The holidays have come and gone but yet somehow we still have to cook dinner. Post New Years it can be tough to get excited about food because everyone just spent the past 3 months absolutely pigging out on all our favorite seasonal treats and meals. Didn’t you just cook for 15 people a couple weeks ago, how in the fuck are you still expected to make dinner tonight? Inspiration and excitement are in short supply on these dark, cold January days. But that’s why you’re here.
For the next couple weeks, we’re gonna focus on soups and stews; comfort food for chilly nights that will nourish and warm you the fuck up. Some, like this week’s, will be perfect one-pot meals that you can easily throw together after work. Others are gonna be slightly more complicated stunners for rainy weekends when you have the time and energy to make something special.
This soup is bright, filling, and comes together fast all in one pot. The hardest part here is cutting the butternut squash. After that you’re about 20 minutes away from dinner. Not too bad for a meal that everyone is gonna want seconds of. If you have some time, throw together some quick pickled shallots to go on the top. Just thinly slice a shallot, throw it in a shallow bowl with a pinch of salt and cover it with rice vinegar. Let this sit while you cook the rest of the soup and when you’re ready to serve, lay them out with the rest of the toppings. They’re super-fast and make the whole meal feel fancy as hell.
Butternut Squash Stew with Red Lentils
Makes enough for 4 people
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