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Roasted squash with lentils with tahini dressing
youryum.com/recipes/roasted-squash-with-lentils-with-tahini-dressing · serves 4

Roasted squash with a tahini-lentil dressing

Tahini gives the warm lentils a creamy edge without dairy, while lemon keeps the roasted squash from tasting too sweet.

  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan
  • Gluten free
  • high-fiber
Maren Ashby in her kitchen, in a dark apron, looking away from the camera
By Maren Ashby · Writes and tests everything here
Published 24 July 2026
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Roasted squash with lentils and creamy tahini dressing
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Prep
15 min
Cook
35 min
Total
50 min
Serves
4
Per serving
574kcal
Effort
Easy

Tahini is at its best when it is loosened slowly. Add water to the paste a spoonful at a time and it first thickens, then turns pale and pourable. That change is the dressing for this dinner: nutty enough for the lentils, sharp enough for the sweet squash.

Make the dressing while the tray is in the oven. The lentils can be warm when they meet it, but not boiling hot, or the tahini will tighten again.

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

Squash and lentils

Tahini dressing

To finish

Equipment

  • Large roasting tray
  • Medium saucepan
  • Small bowl and whisk

Method

  1. Roast the squash

    Heat the oven to 220°C fan. Toss the squash with the olive oil and salt, then spread it across a large tray. Roast for 30 to 35 minutes, turning the wedges once, until soft in the middle and browned at the edges.

  2. Cook the lentils

    Put the lentils, onion, bay leaf and stock in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 22 to 25 minutes. Drain as soon as the lentils are tender. Remove the onion and bay leaf.

    Hands whisking tahini dressing beside cooked lentils and squash

  3. Loosen the tahini

    Whisk the tahini, lemon juice, garlic and cumin in a bowl. Add the water one tablespoon at a time. The mixture will seize after the first spoonful; keep whisking and add the next. Stop when it is thick but pourable.

    If it tastes flat, add more lemon. If it tastes too sharp, add water and a pinch of salt rather than extra tahini.

  4. Dress the lentils

    Let the drained lentils cool for two minutes, then stir through half the tahini dressing. Warm lentils take in the garlic and lemon better than cold ones, but they should not be steaming.

  5. Serve

    Spoon the lentils onto a platter, arrange the squash on top and drizzle over the remaining dressing. Finish with parsley and sumac. Put extra dressing at the table; the squash will ask for it.

Squash lentils tahini lemon garlic cumin parsley and sumac arranged
Tahini, lemon and garlic are the bridge between the sweet squash and earthy lentils.

Tahini needs water, not more oil

When tahini thickens around the lemon juice, it can look broken or curdled. That is a normal stage, not a failed dressing. Keep whisking and add cold water slowly. The paste turns smooth and pale because the sesame solids are spreading through the water. Adding oil at this point makes it heavier and does not solve the problem.

Every jar behaves slightly differently. A loose tahini may need only three tablespoons of water; a dense one can take seven. Stop when the dressing falls from the whisk in a thick ribbon. It will loosen again when it meets warm lentils, and a dressing that is too thin on its own disappears into the platter. Add the garlic before the water so it disperses evenly. Add the sumac at the end, where its sourness stays distinct instead of getting lost in the emulsion.

Nutrition

Per serving, for 4 servings. Estimated from ingredient weights — it moves with the brands and cuts you actually use.

NutrientPer serving
Calories 574 kcal
Protein 19 g
Carbohydrate 72 g
Fibre 19 g
Fat 23 g

Source: Estimated from ingredient weights, USDA FoodData Central

Questions

Can I use red lentils?
Not for the same texture. Red lentils soften into a puree. Use green, Puy or brown lentils so they stay separate under the dressing.
Can I make the tahini dressing ahead?
Yes, up to three days ahead in the fridge. It will thicken when cold, so whisk in one or two teaspoons of water before serving.
What if my squash is very large?
Cut the wedges smaller rather than adding a lot of roasting time. Pieces around 3 cm thick brown before their centres dry out.

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