Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Dal No Oil

Cooking food in a crockpot is a satisfying experience for any time of the year, but in winters it can also be a very special one. With the doors and windows shut tight, the fragrance of whatever’s bubbling away wafts around the house, whetting your appetite and bringing eager questions. Something smells really good, Jay will announce as he walks through the door. What are you making, mom? Can I have it now? “Now” is not a word that always goes hand in hand with crockpot cooking, but in case of this Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Dal, it’s easier to fulfill a craving sooner rather than later. Because what goes in here are French lentils, those peppery, delicious little nuggets that take very little time to cook, even when you are slow-cooking. And potatoes and butternut squash, both veggies that cook pretty fast. This Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Dal takes just two hours in the crock pot if you set it to high, but that time is more than enough time for all the wonderful flavors in here to mix and meld and merge and make magic. What you get is food for the soul – in a bowl. Making food in a crock pot also lets you avoid added fat, if you want to, with virtually no loss in flavor. This dal is so delicious, and all you really need to make it so are a couple of “exotic” ingredients, if turmeric and garam masala can be called that any longer. I like adding the ingredients to the slow cooker one at a time, as I prep. So I usually dump in the onions, garlic and ginger, season them, and while they soften for just a minute or so in the heat from the crockpot, I cut and add the remaining ingredients. Hope you try it! Check to get new recipe updates by email.