Happy new year, everyone! It’s 2015!! YAY!! I love the fresh start feel to a new year. This Moroccan Butternut Squash, Chickpea, and Spinach Stew is a super healthy and super yummy meal to start your year off right. This vegan, gluten-free stew is packed with healthy, nutrient-packed ingredients. It’s warm, both in temperature and from flavorful spice combination of allspice, cinnamon, ginger, cumin, and cayenne pepper. I could eat this all day every day.
Who says you need to only have salads to eat healthy (and who wants to eat them when it’s cold outside?)? I keep seeing so many salads out there for healthy recipes for the new year.
I love me a good salad… but I don’t exactly crave them in January. Warm, comforting dishes are much higher on my priority list.
On my last post, I talked about how only 8 percent of people keep their new years resolutions- I think, partially because they often revolve around depriving oneself of delicious things.
I think that if you make goals to eat more of what’s good for you, rather than less of what’s bad for you, it’s much easier.
My goal for 2015? Eat more plants. (ala Michael Pollan in his book, In Defense of Food. Which, by the way, if you’re looking to read more in 2015, you should definitely put on your list!)
Why more plants, you ask? Isn’t that just being vegan? Well, yes. But I love meat. And I love cheese. And I do not intend to give them up.
However, I also know how many nutrients are packed into plant-based meals, and that meat and cheese that’s organic and from happy animals is expensive and sometimes hard to come by.
And what better way to eat more plants than to cook more vegan meals?
I consider myself a “conscientious omnivore.” It would be very hard for me to be completely vegan, or even vegetarian. In 2014, I ate meat about 2-3 times per week.
That doesn’t mean when I went to the grocery store that my cart wasn’t filled with um like five blocks of cheese. In 2015, I would like to cut back on the other animal products by eating more vegetables, legumes, and whole grains.
One step at a time. First step: this Moroccan Butternut Squash Stew.
I served this stew over white basmati rice, but it would be delicious over brown rice, couscous, quinoa, or cilantro lime brown rice.
Or, for a grain free option, cauliflower rice or even just by itself.
Sometimes when I make this, I whip up a cool cucumber yogurt sauce (not vegan, but also very healthy) to dollop on top, which pairs so, so well with the stew’s spicy flavors. (To make the yogurt sauce, just mix 1 cup of Greek yogurt with 1 cup of grated cucumber, 1 clove minced garlic, 1 tablespoon vinegar, and salt and pepper. Easy!)
Want more protein in this meatless dish? Try poaching or frying an egg and serving it on top.
This recipe will take you 30 minutes max to make, and you can cook a large batch and freeze it for later.
Like this recipe? Check out this Instant Pot Spaghetti Squash with Garlic and Herbs.
Other easy chickpea recipes
- Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
- Spicy Crispy Roasted Chickpeas
- Classic Hummus
- Chickpea and Feta Salad Wrap
- Mediterranean Orzo and Chickpea Salad
And be sure to check out this Moroccan Roasted Butternut Squash for a delicious side dish.
Here’s the printable recipe for Moroccan Butternut Squash, Chickpea, and Spinach Stew!
Moroccan Butternut Squash, Chickpea, and Spinach Stew
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 2 tablespoons fresh ginger chopped
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup chicken stock/broth or vegetable broth or water for vegan/vegetarian version
- 3 cups diced butternut squash
- 30 oz. canned chickpeas drained and rinsed (2 small cans, or 2.5 cups cooked chickpeas)
- 2 cups packed baby spinach roughly chopped
- juice of one lime
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro chopped plus more for garnish
- Cooked rice, quinoa, or cous cous to serve (optional)
Instructions
- In a large pot, sauté onion and ginger in oil (1 tablespoon)over medium-high heat until softened.
- Add garlic; saute until fragrant (approximately one minute)
- Add spices, stock (1 cup), and squash. Bring to a boil, turn heat to low, cover, and simmer until squash is fork-tender (approximately 15 minutes)
- Add chickpeas and spinach, turn heat to medium, and cover. The spinach will wilt and the chickpeas will heat through.
- Stir stew, adding the lime juice and cilantro. The squash will naturally integrate into the sauce to thicken slightly.
- Serve over rice, quinoa, cauliflower rice, or cous cous if desired.
Notes
- Not a fan of spicy recipes? Leave the cayenne pepper out. I did this when I made it for my 11 month old daughter and she couldn't eat it fast enough!
- Instead of all the individual spices, you can use 1 tablespoon Ras el Hanout, a Moroccan spice blend.
- The provided nutrition information does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. Feel free to calculate it yourself using this calculator or by adding the recipe to Yummly.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
Tymerie
this was yummy. I topped it off with chopped pistachios and ate it over quinoa instead of rice. Really delicious and tasty.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Kim
Delicious! My only substitution was to replace the cayenne with fresh minced chili peppers (added with the garlic). Served with couscous. I was worried that there wouldn’t be enough stock, but it was fine since the lid is on while the veggies cook.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! Love the idea of using fresh minced chili peppers.
Mario
Just delish!! I added half a small can of organic coconut milk for a silky effect, and used freshly ground kashmiri curry powder instead of the rash el hangout. What I had on my pantry. But, the combination proposed of butternut, chickpeas and spinach are key and scrumptious together. Very grateful for this highly inspired vegan dish that will go into my permanent rotation!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! Love your twist on it – I agree, the spices are one thing, but that combination of main ingredients is really special here!