of you battling cold temps and wanting a simple dinner that will warm you up from the inside out, this stew is for you.
This veggie-packed stew is inspired by my butternut squash and turkey chili, which is cooked in the Instant Pot. I LOVE this chili so much, but recently wanted to try a completely vegetarian version with extra red lentils and this was the result. It’s so warm, comforting and amazing filling for a vegetarian meal. I love the combo of red lentils with butternut squash, and the unique combo of spices in this soup make it so delicious. I can’t wait for you to try it!
I know cooking lentils can be a little intimidating, but this method could not be simpler. I’ll answer some FAQs below, but don’t hesitate to leave a comment if you have any additional questions!
Can You Put Dried Lentils in a Slow Cooker?
Yes! You can put dried, uncooked lentils in a slow cooker with liquid and they will cook through. For this recipe, you’ll put all of your ingredients for the stew in the slow cooker and it’ll work its magic.
Do You Have to Soak Lentils Before Slow Cooking?
Nope! Lentils are the one of the only dry beans that you don’t need to soak before cooking. You can soak them if you want to speed up the cooking process, but it’s not necessary. On thing to note: You should always rinse your lentils before cooking just to clean them off and remove any stones, debris or shriveled lentils. Once rinsed and sorted, drain and use as directed in the recipe.
Can You Overcook Lentils?
Yes, you can overcook lentils. It’s not as easy to notice with red lentils because they’re softer than green or brown lentils, but when lentils are overcooked they end up getting super soft and mushy. Follow the directions in this recipe to make sure you don’t end up with mushy lentils from overcooking.
How to make Vegetarian Slow Cooker Stew
The ingredient list for this recipe might look long and intimidating, but almost half of the ingredients are spices you probably already have in your spice cabinet, so don’t stress!
- Sauté: Start by sautéing the chopped onion and garlic in a saucepan (or your slow cooker if it’s stovetop safe!) and add in the spices. I love seasoning multiple layers of a dish – it makes for awesome flavor!
- Slow cook: Next, add your sautéed onion and garlic to the slow cooker along with the butternut squash, broth, tomatoes, coconut milk, lentils, tomato paste, and apple cider vinegar. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours or on low for 6. You’ll know it’s ready when the lentils and butternut squash are soft and cooked through. Feel free to taste test to make sure.
- Enjoy: Once the stew is cooked through, you’ll stir in your spinach (if using) and let it sit for a couple of minutes so the greens get a little wilted. Then it’s ready to serve! Enjoy on its own or serve over brown rice or quinoa if you’d like.
Love Lentils? Try These Other Tasty Lentil Recipes:
- Mediterranean Lentil Salad
- Kale Sweet Potato Lentil Salad
- Lentil Tuna Salad
- Roasted Garlic Lentil Soup
- Vegan Lentil Loaf
- Lentil Meatballs
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Butternut Squash Red Lentil Stew
Ingredients
- 1/2 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 4 large garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and chopped (about 5 cups)
- 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 – 14 oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 – 14 oz can light coconut milk
- 1 cup dried red lentils, rinsed
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2-3 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1-2 cups chopped spinach, optional
- chopped cilantro and sliced green onions, for garnish
- cooked brown rice or quinoa, optional
Instructions
Slow Cooker:
- Add oil to a sauce pan or the base of your slow cooker (if it’s stove-top safe) and sauté onion and garlic for 3-5 minutes. Add spices (turmeric, cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, sea salt and pepper) and cook for an additional minute.
- Combine sautéed veggies, butternut squash chunks, veggie broth, tomatoes, coconut milk, lentils, tomato paste and apple cider vinegar together in your slow cooker. Top with lid and cook on high for 3 hours or low for 6 hours, or until lentils and butternut squash are soft and cooked through.
- Add in spinach, stir and let stew sit for a couple minutes to allow the greens to wilt.
- Portion stew into bowls, top each bowl with fresh cilantro and green onions before serving. You can also serve the stew over brown rice or quinoa if you’d like.
Stovetop:
- Add oil to a large stockpot. Once hot, add onion and garlic and sauté for 3-5 minutes. Add spices (turmeric, cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, sea salt and pepper) and cook for an additional minute.
- Add butternut squash chunks, veggie broth, tomatoes, coconut milk, lentils, tomato paste and apple cider vinegar to the pot.
- Bring mixture to a boil. Once bubbling, reduce heat to medium and simmer the stew uncovered for about 30-35 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the butternut squash is fork-tender and the lentils are cooked, reduce heat to low.
- Add in spinach, stir and let stew sit for a couple minutes to allow the greens to wilt.
