If you had to pick your TOP Thanksgiving dish, what would it be? Turkey? Stuffing? Mashed potatoes? Cranberry sauce from a can?? «that was totally my favorite when I was a kid. All neatly sliced up, like we were going to slap it on a sandwich or something. (The idea of adding a slab of canned cranberry jelly on a turkey sandwich still sounds good to me, a testament to the power of food nostalgia.) I think I would have to pick mashed potatoes as my number 1. With tons of gravy.
You know what is at the BOTTOM of my list, like, even below the can of cranberry jelly? STUFFING. What is it with the soggy bread, people?? There are ZERO recipes for stuffing on my blog. I always add it to my plate, of course. It’s a crime not to, it’s Thanksgiving for heaven’s sake, you can’t NOT eat the stuffing. But usually while I’m eating it, my mind wanders: “why isn’t this mashed potatoes” or “I could be eating a 3rd yeast roll right now,” or “seriously, why so soggy.”
And then there are the recipes that try to jazz up regular stuffing by adding sausage. This is not a solution in my opinion. I’m here to eat TURKEY, thankyouverymuch, take your sausage and go home. No meat competitions, please. But, guys. I think I’ve done it. No, I know I have. A stuffing that I actually like. A stuffing that I LOVE, even. A stuffing that I would make on Thanksgiving and also a day that is not Thanksgiving. A stuffing that I will happily eat an entire plateful of for lunch 2 days in a row because that’s how many days I spent testing this recipe.
First, there has to be something more interesting that onion and celery, the base of every stuffing ever. To me, those flavors are meant to be background flavors. They enhance whatever ingredient comes next, and in this case I chose butternut squash. What could possibly be more Thanksgiving-y than butternut squash? Next we add the cranberries. I learned years ago from making this Butternut Squash, Cranberry, and Goat Cheese Crostini that butternut and cranberries were meant to be.
Next come the lentils. Lentils make sense here because try as I might, I just need more than bread in my stuffing. I need something else for my teeth to sink into. I think lots of people do, which is where the sausage idea came from most likely. But lentils are a way better choice, in my opinion. They are not too heavy. They add a bit more substance and protein without being “meaty.” And when you cook them with sage and thyme, oooh boy are they delicious. I’m partnering with USA Pulses and Pulse Canada for this post. “Pulses” refers to dry peas, chickpeas, lentils and beans. (Did you know that?? 100 points! I did not!) Pulses are super good for you, making this stuffing basically a health food. Tons of protein and fiber. (How much protein and fiber does soggy bread have? How much??) The folks over at Pulses.org have a Half-Cup Habit challenge going on. See if you can add a 1/2 cup serving of pulses to your diet 3 times a week. If I can add lentils to stuffing, people, it can totally be done. Check it out!
You can use fresh herbs or dried herbs for this recipe!
Make sure you peel your butternut well. You need to peel all the way to the really orange part, like on the bottom of the photo on the right.
(You might think you don’t need to add this butter. You’re wrong.) Now I did add lentils, but I didn’t kick out the bread entirely. We’ve got a solid 8 cups of rustically torn French bread to work with, for all you traditionalists out there. I tore the bread instead of chopping because I like to have bigger pieces. This way they are a more chewy and interesting piece of the stuffing, instead of just being mushy background. I chose to bake my stuffing for almost a full hour, covered and then uncovered. If you prefer a very moist stuffing, don’t take the foil off.
Will you be hosting Thanksgiving this year? I’m actually not sure if I am or not. (Mom?? We should talk??) I do know that I’ll be taking my parents to the airport that night. They are going to Fiji and New Zealand. TAKE ME WITH YOUUU!! This post is sponsored by USA Pulses and Pulse Canada. Thanks for supporting the brands that keep The Food Charlatan chugging along! You guys are the best! Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram | Twitter One year ago: Pan-Seared Chicken and Broccolini in Creamy Mustard Sauce Two years ago: Bacon Blue Cheese Brisket (Slow Cooker!) Five years ago: Chipotle Chili with Steak More lentil recipes you will love! Fresh Bruschetta and Lentil Dip: « This recipe is so delicious! A great healthy appetizer idea!
Greek Lentil Tacos with Cucumber Pico de Gallo:
More butternut!! Butternut Squash, Cranberry, and Goat Cheese Crostini « this is such a fun appetizer for fall!
Slow Cooker Risotto with Italian Sausage and Butternut Squash:
More stuffing to love! Lentils, Farro, and Barley, oh my! Just look at all this creativity: Lentil and Mushroom Stuffing from Foxes Love Lemons Farro, Butternut Squash, Sausage and Dried Cherry Stuffing from FoodieCrush Butternut Squash and Barley Stuffing from Country Cleaver
