Inspiration: When I see all of the winter squash varieties show up in the store come fall, I just can’t resist throwing a few in my cart every time that I shop. Brandon is less-than-thrilled about this habit of mine – he’s not huge into winter squash – but man, do I love it. So I try to only cook it once in a while for our dinner and use the rest for myself for lunch. Anyway, this particular recipe really intrigued me because we’ve both been particularly in the mood for Indian curries lately, but I never would have thought to use butternut squash as the main ingredient in a curry. Color me intrigued.

What We Loved: My favorite thing about this dish was the tenderness of the squash. It had a soft and creamy consistency that really made each bite melt in your mouth. The spices used in this particular curry added a lovely warmth and depth of flavor to the dish, with just a tiny bit of heat. And like a huge handful of meals in our house, I threw some chopped cilantro on top, and that added a great fresh contrast. If you want to make a curry that’s basically fall in a dish, then this would be it.

Tips: When I make a new recipe, I usually ask Brandon if he would make any changes next time. We kind of joked around with this recipe the only improvement he could see would be to use paneer or tofu in place of the squash. However, I do think it’s a great idea and that either would make an awesome substitute. Tofu would have a similar creamy texture to the squash in this recipe, and paneer would be firmer but also more substantial or filling. And cheesier, of course.

Butternut Squash Curry
Source: Adapted from StoneSoup

Butter
1 tablespoon garam masala
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
About 3/4 cup coconut milk
Kosher salt and black pepper
About 2 lbs butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cubed, and cooked
Fresh cilantro, to garnish

1. Heat a good pat of butter in a saute pan. Add the garam masala, chili powder, cumin, and cinnamon. Stir the spices into the butter, sauteeing them together for about a minute.

2. Add the tomatoes, stir together, and let simmer for about 3-4 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Taste the sauce, adding more coconut milk or spices if desired.

3. Add the butternut squash cubes. Cook until everything is heated through and the sauce is thickened to your liking.

4. Serve garnished with cilantro.