This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.

Slowly moving my way into fall recipes with this harvest tomato and butternut squash dal.

With the official start of autumn being just over a week away, I can’t deny my excitement is through the roof…but you all know this, because I literally cannot stop talking about it.

Sorry…but then really, I can’t help myself.

This is one of those recipes that I’ve been planning for a while now. Way back at the beginning of the summer I really wanted to make an Indian dal, but the recipe just felt a little too warm and cozy for a summer dinner. Me, being me, I decided to wait until the recipe felt seasonally right, and now is the time to finally tell you all about it.

Hip, hip, hooray!

It’s kind of hard to believe that this is my first dal recipe, but I’m pretty pumped about it. It was actually my cousin Abby who first gave me the idea to make a Dal, after returning from India this past winter. She raved about all the curries she’d had and said the Red Lentil Dal was especially delicious.

If you’re new to dal, it’s an Indian style red lentil curry. It can be made many different ways, but I believe using red lentils is the most traditional way. It’s a mix of slowly cooked lentils with curry style spices and finished with a drizzle of spicy oil drizzled over top.

Most Dals are made with a mix of vegetables like onions, garlic, chilies, and or carrots, but I decided to use up the last of my cherry tomatoes and the very first of my butternut squash. It’s the perfect combo of summer meets autumn and trust me it is so good.

The best part? This dal is quick and easy to make. Everything gets mixed up in one pot and simmered on the stove for about thirty minutes. While that’s happening make a quick spicy tomato oil out of coconut oil, herbs, spices, and cherry tomatoes. Cook up some rice and warm some naan…very important. You need rice and naan with all curry style recipes. Obviously.

Serve the dal over a bowl rice and then drizzle the spicy oil overtop. Add a little cilantro and maybe a few pomegranate arils, if you’re into pomegranates, which I totally am.

And then DONE. Dinner in under an hour and it’s also completely vegan, which I only just now realized now. Cool. Cool.

OKAY, soooo that’s that on this delicious recipe, but ummm I have other things to scream at you all about…

YOU GUYS!

Speaking of things I cannot stop talking about…wow, everyone’s comments on yesterday’s post about the Half Baked Harvest cookbook have me smiling from ear to ear. Seeing all of you who ordered the book or went out and bought the book yesterday!? Ahh!! Just in shock, and filled with happiness and amazement.

I really cannot believe it.

Basically at this point in time I am just one giant ball of happy over here today. I can’t believe I’m even mentioning this, but my birthday is Friday and there could not have been a better early birthday present. Thank you all! If I could send you cookies or give you all hugs I honestly would be doing so right now. Since I can’t do that, be sure to continue to follow along with all the Instagram giveaways this week, and don’t forget to enter yesterday’s giveaway as well.

Again, thank you guys so much for all of your support. It means the world to me and my little itty, bitty, HBH team. Hopefully more big things to come!

In the meantime, let’s cozy up to this autumn inspired Dal…