This cozy vegan Thai chickpea and squash red curry is guaranteed to warm your belly and your soul. Easy to whip up on a weeknight, too.
On a weeknight, you really can’t go wrong with a curry. I love Indian curries, but I must say that Thai curries have my heart these days. This particular red curry has a lovely spice from Thai red curry paste and ginger, and it’s very easy to make. It’s a fabulous one pot meal that will warm you right up. It’s certainly not as complex as an authentic Thai curry, but it is delicious in its own right!
INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED
- Coconut oil, onion, garlic, ginger, red bell pepper, Thai red curry paste, tomato paste, sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, cayenne, butternut squash, coconut sugar, cooked chickpeas, coconut milk, vegetable broth, tamari, lime juice, kale, and cilantro + toasted almonds, for garnish.
- Plus cooked rice (brown or white) for serving!
how to make this recipe
- Warm the coconut oil in a large pot. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-8 minutes, until tender and lightly browned. Stir in the red bell pepper and cook for a couple of minutes before adding the rest of the salt, pepper, Thai red curry paste, tomato paste, and cayenne.
- Add the butternut squash, coconut sugar, chickpeas, coconut milk, vegetable broth, and tamari. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then turn down heat to medium-low, cover loosely with the lid, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the squash is very tender. This takes 20-30 minutes, depending on how large your chunks of squash are.
- I like to use a potato masher to mash some of the squash at this point; this helps thicken the curry! This is optional, though.
- Stir in the kale and cook until bright green. Finally, stir in the lime juice. Taste and adjust seasonings, if desired. Add lime juice for brightness or additional salt for depth.
- Serve the curry over rice and garnish with cilantro and chopped almonds.
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more vegan Thai recipes to try
- Thai Chickpea Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Almond Butter Sauce
- Thai Chickpea Sweet Potato Burgers with Almond Butter Sauce
- Thai Red Curry Tempeh Buddha Bowls
And that’s all she wrote! I’m off to cram for my exam tomorrow! I hope you enjoy this Thai chickpea and squash red curry. If you make it, let me know how you enjoyed it by leaving a comment and rating below. And if you share a photo to Instagram, tag it @upbeet.kitchen and #upbeetkitchen. I love to see what you’ve made.
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Enjoy!
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Thai Chickpea and Squash Red Curry
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
This cozy Thai chickpea and squash red curry is guaranteed to warm your belly and your soul. Easy to whip up on a weeknight, too.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 4 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne (optional)
- 2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar (balances flavours)
- 3 heaping cups peeled and cubed butternut squash (1 inch cubes)
- 2 cups cooked chickpeas (see note)
- 1 can (400 mL) full fat coconut milk
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon tamari
- 1 bunch kale, stemmed and chopped (4 cups)
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- Cilantro and chopped roasted almonds, for garnish
- Cooked brown or white rice, for serving
Instructions
- Warm the coconut oil in a large pot. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-8 minutes, until tender and lightly browned. Stir in the red bell pepper and cook for a couple of minutes before adding the rest of the salt, pepper, Thai red curry paste, tomato paste, and cayenne.
- Add the butternut squash, coconut sugar, chickpeas, coconut milk, vegetable broth, and tamari. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then turn down heat to medium-low, cover loosely with the lid, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the squash is very tender. This takes 20-30 minutes, depending on how large your chunks of squash are.
- I like to use a potato masher to mash some of the squash at this point; this helps thicken the curry! This is optional, though.
- Stir in the kale and cook until bright green. Finally, stir in the lime juice. Taste and adjust seasonings, if desired. Add lime juice for brightness or additional salt for depth.
- Serve the curry over rice and garnish with cilantro and chopped almonds.
Notes
I soaked and cooked chickpeas to use in this recipe, but if you only have canned chickpeas, use 1 14-oz can instead. You’ll only have 1 ½ cups of chickpeas, but that’s fine.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
Sue says
Ooh wow! This is soooo good, that I almost stopped mid-bowl to write this review. ?. I omitted the salt, pepper, cayenne and garnishes. The cayenne was an oversight; garnishes were due to hunger. I also subbed spinach for the kale. Allison, this recipe was pure comfort food and it came together quickly. Thanks so much.
Allison says
I couldn’t be happier to hear how you enjoyed this curry, Sue! I can’t express how much it means to read such wonderful reviews. 🙂
Ren Atkins says
Really delicious! I used sweet potato instead of squash, because it’s what I had, and omitted the cayenne because my red curry paste is already very hot. I love the balance of flavours in this meal, I’ll definitely make this again.
Allison says
Hi Ren, I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed this curry. Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment and rating!
Josh says
Absolutely delicious stew, the Thai curry flavour is hard to beat. Thanks for creating and sharing this.
Allison says
Thank you so much! 🙂
Kerry says
My new favourite curry dish. Easy to make, easy to eat. We loved this one.
-Kerry and Mark
Allison says
Wow, thank you so much! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Mary Lou says
This recipe is super easy and delicious. The kind of meal you wouldn’t be mad to have night after night! Feels like you treated yourself, I can’t think of any takeout that would be faster or tastier than making this! A FABULOUS FAKEAWAY!
Allison says
Thank you again, Mary Lou! I couldn’t be happier to hear how much you enjoyed this curry- it’s one of my family’s favourites, too! Have a great weekend! ?