- Portion stew into bowls, top each bowl with fresh cilantro and green onions before serving. You can also serve the stew over brown rice or quinoa if you’d like.
Instant Pot:
- Add oil to the base of your Instant Pot and sauté onion and garlic for 3-5 minutes. Add spices (turmeric, cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, sea salt and pepper) and cook for an additional minute before pouring in vegetable broth.
- Add in butternut squash chunks, tomatoes, coconut milk, lentils, tomato paste and apple cider vinegar. Press Cancel, lock the lid in place and move the pressure valve to Sealing. Select Pressure Cook or Manual; make sure the pressure level is set to High. Set the cooking time for 8 minutes. When pressure cooking is complete, allow the pressure to reduce naturally for 5 minutes, then release the remaining steam by moving the pressure valve to Venting. Press Cancel, then carefully open the pot.
- Add in spinach, stir and let stew sit for a couple minutes to allow the greens to wilt.
- Portion stew into bowls, top each bowl with fresh cilantro and green onions before serving. You can also serve the stew over brown rice or quinoa if you’d like.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like This Recipe? Rate & Comment Below!
Love this. Made it stove top didnt have lentils so used 1 can chickpeas one can canelli beans and at the end just put in hand blender for to thicken slightly. Served over little brown rice. Love the flavours so quick to make. Thank you
Ahh yay! So glad this recipe turned out for you, Helen. I’m glad the chickpeas + cannellini beans worked well!
This recipe was absolutely delicious, I’ll definitely be making it again! Thank you.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Michele. Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. It means the world to me. 🙂
Looking forward to making this! Instant pot instructions would be great and also my daughter is concerned about tomatoes and leaky gut, could they be left out? She loves Maya Kaimal Everyday Dal and I am trying to make her a homemade version of their red lentil, butternut squash, coconut. Yours comes closest but no tomatoes in theirs. Thank you.
For the instant pot, usually 10 minutes on high with a quick release is the perfect cook time. Plus, you can saute everything in the pot, so this turns into a 1 pot meal.
Delicious and family friendly, thanks so much for a great recipe. We ate this with a little black rice but it could easily be eaten without.
So glad this dish was a hit, Michelle! I so appreciate you making my recipe and coming back to leave a comment + star rating. It means the world to me. <3
Brittany, my family and I are grateful for the recipe, it is moreish and stores well. Four days after my original batch and I am making this recipe again! This time I have added Swiss chard instead of spinach and gosh does it smell good. Thank you 🙂
Ahh that makes me so happy to hear, Michelle. I’m so glad this recipe has been a hit! Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I really appreciate it. 🙂
Butternut squash and red lentil stew-This recipe was a hit with everyone who tried it. I followed it exactly and it turned out great. Such great flavor. Will definitely make again.
Ahh yay! So glad this recipe was a hit, Tracy. Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I really appreciate it!
Hubs and I both loved it! I had to make a couple modifications: I didn’t have a raw onion so I just put everything straight into the slow cooker with a tablespoon of onion powder. I also used almond milk as I didn’t have coconut on hand. Used a 28 oz can of tomatoes and just cut back a little on the broth. Due to schedule changes I had the cooker on low for a couple hours, high for a couple hours, then low for another hour. Thank goodness vegan recipes are pretty forgiving for changing cooking temperatures. Turned out beautifully! Will definitely be keeping this one!
So glad this recipe turned out for you, Cherise!! Thanks for trying it and for coming back to leave a comment and star rating. It means the world to me. <3
I made this tonight and it was delicious! The spice combo is great!! I cooked the stew on HIGH for 3 hours and the lentils and squash were cooked through. My stew was not as thick as your pictures, but serving it with some brown rice took care of that. Thanks for a great recipe, Brittany!
Yay! I’m so glad you enjoyed this stew, Connie!! Thanks for coming back to leave a comment + star rating. I so appreciate it.
Made this tonight. So simple and delicious! Every one of your recipes I’ve tried has been great, thank you!
Ahh that makes me so happy to hear, Christina! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe. Thanks for trying it and for coming back to leave a comment and star rating, I so appreciate it!
I made this on the stove top and then pureed it afterwards to make it thick and creamy — it’s so delicious! My 9-year old loved it and said she would eat it every day! Really healthy and filling 🙂
Love that you pureed this stew, Amanda! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe and that it was a hit with your 9-year old! Thanks for coming back to leave a star rating and comment, I so appreciate it!
Hi! Thank you so much for the wonderful recipes here! This looks amazing! Do you think I can use frozen butternut squash vs fresh?
You’re so welcome, Wendy! I haven’t tried it, but I think frozen butternut squash will work just fine.