Butternut Squash Coconut Curry with Spinach

This 20 minute Vegan Butternut Squash Coconut curry with spinach is wonderful for lunch or a weeknight meal. It’s cooked with creamy coconut curry sauce and a few spices. Serve this over a bowl of warm rice for a comforting meal.

Curry in any form is lovely with a meal. It’s hearty, healthy, and delicious. One of my favorite comfort food is curry with a warm bowl of rice. Some curries can take a long time to make and has a long list of ingredients. However, some curries can be made quickly, and I like to call it curry in a hurry. These curries are quick and easy to make and can adapt according to the ingredients that you have in hand.

We love having this butternut squash coconut curry with rice or crusty bread, especially this time of the year when you get the best tasting ones.
In the beginning, I just made the plain butternut squash curry. Later, I started adding other veggies that I had in hand. You can add kale, cauliflower, broccoli, pak choy ( bok choi), or carrots. Our favorite additions are Spinach and cauliflower.
It is the best time to cook up this Vegan Butternut Squash Coconut curry. Trust me, you will love it!

How to make Butternut Squash Coconut Curry 

This Butternut Squash Coconut Curry is made without any curry powder. It does include few spices like black mustard powder, turmeric, cinnamon, cumin, and chili powder.

Since the butternut squash and coconut milk give a sweetness to the curry adding mustard powder and chili powder brings in some heat and balances the sweetness. It is not a very spicy curry. It is mildly spiced. On the other hand, if you prefer a non-spicy curry, you can leave the chili powder out.

Ingredients

Butternut squash

chopped onion

water

turmeric 

ground mustard 

ground cinnamon

ground cumin

red chili powder

ground black pepper 

sliced garlic

salt

coconut milk 

 Baby Spinach

In a medium pan, add the cubed butternut squash, chopped onion, water, turmeric, ground mustard, ground cinnamon, ground cumin, red chili powder, ground black pepper, sliced garlic, and salt.

Place the pan on medium heat and cook the butternut squash for about 5 -7 minutes. The butternut squash should be half cooked.

After 5 minutes, add the coconut milk and stir well until combined. Keep stirring for 2-3 minutes while cooking, so the curry sauce doesn’t curdle.

Switch off the heat and add the baby spinach and mix to coat with the curry sauce.

Serve warm with a bowl of rice or some crusty bread.

Butternut Squash Coconut Curry with Spinach

Recipe by Ruwani Ravin KumarCourse: MainCuisine: Sri Lankan

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

10

minutes

Total time

20

minutes

Ingredients

• 1 lb /500g (1 medium-sized) butternut squash peeled & cubed

• 1/2 medium red onion chopped finely

• 3/4 cup / 177ml water

• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric

• 3/4 teaspoon ground black mustard

• 1/2 ground cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder

• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 2-3 garlic cloves sliced

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup / 250ml of coconut milk

• 1 1/2 – 2 cups / 60g of fresh baby spinach

Directions

• In a medium pan, add the cubed butternut squash, chopped onion, water, turmeric, ground mustard, ground cinnamon, ground cumin, red chili powder, ground black pepper, sliced garlic, and salt.
• Place the pan on medium heat and cook the butternut squash for about 5 -7 minutes. The butternut squash should be half cooked.
• After 5 minutes, add the coconut milk and stir well until combined. Keep stirring for 2-3 minutes while cooking, so the curry sauce doesn’t curdle.
• Switch off the heat and add the baby spinach and mix to coat with the curry sauce.
• Serve warm with a bowl of rice or some crusty bread.