This butternut squash & chickpea stew is an ultimate meat-free comfort meal for the winter season. Quick and easy to prepare, it only requires a few staple ingredients and makes a perfect family meal for big and little people. Vegan and gluten free.
I can’t believe that Christmas is upon us in less than 2 weeks time… I’m probably being the least organised person this year as I’m still yet to do my Christmas shopping… Yes, I know!
Anyway, Christmas aside, I’ve got a quick and easy yet a perfect recipe for a cosy winter night for you – butternut squash and chickpea stew. It was one of those ‘add a bit of this and a bit of that’ recipes but it turned out so good that I just have to share it with you.
WHY SHOULD I MAKE THIS BUTTERNUT SQUASH & CHICKPEA STEW?
- It’s super easy
- Perfect for meal prep
- Highly customizable
- A great meat-free weeknight dinner
- A perfect cosy meal to warm you up in the winter season
With only a few ingredients, you can prepare a big batch of this butternut squash and chickpea stew to last for a few days (it makes it a perfect contender for a meal prep, if you’re one of those organised people who can do it – I take my hat off to you!). In my book, leftovers also taste much better the next day!
Feel free to replace the butternut squash with any other root vegetables in season. You can also substitute chickpeas with tinned white beans if you like.
WHAT CAN I SERVE IT WITH?
I normally serve my stews with brown/wild rice or quinoa but this time my pantry cupboards were totally empty, so white rice it was!
LOOKING FOR MORE RECIPES WITH BUTTERNUT SQUASH?
- Festive roasted butternut squash with sage & mushroom stuffing
- One pot squash & sweet potato soup
- Butternut squash hummus
- My best yet butternut squash pancakes
As always, if you have a go at making this butternut squash & chickpea stew, I’d love you to drop a comment in the comment section below and tag me on Instagram @fit.foodie.nutter #fitfoodienutter so I can see your take on it.
Healthfully yours,
Tania x
EASY BUTTERNUT SQUASH & CHICKPEA STEW (VEGAN, GF)
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium white onion finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ½ red chili pepper finely chopped
- ½ large butternut squash (300g)
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- Zest and juice of 1 clementine
- 1 tin light coconut milk (400g)
- 1 tin chickpeas (400g)
- 2 cups kale
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper ground
- A bunch of fresh coriander finely chopped
Instructions
- In a big pan heat up 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Fry the onions for 3-4 minutes until just softened and translucent. Add garlic and red chili and cook for a further 2-3 minutes.
- Add butternut squash, smoked paprika, turmeric, cinnamon and clementine juice & zest and cook over high heat for 5-7 minutes to slightly brown off the squash.
- Stir in the coconut milk, cover with a lid and simmer on low to medium heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally from time to time. If the sauce is getting too thick, add as much water as you require to achieve the desired consistency. If it’s too thin, add 2 tablespoons of coconut flour (or 1 tablespoon of cornflour) to thicken it up.
- Stir in the chickpeas and kale and cook for a further 10-15 minutes until the squash is soft enough yet has a little crunch. Season with salt & pepper and sprinkle with fresh coriander. Serve with basmati rice.
I love kale and butternut squash so this stew looks perfect especially on a cold day. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much indeed Kelly! Wishing you all the best for the festive season xx
My absolute favorite is butternut squash soup. This stew looks even better! I love that you can throw it over rice. It will feed a lot, perfect for the holiday visitors.
Thank you so much Jeannette! Anything easy and nourishing over the festive season is a good winner in my eyes! Wishing you all the best for the festive season xx
“Little bit of this and little bit of that” recipes are the very best recipes, in my opinion. This stew looks great.
Thank you so much Emily! Wishing you & the family all the best for the festive season xx
Chickpeas and butternut squash are two of my favorite things! Beautiful stew! Love that it’s both vegan and GF! So perfect for this hectic time of year. Hope you get your shopping done! 😉
Thank you so much Sherri! Wishing you and the family all the best for the festive season x
So happy to find this recipe as I try to make the most of butternut squash season!!
Thank you so much Jenna! Wishing you and the family all the best for the festive season x
Do you add clementine juice or is it the zest? Thanks for another fabulous recipe.
Hi Tracey. I used clementine zest only this time but you can add the juice of clementine too, for extra flavour. Wishing you and the family all the best for the festive season x