Pumpkin and chickpea curry is a perfect autumn comfort food for the cold season! A vegetarian Indian-inspired curry made with spices, vegetables, and creamy chickpeas, spicy and flavorful. It’s very easy to prepare and only requires one pot! This is the autumn version of the vegetable curry because we use pumpkin, which, combined with chickpeas, forms a perfect union, especially when it comes to soups and hot stews. With the addition of ginger, spices, and coconut milk, we get a dish with a unique aroma and flavor, perfect for enriching our weekly menu both for lunch and dinner. In fact, it’s a healthy and nutritious dish, rich in vegetables and legumes, perfect for those following a vegetarian or vegan diet, as well as for those trying to eat more vegetables, and this is definitely an easy and time-saving way to do it. Moreover, it’s a gluten-free recipe that we can serve with steamed rice or quinoa.
The preparation is very simple: put the oil in a pot and add chopped onion, and diced carrots and pumpkin. Also add ginger and spices like paprika and curry. Cook adding hot water or broth if necessary. Add the chickpeas, tomato puree, and coconut milk, and let it flavor for another ten minutes. When it’s almost done cooking, add the fresh or frozen spinach leaves. Serve the pumpkin and chickpea curry with rice or quinoa.
Perfect for lunch and dinner, try the pumpkin and chickpea curry while pumpkin is in season; from September until the end of winter, you can enjoy this comforting and flavorful hot soup!
Also discover:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Indian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
Ingredients to Make Pumpkin and Chickpea Curry
- 4 cups pumpkin
- 3 cups chickpeas
- 2 carrots
- 1 onion
- 5 oz spinach
- 1.25 cups coconut milk
- 5 oz tomato puree
- ginger
- curry
- paprika
- ground cumin
- olive oil
- salt
Tools to Make Pumpkin and Chickpea Curry
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Knife
- 1 Pot
- 1 Ladle
- 1 Stovetop
Steps to Make Pumpkin and Chickpea Curry
Start making the pumpkin and chickpea curry by pouring olive oil into a large pot. Add chopped onion, diced carrot, and pumpkin. Let it flavor for a few minutes, adding fresh chopped ginger and spices like curry, paprika, coriander, and cumin. Pour in water or hot broth and cook for about 10 minutes or until the pumpkin is soft.
Add well-drained chickpeas from the preservation water and rinsed if using canned chickpeas.
Also, pour in the coconut milk and tomato puree and mix well. Let cook for another 10 minutes so that all the ingredients blend and flavor well together. Season with salt.
Add fresh spinach or alternatively frozen ones and cook for a few more minutes until the spinach is well cooked and tender.
If you like, you can also add lemon or lime juice. Serve the pumpkin and chickpea curry with rice or quinoa.
Simo and Cicci recommend
You can store the pumpkin and chickpea curry well-sealed in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
You can add other vegetables like peas, corn, sweet potatoes, green beans, kale, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, etc.
Besides rice or quinoa, you can also serve the pumpkin and chickpea curry with couscous or other grains, and with naan bread.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
CAN I MAKE THIS CURRY IN ADVANCE?
Yes, you can make the curry up to three days ahead if you wish. It keeps very well and the flavor actually improves after a day or two.
CAN I FREEZE IT?
Yes. You can freeze pumpkin and chickpea curry in airtight containers or freezer bags for up to 5 months. Thaw it before reheating.
WHAT VEGETABLES CAN I USE?
If you want to substitute one or more vegetables, you can choose from cauliflower, peas, kale, broccoli, zucchini, bell peppers, peas, corn, sweet potatoes, etc.
HOW CAN I SERVE VEGETABLE CURRY?
You can accompany the vegetable curry with basmati rice, quinoa, couscous, or naan bread.
