Perfect for those looking for more plant-based meals in their diet, this Pumpkin Chickpea Curry is a cheap healthy meal you’ll love! This easy-to-make vegetarian dish is pure comfort food on a plate.
A cheap healthy meal perfect for fall!
I thought I’d never say it, but I’m actually excited for fall this year. Our summer was beautiful, but oh-so hot! I am actually really excited for sweater and boot season. You know what else I am excited for? Fall comfort food!
Comfort food season is the best, and I love nothing more than to cozy up by the fire, eating my favorite foods. I am a huge fan of curries in the cooler weather, especially vegetarian curries, like this pumpkin chickpea curry. I have been trying to add more plant-based meals into my diet, and I am finding that curries make a perfect addition to any weeknight meal.
This pumpkin chickpea curry is my new favorite. Picture this, soft pumpkin, cooked in a beautiful Thai-style curry sauce. Add in some greens for good measure and some chickpeas for extra protein. Bam…your weeknight dinner is made!
How to Make Pumpkin Chickpea Curry:
This curry is very, very simple to make and is easy to whip together using some simple ingredients from the supermarket.
First, you’ll need to find a butternut squash. I use one pound, which was about half of a large squash. When it comes to dicing, make sure the pieces are as even as possible – around 1 inch by 1 inch. By making them even, you’re ensuring an even cooking time.
You’ll also need to find good quality red curry paste. This is very easy to find in any Asian supermarket, or in the Asian section of your local large grocery store.
As well as curry paste and squash, you’ll need some basic ingredients for Thai cooking – coconut milk, white pepper, fish sauce, and lime juice. Once again, all these are easy to find in your local supermarket.
The cooking process is very straightforward. You’ll start by frying off the aromatics – the onion, garlic, and curry paste. Then you’ll add in the butternut squash. The squash cooks in the coconut milk, which you flavor with lime juice, fish sauce, and just a little bit of sugar.
In the final 10 minutes of cooking, the green beans and chickpeas are added, as well as the white pepper. Make sure you’re always tasting the curry. Thai cooking is very particular in terms of balancing flavors. There should be an adequate balance between the salt, the sweet, the spicy, and the sour. The sour comes from the lime juice, the salt from the fish sauce, the sweet from the sugar, and the spicy from the curry paste. I loved the way the curry tasted with the quantities I added into the recipe card, but all tastebuds are different!
Pair this Pumpkin Chickpea Curry with rice and naan!
This pumpkin chickpea curry is best served over rice, with a serving of bread such as this za’atar naan bread. Homemade naan bread is super easy to make and makes a wonderful addition to the curry!
This is the perfect dish for a weeknight meal or dinner party even if you’re not catering to vegetarian friends. A hearty, healthy (ish) dish that will help you transition effortlessly into the season of fall!
Ingredients
- 1 lb butternut squash
- 1 tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tbsp red curry paste
- 1 15-oz can of coconut milk
- 2 tsp lime juice
- 4 tsp fish sauce
- 2 tsp white sugar
- 1 15-oz can chickpeas
- 12 green beans, sliced into 2" long pieces (a decent handful)
- 1 tsp white pepper
- 1 tbsp cilantro, roughly chopped for serving
- naan and white rice for serving
Instructions
- Heat vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven or fry pan over medium-high heat.
- Fry off onion and garlic for 5 minutes.
- Add red curry paste and stir for 1 minute.
- Add diced pumpkin and stir until the pumpkin is covered in the curry paste.
- Add the coconut milk, fish sauce, lime juice, and sugar.
- Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes with the lid on, and 20 minutes with the lid off, stirring occasionally.
- In the last 10 minutes of cooking, stir through chickpeas, green beans, and white pepper.
- Taste, and adjust accordingly.
- Serve over rice with naan bread, and garnish with cilantro.
Notes
Home Chef Tip: To make this dish vegan, substitute the fish sauce with soy sauce or tamari soy.
We hope you enjoy this Pumpkin Chickpea Curry recipe from SoFabFood Home Chef, Georgina from The Home Cook’s Kitchen, as much as we do. If you love this simple and delicious recipe, you can find more like it by visiting our Vegetarian Section. For daily recipe inspiration, subscribe to our newsletter, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Pinterest. Enjoy!
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Christy Gossett says