Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).

Carefully slice squash in half vertically. Scoop out seeds and discard. Brush cut side with oil and season with salt and pepper. Place cut-side down on a baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes in preheated oven.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add bread and cook until well toasted, stirring often.

Transfer toasted bread to a bowl and return skillet to medium heat. Melt butter in skillet, then add onion, celery, garlic and apple, cooking for about 3 minutes, until softened. Add Italian seasoning and stir to coat.

Add toasted bread back to the skillet, plus the lentils, cranberries and pecans. Stir until combined and bread is well coated, and cook until just heated through, about 5 minutes.

Once squash is cooked, carefully turn each half over so that the cut side is up. Divide the stuffing into the wells in each squash half.

Serve warm!

tips

• You can use any type of bread in this recipe. If using day old or already dry bread, you can skip toasting it in step 3.
• It is best to use whole red or green lentils for this recipe as they will keep their shape and not go mushy! You can use canned lentils, drain and rinse them really well before adding to the stuffing.
• Feel free to add lean ground pork, turkey or chicken if desired, however, you will need another squash to accommodate the increased amount of stuffing. Cook the ground meat in the skillet after toasting the bread along with the onion, celery and garlic. Once the meat is almost cooked (very little pink colour present), add the apple and cook until meat is no longer pink and apple has softened, then continue with the remainder of recipe!