Step 1

Slice the butternut squash into half. Remove the seed box, then drizzle, brush all over with oil, and sprinkle salt and pepper.

Step 2

Bake at 400 degrees F (205 C) for 45-50 minutes, or until cooked completely in the middle.

Step 3

Meanwhile, make your lentil filling. Heat a skillet over medium heat, add oil, then add in your fennel seeds, and herbs, sage, thyme, rosemary, and mix in.

Step 4

Add in the onion, garlic, and mix in, and cook until the onion is golden.

Step 5

Add in your lentils, salt, onion powder, black pepper, and mix in, then add in the apples, pecans, and mix in, and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the mixture is heated through. Taste and adjust flavor.

Step 6

Remove the butternut squash from the oven. Scoop out the middle portion of the butternut squash, leaving about half an inch in the squash.

Step 7

Mash the butternut squash that you removed and lightly mix into the lentils. You dont want to completely mix it in, there should  be some blobs of butternut squash in the lentil mixture. Also if you handle the mixture too much, the lentils would start to break down.

Step 8

Spoon the lentil mixture into the scooped out butternut squash. sprinkle a little bit of salt and pepper, and bake at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes, or broil for 1-2 minutes.

Step 9

Remove from the oven and serve as is, or serve with a drizzle of lemon juice, or a side of gravy . To make this without nuts, just omit the pecans.