I like to push the boundaries on traditional holiday foods. At my thanksgiving table, we often have a mix of dishes we grew up with (green bean casserole) and the addition of dishes I like to add in for fun (this squash curry). This curry is part of my vegan thanksgiving series. It's warm, cozy, and easily makes enough to feed a crowd. Traditional? No. Beautiful and a good conversation starter? Yes. Plus, the addition of the parsnip salad and lentil pilaf takes the whole meal to the next level.
Vegan Thanksgiving Menu
It can be challenging to work within everyone's dietary needs during the holidays. My favorite way to tackle the puzzle is to find dishes that everyone can eat. That's why I love this vegan thanksgiving feast. It's flavorful, highlights wonderful fall vegetables, and happens to be gluten-free too. A perfect way to feed your guest a healthy and filling meal. The full meal includes:
Lentil Pilaf with Romanesco
Shaved Parsnip Salad
Red Kuri Squash Curry with Chard
Wine Pairing: 2013 Benziger North Coast Sauvignon Blanc: This wine brings out the coconut flavor and kuri squash sweetness. A lovely complement to the curry spice.
Red Kuri Squash Curry with Chard
A hearty vegan curry that features red kuri squash and swiss chard. You can easily add legumes to boost the protein!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 60 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Main Course
Ingredients
- 1 small onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ bunch of Swiss chard (about 6 ounces)
- 1 red kuri squash (about 2 pounds)
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon mild curry powder
- 2 teaspoon fresh ginger
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
- 1 can coconut milk (13.5 fl oz)
- 1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
- Cilantro (for topping)
- Brown rice (for serving)
Instructions
- Dice onion and mince garlic cloves. Remove stems from Swiss chard and slice greens into ½ inch wide ribbons. Remove stem of squash. Cut in half and scoop out seeds. Cube squash into ½ inch to 1 inch cubes.
- Heat coconut oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add garlic, curry powder, ginger, and salt and pepper. Let cook about 1 minute.
- Add cubed squash and stir until squash is well coated. Pour in coconut milk followed by the broth, stir, and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and let cook 30 to 40 minutes, until squash is very tender.
- Stir in Swiss chard and let cook until wilted, about 5 more minutes.
- Serve with a sprinkle of cilantro over brown rice.
Notes
Tips & Tricks: The kuri squash skin is edible so no need to peel this squash!
The curry powder I used has quite a bit of heat, but feel free to add a pinch of cayenne for spice and color.
Stock up: get the pantry ingredients you will need: coconut milk, coconut oil, curry powder
Nutrition: get the information.
Nutrition
- Calories: 368
- Sugar: 1.3
- Sodium: 112.6
- Fat: 28.7
- Carbohydrates: 31.3
- Protein: 5.1
- Cholesterol: 0
Squash Curry
variations
With any one-pot meal, it's easy to add and change as needed. If you have a good curry powder and coconut milk, you can have yourself a meal with any arrangement of legumes, greens, and squash. A few ideas to play with:
LEGUMES: You can add legumes ti this curry! Red lentils or cooked chickpeas would be a great addition. If using red lentils, use more vegetable broth and coconut milk as needed.
GREENS: Swap the Swiss chard for another green such as spinach or kale. You may need a bit of extra cook time for heartier greens.
SQUASH: Don’t have a kuri squash? Kabocha is an excellent substitute. You can also use a butternut or sweet potatoes, just be sure to peel it first!
Explore Winter Squash
I have a drawer that is full of all types of winter squash right now. They are perfect for a wide array of meals, most can be eaten without peeling, and the texture/flavor can be a wonderful bonus to any meal. Best of all, it's often easy to substitute one squash for another. If you're overflowing with winter squash right now, a few of my favorite recipes include:
Roasted Red Kuri with Cannellini Beans
Sesame Kabocha Squash Soup
Delicata Squash Spring Rolls
Maria says
I am so so happy to see more people using red kuri squash. The flavor is just so fantastic! This soup looks exceptional! So hearty! Wow!!!
Jasmine says
I cooked this last night for dinner and LOVED it - I had never used red kuri squash before, and I can say now that it definitely won't be the last time! Thank you for a lovely, warming, autumn-comfort recipe!
Kendra says
This was absolutely devine! I picked up a red kuri squash from the farmer’s market not knowing what it was and I am glad I settled on this recipe after researching the name of the squash and what to do with it! I like how the squash pieces are kept whole, adding more texture to the soup. I followed the directions almost exactly as written except I added an additional 1 cup of red lentils and 3 more cups of liquid, and I also substituted beet greens (also a farmer’s market purchase) for the chard. Will definitely make this again and am also looking forward to checking out more of your recipes! Thanks greatly!
Becky says
Absolutely delicious, I will grow more red Kurtis next year just for this recipe. We will be having the curry again.
★★★★★
Ali says
This curry is absolutely delicious!! I couldn't believe how simple and tasty it was. I added a tin of chickpeas and some courgette and spinach. I'm cooking it again today and I don't have any red kuri so I'm going to try it with an unidentified squash from our veg patch!
★★★★★
Matt says
So much flavour in this curry! I added parsnip and cauliflower and substituted chard for spinach. Went for a fairly spicy curry powder and added cayenne pepper as I like a good amount of spice. I advise being generous with the ginger too 🙂 Great find.
★★★★★
Meg says
I’ve made Kuri Curry several times before and LOVED it, but I couldn’t remember which recipe I used because it’s been a year since this squash was in season. I tried this recipe and have to say I’m very disappointed. It had absolutely no flavor.. which is not what you want from a curry. I managed to save it with some curry paste, garam masala, cumin, & sugar, but as written, I would not eat this again.
★★