If you could create your dream dinner I'm fairly certain it would be this vegetarian Butternut Squash and Chickpea Curry. It's the perfect balance of tangy, fragrant curry and sweet coconut/ squash goodness. Healthy, cosy dinners in about 30 minutes. Not to mention, all the ingredients are from Aldi UK so you know it's gonna be a one-stop-shop and cheaper than takeaway!

I know, you're life depends on being able to feed your hungry gang something that they'll all love, but equally, something that you can cook in less time than ordering takeaway and preferable something that is hearty, delicious and healthy. This super-easy vegetarian curry is such a dinner. It's got you covered on all fronts.

Butternut Squash & Chickpea Curry
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So let's get right into the ingredients that you'll need to whip up this vegetarian feast. It's a few simple spices. We're keeping it simple for a couple of reasons.

I think you can bring a big bold flavour to your meals without needing a million exotic spices.
Aldi only carries a limited range of herbs and spices, and since we're only picking up ingredients from there, that's what we're choosing from.
It can sometimes be a little intimidating to be confronted with a list of so many spices that you may not be familiar with.

Ingredients for Butternut Squash and Chickpea Curry

Butternut Squash
Red Onion
1 tin chickpeas
1 tin coconut milk
2 tins chopped tomatoes
Curry Powder
Ground Cumin
Ground Chilli Powder
Garlic

Optional

Popadoms (not really optional, but...)
Mango Chutney
Fresh Coriander
Basmati Rice

How to Make Vegan Butternut Squash & Chickpea Curry Step By Step

Like all amazing curries, we have to start with the onions and garlic. Add some vegetable or olive oil to a pan (I'm using this cast-iron Dutch oven from Aldi). If you can't find it, then this one is a close second. Gently sautee the garlic and onions together until they're soft and translucent.
Add in the chopped butternut squash and spice mix. Be sure to stir everything around to get the squash and onions coated in the spices. Continue to stir occasionally for about 5 minutes, just to help get some colour on the squash.

Add in the tins of chopped tomatoes and you'll probably need to add in some water or vegetable stock. Bring the whole pot to a boil and leave to simmer for about 20 minutes until the butternut squash is soft and cooked all the way through. * As the pot simmers the liquid will start to reduce and you may find that you need to add a splash more water.
Once the curry is cooked you will want a sauce that is thick and silky rather than too soupy. See the above photos for what the curry will look like just before simmering and what it should look like once it's cooked.
Once the squash is tender, add in the coconut milk and stir well. Remove the curry from the heat and add in the drained chickpeas and the spinach. Stir well and let the spinach wilt naturally in the heat of the curry. The chickpeas are perfect to add right at the end, as they're already cooked and only need to warm through.

Squash Curry FAQ's

Sure. Now that you've nailed dinner and are ready to triumph over just how much of a dinner genius you truly are, you may still have a couple of questions.

Q. Can I freeze butternut squash chickpea curry?

Absolutely! This is a meal prep/ freezer dinner dream. You can freeze it in ziplock bags and simply defrost in the fridge overnight, or even place in the slow cooker in the morning and reheat it on low so that you have the easiest weeknight dinner waiting for you when you get home.

Q. What if I don't have any chickpeas?

No problem. You can substitute any kind of white bean in this recipe. A tin of butterbeans or cannellini beans would be perfect here.

Q. I don't like coconut milk?

Feel free to add in regular single cream to keep it creamy or skip the creaminess altogether and just have a straight-up tomato-based curry.

Q. How long will it last in the fridge?

This will be absolutely fine in an airtight container in the fridge for about 4 days.

And that's all there is to it! Easy vegetarian curry with simple ingredients and big bossy flavour. You are officially a dinner hero!

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Wholesome & Healthy Vegetarian Butternut Squash And Chickpea Curry

Author: Deborah Thompson
Prep Time: 10
Cook Time: 25
Total Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 6 1x

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Ingredients

Scale

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
1 small butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and chopped
1 tin chickpeas, drained
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 tin coconut milk
500g spinach

Spice Mix

½ teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoon curry powder
½ teaspoon chilli flakes
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

To Serve

basmati rice
popadoms
chopped fresh coriander

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a medium sauce pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and continue to cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add the chopped butternut squash and spice mix to the pan. Stir well so the spices coat the squash and onion. Continue to cook for about 5 minutes until the squash starts to soften slightly.
Pour the chopped tomatoes into the pan and bring to a boil. Simmer gently for about 15 minutes until the squash is soft and cooked.*See Notes Add in the coconut milk and stir well. Bring back to a gentle simmer and add the spinach. Remove from the heat and let the spinach wilt.
Serve over rice, top with chopped coriander and popadoms.

Notes

If you find that the tomatoes and liquid are reducing a bit too much add about 300ml of water or stock and continue to simmer until the squash is cooked.

Category: Dinner
Method: Simmering
Cuisine: Indian

Keywords: vegan, curry, squash, autumn dinner

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