Butternut Squash & Chickpea Curry

This butternut squash and chickpea curry with baby spinach is delicious, easy to make and is one of my favorites. There are no store bought pastes, it’s all made from scratch and it won’t take all night to cook. It’s perfect for a weeknight dinner and great for getting rid of any veggies hanging around your fridge at the end of the week. I can’t believe this is my first curry post, I love curry, we have it a couple of times in the month and I’ve not shared one recipe with you yet! So I’m gonna make up for it today.

Hey, I have to tell you something first, we love living in Ely, and for me one of the best things about living in Ely is that it is so close to Cambridge, a drive of about 2o minutes and I am bang in the center of Cambridge. And wow, is it a beautiful place to hang out, we go there every other week. So last weekend we were there, all three of us, doing a little shopping in one of the malls and sort of minding our own business when Professor Stephan Hawking passed right by us! Yep, I actually shared the same air space as one of  the most amazing human beings alive! I was star stuck, this man is amazing. I don’t have any photos as, well I think I time stopped for a fraction of a second, and also I think that would be rude, but I am so glad to have seen him and that my girl saw him too as we had a little science geek out when we got home, what can I say my girl loves science! Sorry I went a little off topic today but I just had to tell someone, it’s not every day you see a real life super hero 😉

Anyway back to the food, this recipe is very adaptable, you can switch your protein source about if you like, red lentil are great or chicken is good too. It freezes well, just let it cool before you freeze it and defrost fully before you re-heat it, it will keep in the freezer for about a month. Oh by the way, it tastes even better the day after, so you may end up having curry two days in a row!

This curry is:

• High in Vitamin A
• High in Protein
• High in Fiber
• High in Vitamin C
• Vegan
• Gluten Free

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Butternut Squash & Chickpea Curry

Course Main

Cuisine Indian

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Servings 4

Author Michelle Alston

Ingredients

• 1 large onion (200g), chopped finely
• 2 tsp coconut oil
• 1 thumb size piece of ginger , peeled and grated
• 3 cloves of garlic , minced
• 1 tsp finely chopped red chili
• 1 tsp cumin seeds , roasted
• 1 heaped tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp Garam Masala
• 1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
• 380 g butternut squash , cut into cubes, skin left on
• 1 green bell pepper (180g), chopped
• 230 g cooked chickpeas
• 400 ml vegetable stock
• 100 ml water
• 150 g baby spinach
• A small handful of fresh coriander , leaves & stems, chopped + more for garnish
• A good pinch of sea salt
• Some freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Heat a small frying pan, add the cumin seeds and toast for about 2 minutes, giving a little shake of the pan a couple of times. Set aside.
2. Heat the coconut oil in a large saucepan, add the onion and cook for about 8 minutes, until they are golden, add a tablespoon or two of water if they start to stick.
3. Then add the ginger, garlic and red chili, cook for about two minutes then add the turmeric, coriander and cumin seeds, mix well and cook for about 1 minute, then add the garam masala and cook for another minute.
4. Now add the tin of tomatoes and stir, add the butternut squash, peppers and chickpeas, stock and 100 ml of water. Leave to simmer for about 30 minutes stirring occasionally so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.
5. After 30 minutes the curry should be reduced by a third and the butternut squash should be cooked.
6. Turn off the heat and then stir in the spinach, it will wilt wilt with the heat of the curry.
7. Serve with quinoa, brown rice and/or naan and some coriander leaves.