Winter Squash Chana Masala
The snow continues to fall and the evenings are quite chilly around these parts. My favorite way to pass the time in the evenings is to stir a big pot of stew, sip on some wine and listen to one of my favorite podcasts- Dear Sugar. If you all aren’t familiar with Dear Sugar I encourage you to check out the podcast. Cheryl Strayed (the author of Wild and my absolute favorite, Tiny Beautiful Things) hosts the show with Steve Almond. The podcast is heartfelt, honest and I absolutely adore it. Cheryl and Steve dish out some great advice and answer some really tough questions from letter writers. Honestly, they are so damn good that whenever I find myself in a tough situation or I need a little direction I ask myself WWSD? AKA what would Sugar do? Sheryl and Steve never disappoint and I look forward to every episode. It’s truly been a highlight to my winter.
Anyhow, between tasty stew, a great podcast and a cozy fire in the woodstove winter has been treating us pretty darn well. Sharing this chana masala with some good friends who swung in for dinner was icing on the cake. Everyone agreed this dish is next level and perfect for a snowy night at the farm. I hope you all give it a try soon.
Cheers from Tumbleweed Farm
Winter Squash Chana Masala
Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 35-45 minutes Serves: 4-6
- 1 medium sized butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 small rutabga, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch chunks
- 2 Tablespoons coconut oil, divided
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated
- 1-2 Tablespoons garam masala (taste and adjust as you go)
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon natural cane sugar
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- pinch of black pepper
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 2 cups cooked chickpeas
- 1 cup full fat coconut milk
- fresh cilantro for serving
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 425F.
- Toss the cubed butternut squash and rutabaga with 1 Tablespoon of the coconut oil (if the oil is in solid form warm it on the stovetop for a minute or two until it's liquid) Place the veggies on a parchment lined baking sheet and roast in the oven until tender and lightly browned on the edges, about 20 minutes. Toss halfway through cooking.
- Heat the remaining 1 Tablespoon of oil in a large pot. Add the onion and sauté until it softens up a bit and becomes fragrant, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, ginger, garam masala, paprika, sugar, salt and pepper and continue to cook for 1 minute longer.
- Stir in the roasted veggies, tomato paste, tomatoes, chickpeas and coconut milk. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Taste test the stew and adjust seasonings as needed.
- Divide between bowls and top each bowl with a little cilantro. Enjoy with a glass of red wine and good company.
Notes
*Use this recipe as a guide *Adjust measurements and ingredients as necessary *Taste test as you go
Yes! Cheryl Strayed rocks! Tiny Beautiful Things is a treasure and the Dear Sugar podcast is like listening to two friends. Your sweet potato chana masala is in my regular rotation, so I can’t wait to try it with squash to mix it up from time to time. Quick question – my coconut oil will smoke at 425. Does yours? Do you recommend a certain brand/variety that will tolerate the higher temperature?
This looks so good! We have everything on hand, so will have to try it for sure. I really like your blog and a lot of your recipes. Thanks for sharing. You and your husband are a cute couple. Good luck with your farm.
Oh my gosh, this is good. When I saw the recipe, I had the perfect butternut squash already on the counter and I’m a big fan of anything with garam marsala. I had to substitute a can of whole tomatoes instead of diced because that was what I had on hand but it turned out great. This was just super scrumptious. Two thumbs up once again. Thank you!
Love your blog and recipes. Would you please consider putting approx cup measurements next to things like Medium Butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into cubes?
I adore your blog, so happy I came across it!. I cannot wait to try a bunch of these recipes, they all look soo good! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Loved, loved, loved Tiny Beautiful Things! Just downloaded all podcast episodes yesterday! Coupled with your amazing food, you’ve nailed another perfect evening!
Andrea, You’ve done it again! I just tried Winter Squash Chana Masala on my Carnivor husband and we both loved it! Satisfying and tasty! We didn’t have garam masala on hand, but i used 1T of Penzeys Balti Seasoning and with many of the same ingredients it turned out great. Thanks for helping us eat so well!!
You are such a stud. Adding it to my meals for the week!
I just discovered your blog! So as soon as I came across this recipe I HAD to try it. It was husband, toddler and baby approved!! I made it with homegrown butternut squash and homemade garam masala so it was incredibly flavorful. I’m so happy I made a huge pot!
could you use acorn squash for this?