This curry is everything I want on a weeknight. Scratch that – it’s everything I want… any time. I’ve been eating this as leftovers for lunch, dinner… I even ate a bowlful for breakfast the other day.
The recipe is particularly Monday night friendly – it’s quick to make yet packs a punch of flavor. It’s filled with cozy, nourishing vegetables that will help you recover from a weekend of maybe… I dunno… too much pumpkin cake?
The ingredient shot above makes this recipe look more complicated than it actually is. Once you’ve chopped the vegetables and measured the spices, you’re only about 20 (mostly hands off) minutes from a creamy, delicious hot curry dinner on the table.
I find this recipe really fun and soothing to make. There’s nothing better than this moment when the coconut milk and spices hit the vegetables. Of course, this moment will happen on the stove and not on the countertop, I just had to move my pot near the window to show you:
The ginger, cumin, coriander, turmeric, cardamom… it all smells so good! You’re going to have to take my word on it unless you can smell through your screen.
During the last five or so minutes, stir in the green things and add squeezes of lemon and lime to brighten everything up. So healthy!
This recipe is very flexible, so I encourage you to use it as a template. Don’t have butternut squash? Use sweet potatoes. Don’t have cauliflower? Use broccoli. If you want more heat, spice it up. You can serve it with basmati rice, brown rice, or even quinoa. You can also customize this with any type of protein that you like in your curry, or you can just make the recipe exactly as it’s written, a.k.a. my favorite version ?
Butternut Squash Turmeric Curry
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 cup chopped yellow onion
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon coriander
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 cups cubed butternut squash
- 3 red Thai chiles (or 1 serrano, or ½ jalapeño), thinly sliced
- 2 cups cauliflower florets
- 1 can full-fat coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, plus lime wedges for serving
- 4 cups fresh spinach
- ½ cup fresh or frozen peas
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups cooked basmati rice
- a few big handfuls of fresh basil or cilantro
- Naan bread, optional
- Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and well-browned, about 10 minutes, reducing the heat to low halfway through.
- In a small bowl, mix together the garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, turmeric, cardamom, and salt. Set aside.
- Add the butternut squash and chiles to the pot, stir, and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the cauliflower and then add the coconut milk and the spice mixture. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
- Add the lemon juice, lime juice, spinach, peas, and stir. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding additional lime juice, salt, and pepper, as desired.
- Serve the curry over the rice with fresh basil, naan bread, if desired, and lime wedges on the side.
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