Butternut and Chickpea Curry

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp Canola oil
• 1 Yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp Fresh ginger, grated
• 3 tbsp Thai red curry paste
• 5 cups Butternut squash, peeled, 1-inch cubes
• 1 can Chickpeas, canned no-salt-added, drained and rinsed
• 1 can Light coconut milk
• 1 cup Low-sodium vegetable broth
• 4 cups Baby spinach
• 1 Lime
• ½ cup Cilantro
• 3 tbsp Pumpkin seeds (pepitas), toasted
• 1 ½ cups Jasmine rice (dry), dry

Method

1. Cook the onion in oil over medium 6 minutes. Add garlic and ginger, 1 minute.
2. Add the curry paste and fry it in the oil 90 seconds until it darkens and the kitchen smells like a restaurant. This is the step people skip and it is the whole flavor.
3. Add squash, chickpeas, coconut milk and broth. Simmer covered 20 minutes until the squash yields to a knife but still holds its shape.
4. Stir in spinach until wilted, 2 minutes. Finish with lime juice — taste, and add more; the acid is what makes coconut curry taste finished rather than heavy.
5. Serve over jasmine rice with cilantro and toasted pepitas.

Notes

✨ The restaurant touch

Toasted pepitas on top for crunch and a lime wedge on every plate.

🧒 For the kids

Curry paste brands vary wildly in heat. Start with 2 tbsp, taste after step 3, and add more for the adults at the end.

🌿 From the garden

Butternut stores in a cool basement until February — one summer's harvest covers a winter of these.

🥡 Leftovers

Freezes beautifully for 3 months. The squash gets softer; nobody minds.

Per serving

Computed from USDA FoodData Central values. A planning tool, not medical advice.