Spicy Squash Salad With Lentils And Goat Cheese - cooking recipe

Ingredients

3/4 cup black lentils or 3/4 cup green lentil
6 cups peeled seeded and cubed butternut squash (1-inch cubes, from about a 2-pound squash) or 6 cups sugar pumpkin (1-inch cubes, from about a 2-pound squash)
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon hot smoked spanish paprika
1/2 teaspoon regular paprika
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
4 cups baby arugula
1 cup soft crumbled goat cheese
1/4 cup thinly sliced mint leaf (optional, I used this, but added it after I took a photo)
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, plus additional to taste
roasted seeds from your butternut squash (about 1/2 cup)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400\u00b0F. Toss squash or pumpkin cubes with 2 tablespoons oil, cumin, paprika and salt. Arrange in a single layer on baking sheet and roast 20 minutes. Flip pieces and roast for an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until tender. Cool.
Meanwhile, soak lentils for 10 minutes in a small bowl, then drain. Cook lentils in boiling salted water until tender but firm, about 30 minutes. Rinse with cold water, then drain and cool.
Combine lentils, pumpkin, any oil you can scrape from the baking sheet (I didn't get enough for this to be worth it) with arugula, half of goat cheese, mint, vinegar, and 1 tablespoon oil. Season with salt and pepper and extra vinegar, if desired (we felt it needed it). Divide among plates and pass with remaining goat cheese to sprinkle.