Butternut squash stew
Butternut squash makes a lovely vegetarian stew when mixed with a few store cupboard ingredients. A great dinner for busy days where you want something cheap and healthy. If you add plant-based yoghurt, it's also vegan.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp vegetable or sunflower oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 medium butternut squash (about 750g/1lb 10oz), peeled, deseeded and cut into 2.5cm/1in pieces
- 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp salt
- 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 300ml/½ pint boiling water
- plain yoghurt (any variety), to serve (optional)
Method
Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the onion. Cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes until softened. Add the squash and cook over a high heat for 8–10 minutes until starting to colour on the edges. Add the salt, spices, chopped tomatoes and 200ml/7fl oz boiling water. Cover and cook over a low heat for 30 minutes until the squash is soft.
Add the chickpeas with the remaining 200ml/7fl oz boiling water, cover and cook over a low heat for 20 minutes. Leave to rest for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with some yoghurt, if you like.
Recipe Tips
Any leftovers will keep in the fridge for 3 days and it also freezes well.
In September 2023 this recipe was costed at an average of £3.20 (excluding the optional yoghurt) when checking prices at four UK supermarkets. This recipe is designed to be made in conjunction with a low-cost store-cupboard, for more details click here to see how our budget recipes were costed.