Butternut Squash, Kale, & Quinoa Curry (vegan, gluten free, 1-pot meal)

This vegan butternut squash curry was slightly inspired by this butternut squash soup on my website. It is the most unique tasting butternut squash soup I’ve had due to it having curry powder in it. I’m a hearty soup type gal over pureed soup so I wanted to take the idea of butternut squash with curry but make it a hearty type soup. I don’t know that I’d call this a soup, but still, this is how this dish came to be.

I personally don’t think I could ever become a vegan. However, I am trying to add more go-to vegan dinner recipes to my website for my vegan friends who seem to be multiplying rapidly. How do you live life without cheese and bacon and steak  and butter?!? I have no idea. Anyway, this recipe is incredibly delicious. When I made it the first time my husband said that he didn’t think it looked tasty (which made me question if these pictures look gross??!). BUT it really really surpassed his expectations. Every time I’m making a vegan dinner he goes in with very low expectations because, well, vegan food isn’t known to be the most delicious food.

Anyway, back to this butternut squash, kale, and quinoa curry. It is hearty, flavorful, and honestly I don’t think adding meat or dairy would enhance it all. It’s super delicious. Let me know in the comments if you make it!

A great addition to this meal would be this delicious Naan bread!

Butternut Squash, Kale, & Quinoa Curry (vegan, gluten free, 1-pot meal)

Print Recipe

Delicious fall inspired vegan curry with tender butternut squash, kale and quinoa. So flavorful you wont even realize it’s vegan.

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: serves 6-8 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

4 cups butternut squash, 1-2 inch cubes

1 large onion, cut in half and sliced thinly

2 large carrots, sliced and cut in half

1 large red bell pepper cut into 1 inch pieces

1 cup quinoa, rinsed

5 1/2 cups vegetable broth (if using low sodium you may need to add more salt to the recipe)

2 1/2 teaspoons curry powder

1/4 teaspoon pepper

salt to taste

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

3 cups of kale cut into thin strips

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

pumpkin seeds for garnish, optional

cilantro leaves for garnish, optional

Instructions

In a large soup pot add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and heat over medium high heat. Once the oil is heated, add the butternut squash and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently. The squash won’t be cooked all the way yet but remove it to a plate and set aside.

Reduce heat to medium and add the remaining olive oil and heat. Add the onion, carrots, and red bell pepper and cook till onions are soft, about 4-5 minutes. Add the rinsed quinoa, curry powder, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook for 2 minutes till fragrant and pour the vegetable broth and stir to combine. Bring to a boil and adjust heat to keep a nice simmer going. After cooking for 4-5 minutes, add the partially cooked squash back in along with the kale. Cook till the quinoa is cooked, the kale is wilted, the squash is cooked through and most of the moisture is absorbed, about 6-8 more minutes. Drizzle the lemon juice in and stir till combined.

Taste to see if you need salt and add more if you do. It will get thicker as it cools. After dishing up into individual bowls, sprinkle with pumpkin seeds and cilantro, if desired.

Notes

If you want this to be more soup-like you can add more vegetable broth to your desired consistency. As is, it should be a similar consistency to what a curry over rice would be.

Keywords: Butternut Squash, Kale, & Quinoa Curry (vegan, gluten free, 1-pot meal)