A utumn has arrived, and with it comes a variety of squashes, root vegetables, and dark-leaved greens. As the evenings 🌞 get colder, there's nothing better than warm and comforting ingredients, and pulses are a great way to make any main 🌞 meal go a long way. Earthy brown lentils are a popular choice, and even dried ones don't take long to 🌞 cook if you soak them first. Butter beans, on the other hand, have a lot of texture and body, making 🌞 them the king of beans in my opinion.

Stuffed Squash with Lentils (pictured at the top)

Tinned lentils are a convenient 🌞 and quick staple, but dried lentils can also be used: replace the tin with 200g of washed dried lentils soaked 🌞 in 600ml of water or vegetable stock, and increase the cooking time to ensure they are tender. If you prefer, 🌞 you can leave out the lardons to make the dish vegetarian. The type of squash is up to you - 🌞 there are many varieties to choose from. Here, I've cut the squash into rounds and removed the seeds, but you 🌞 could also cut it in half and deseed to make a neat cavity for the lentil stuffing; shave a bit 🌞 off the base so the squash halves sit nicely on the tray. If you cook it this way, the squash 🌞 will take longer to roast but it will look great.

Prep time: 20 min Cook time: 1 hour 30 min Serves: 🌞 4

5 tbsp light olive oil, 100g lardons (optional), 2 medium onions, peeled and sliced, Sea salt and black pepper, 1 🌞 leek, trimmed, cut in half lengthways, then finely sliced (use as much as green as possible) and washed, 3 sticks 🌞 celery, trimmed, washed and finely sliced, 2 carrots, peeled, cut in half lengthways, then cut into fine half-moons, 3 garlic 🌞 cloves, peeled and thinly sliced, 2 heaped tbsp tomato paste, or 200ml passata, 410g tin green lentils, undrained, 1 sprig 🌞 each thyme and rosemary, and 1 bay leaf (or whatever you have to hand), 2 tbsp sherry vinegar, 200ml vegetable 🌞 stock, 1 small-medium squash (about 800g), unpeeled, cut into 2cm-thick rounds and deseeded.

To finish:

350g creme fraiche, or greek yoghurt or 🌞 fromage frais, 1 egg, 200g grated cheese (use up any bits and bobs), 50g breadcrumbs, 1 small handful flat-leaf parsley, 🌞 finely chopped.

Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Put a tablespoon of the oil in a small casserole for 🌞 which you have a lid, and put it in the oven to heat up. Once the oil is hot, add 🌞 the lardons, if using, return the casserole to the oven uncovered and cook for five or so minutes, until the 🌞 bacon is crisp. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the lardons to a plate, leaving all the fat behind in 🌞 the casserole, then add the onions, a splash more oil and a good pinch of salt to the pot. Cover 🌞 and return to the oven for 10 minutes, until the onions soften and take on a bit of color.

Add another 🌞 tablespoon of the oil to the pot, then stir in the sliced leek, celery and carrot, cover again and return 🌞 to the oven for 15 minutes, until the vegetables have started to soften and get some golden-brown edges.

Once the vegetables 🌞 have softened, stir in the garlic and tomato paste, then return to the oven, uncovered, for five minutes. Stir in 🌞 the lentils, crisp lardons (if using), herbs, sherry vinegar and stock, and return to the oven, uncovered, for another 20-30 🌞 minutes. Meanwhile, arrange the squash rounds in a single layer on an oven tray into which they'll fit snugly, then 🌞 season and douse with oil. Roast alongside the lentils for 20 minutes, until tender to the tip of a sharp 🌞 knife, then take out of the oven to await the stuffing.

Now make the topping: mix the creme fraiche, egg and 🌞 all but a heaped tablespoon of the cheese in a bowl. Mix the remaining cheese with the breadcrumbs and parsley 🌞 in a small bowl.

Once the lentils have had a good time in the oven and have a nice, spoonable consistency 🌞 – they need some liquid around them – season to taste, then spoon into the roast squash rounds. Pour over 🌞 the creme fraiche topping, scatter on the cheesy, herby crumbs and bake again for 20 minutes, until the top is 🌞 bubbling and golden. Serve with some greens on the side, if you fancy.

Baked Butter Beans with Chermoula

Chermoula is a fragrant north African herb sauce often paired with grilled 🌞 fish; it also makes a great marinade for many things. This simple, all-in-one dish is a great vegetarian or vegan 🌞 main, but it also works as a side for grilled or baked chicken or fish; any leftovers would make a 🌞 great packed lunch, perhaps with some crumbled feta and salad. I love the butter beans you get in jars these 🌞 days – they have such a good, rich flavor and their thick, gelatinous juice really adds to a dish. I 🌞 usually warm them in the oven until that delicious liquor melts and then pour it off to use later in 🌞 the dish. Serve these with grilled flatbreads and maybe some halloumi baked while the beans are doing their thing.

Prep time: 🌞 20 min Cook time: 50 min Serves: 4

For the chermoula:

1 heaped tsp cumin seeds, 1 generous handful flat-leaf parsley, thicker 🌞 stalks removed and discarded, leaves and tender stalks roughly chopped, 1 generous handful coriander, roughly chopped, stalks and all, 5 🌞 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped, 1 red chilli, pith and seeds removed and discarded, flesh roughly chopped, 1 tsp 🌞 smoked paprika, ½ lemon, juiced, then peeled and zest finely chopped, Salt, 90ml light olive oil

For the beans:

600g tinned or 🌞 jarred butter beans, warmed up in their juices, then strained to reserve the liquid, 12 small new potatoes, washed and 🌞 halved, 2 red onions, peeled, halved and each half cut into 4, 400g tinned cherry tomatoes, juice strained off and 🌞 reserved, 225g jarred roast red peppers (ie half a standard jar), drained and cut into bite-sized pieces

Heat the oven to 🌞 210C (190C fan)/410F/gas 6½. Put the cumin in a small dish and toast in the warming oven for a minute 🌞 or two, until they smell fragrant, then remove and leave to cool. Chop the cumin seeds a bit (or break 🌞 them down in a mortar), then tip them into a food processor and add the herbs, garlic, chilli, paprika, lemon 🌞 juice, a teaspoon of the chopped lemon zest and half a teaspoon of salt. Blitz smooth, then slowly add the 🌞 olive oil to help things along, to make a loose paste.

Put the butter beans, potatoes and onion wedges in an 🌞 oven tray in which they fit in a single layer, sprinkle with salt and scatter over the remaining lemon zest. 🌞 Splash the chermoula all over the vegetables, then toss with your hands so everything gets well coated.

Mix the reserved bean 🌞 liquor and the tinned tomato juice in a measuring jug, then add warm water to make it up to 250ml. 🌞 Pour this carefully into the bean dish, so as not to wash off the marinade, then roast for 20 minutes, 🌞 until the vegetables have some nice, crisp edges and the potatoes and onions are starting to soften.

Add the tomatoes and 🌞 peppers, give everything a good stir – if the mix seems dry, add a little water – then return to 🌞 the oven for another 15 minutes. By now, everything should be lightly browned on the surface, the onions and potatoes 🌞 should be cooked through and the juices should have reduced into a thick sauce; if there doesn't seem to be 🌞 enough, simply pour in some boiling water and stir to make a bit more juice. Check for seasoning, then serve 🌞 with bread for mopping up and some greens, if you like.

• Rosie Sykes is a cook and food writer. 🌞 Her latest book, Every Last Bite: Save Money, Time and Waste with 70 Recipes that Make the Most of Mealtimes, 🌞 is published by Quadrille at £18.99. To order a copy for £17.09, go to guardianbookshop.com