This easy vegetarian stew is rich in flavors, thanks to coconut milk, butternut squash and fresh ginger. The leftovers heat up well for lunch the next day.



Monday was time for a serious detox. I spent the weekend at the Joshua Creek Ranch for Georgia Pellegrini‘s Girl Hunter (more on that in a future post), and happily feasted on venison, smoked turkey, wild game gumbo and maybe a glass of wine or two (or three). Monday was a return to a Meatless Monday meal of Crockpot Gingered Chickpea & Spicy Tomato Stew. With a chunk of ginger sitting in my fridge, an extra can of chickpeas and butternut squash left over from my recent obsession with Hearty Chicken Stew with Butternut Squash and Quinoa (I’ve made it three times in the past two week), I set to work on a light vegetarian stew.



One of the first recipes on my blog paired coconut milk and jalapenos with cauliflower and brown rice (here’s the recipe) and knew it was a good match. This time, since I’m now a little more health conscious, I switched to lite coconut milk and replaced part of the coconut milk with diced tomatoes. The sweet butternut squash provides a great foil for the heat of the jalapeno and the coconut milk and tomato sauce soaks into the quinoa. Piled into a bowl and garnished with green onions, it makes for a comforting and satisfying dish.

The vegetarian stew recipe:

In a medium saucepan, combine quinoa and water, and place over high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for approximately 20 minutes, or until all of the water is absorbed. Remove the quinoa from the heat, fluff with a fork and re-cover to keep warm.

In a medium or large saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add a pinch of salt and the cubed butternut squash. Cook until the squash is just tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

In a large frying pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook until the onions are turning brown, 7 to 8 minutes. Add ginger and minced jalapeño and cook for an additional 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add garlic. Cook for 1 more minute, stirring.

Add the lite coconut milk, diced tomatoes with juices, chickpeas and cooked butternut squash. Turn the mixture to medium-high and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the butternut squash is tender, stirring frequently, about 15 minutes.

Divide the quinoa between bowls and ladle the stew over top. Garnish with chopped green onions. Serve.

More vegetarian stews:

Cookin’ Canuck’s Vegetarian Mushroom & Cannellini Bean Ragout

Cookin’ Canuck’s Crockpot Chickpea Stew with Balsamic Caramelized Onions

Herbivoracious’ Persian-Italian Eggplant Stew

Sailu’s Kitchen’s Tangy Shallot Stew

The Skinny Gourmet Andreae’s Vegetarian Moroccan Stew

Vegetarian Stew with Quinoa, Butternut Squash & Coconut Milk This easy vegetarian stew is rich in flavors, thanks to coconut milk, butternut squash and fresh ginger. The leftovers heat up well for lunch the next day. 5 from 1 vote Print Pin Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 45 minutes Total Time: 1 hour Servings: 4 Servings Calories: 341 kcal Author: Dara Michalski | Cookin' Canuck Ingredients 2/3 cup quinoa

1 1/3 cup water

pinch of salt

2 cups diced 1/2-inch butternut squash

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 medium onion diced

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger

1/2 large jalapeno pepper seeds & membranes removed, minced

2 large cloves garlic minced

1/2 cup lite coconut milk stirred

1 14 ounce can petite diced tomatoes (with juices)

1 14 ounce can of chickpeas, drained & rinsed

2 green onions thinly sliced Instructions In a medium saucepan, combine quinoa and water, and place over high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for approximately 20 minutes, or until all of the water is absorbed. Remove the quinoa from the heat, fluff with a fork and re-cover to keep warm.

In a medium or large saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add a pinch of salt and the cubed butternut squash. Cook until the squash is just tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

In a large frying pan, heat olive oil oil over medium heat. Add onion and kosher salt and cook until the onions are turning brown, 7 to 8 minutes. Add ginger and minced jalapeno and cook for an additional 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add garlic. Cook for 1 more minute, stirring.

Add the lite coconut milk, diced tomatoes with juices, chickpeas and cooked butternut squash. Turn the mixture to medium-high and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the butternut squash is tender, stirring frequently, about 15 minutes.

Divide the quinoa between bowls and ladle the stew over top. Garnish with sliced green onions. Serve. Nutrition Serving: 0.25 of Recipe | Calories: 341 kcal | Carbohydrates: 45 g | Protein: 21 g | Fat: 10 g | Saturated Fat: 2 g | Cholesterol: 31 mg | Sodium: 1470 mg | Potassium: 664 mg | Fiber: 9 g | Sugar: 7 g | Vitamin A: 305 IU | Vitamin C: 14.9 mg | Calcium: 95 mg | Iron: 4.3 mg Tried this recipe? If you make this recipe, I'd love to see it on Instagram! Just use the hashtag #COOKINCANUCK and I'll be sure to find it.

Disclosure: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.