This spiced fall stew is full of butternut squash, kale, quinoa & tomatoes. It's one of our favorite healthy dinners, and it's great to pack for lunch!
And soup season continues! It might not be snowing here, but the fact that it’s been 80 degrees outside doesn’t stop me from craving big pots of stewy vegetables. Plus I just love having the leftovers around for lunch all week. They get better on the second day, and even better on the third day.
This stew has pretty much all of my favorites: hearty butternut squash, quinoa & kale. It all gets simmered in a stewy tomato broth. It’s a pretty simple recipe that you should spice up as much as you like. I used cumin, coriander & smoked paprika, but (as I type this), I’m thinking about how delicious it would be in a curry-spice direction. I’ll keep you posted when I give that a go…
I’m excited to partner once again with Crate & Barrel. They have so many kitchen staples that I use all the time – this classic French oven, my go-to vegetable peeler, not to mention these bowls, and how cute are those wooden spoons?
If you love soup as much as I do, make this stew, and then try this many-veggie soup & this spiralized veggie minestrone!
Butternut Squash, Kale & Quinoa Stew
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 cups cubed butternut squash
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon red chile flakes
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 4 cups (32 ounces) vegetable broth
- ½ cup dry quinoa
- 2 to 3 cups chopped kale
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and a few pinches of salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, about 4 minutes.
- Add the butternut squash, another pinch of salt, and stir. Let the butternut squash cook for a few minutes, then stir in the garlic, cumin, coriander, paprika, and red pepper flakes. Add the white wine vinegar and stir to deglaze the bottom of the pan. Add the tomatoes, broth, and quinoa. Cover and simmer until the butternut squash is tender and the quinoa is cooked through, about 40 minutes. Halfway through the cooking time, I like to taste and adjust seasonings. Add additional spices if you like.
- When the soup is nearly done, stir in the kale and cook about 5 minutes more, or until the kale is wilted. Taste and adjust seasonings again.
This post is in partnership with Crate & Barrel.
Products used in this post: Le Creuset Signature 5.5qt Round French Oven, 18th Street Bowls, Suits Napkins, OXO Good Grips Swivel Peeler, Shesham Wood Spoon, Shesham Wood Straining Spoon
I make this all the time all winter long – I love a squash/kale stew and love the addition of quinoa. I also add a can of white beans and roast the butternut squash first instead of sauteeing it – it’s an extra step but brings out so much flavor. I also sometimes throw in chorizo if I have it – it’s no longer vegetarian but makes it so yummy!
Hi Lisa, I’m so glad you love the recipe! Those variations sound delicious.
Can you make this in a Crock-Pot and if so how might you adjust the directions?
I’m sure you can, but I don’t have one so I’m not sure of the specific timing.
The soup was fantastic, great flavor! We added a can of chickpeas for extra protein and it worked out great.
I’m so glad you loved it!
Hi! I made this delicious, super easy soup. When serving I added some quest fresco.
So glad you enjoyed it!
Went in that curry direction you mentioned! I added the spices listed, plus garam masala, curry and turmeric. It’s such a comforting soup.
Oh yum, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Have you the nutritional content for this recipie? It’s delish!
I’m glad you enjoyed it! I’m sorry, we don’t calculate nutrition facts but you can plug the ingredients into a site like my fitness pal.
It was super easy to make and very delicious
Delicious. Loved the balance of sweet and spicy.
Super easy, packed with flavor and good-for-you ingredients. All three of my school age kiddos ate it, so that’s amazing! I subbed some lentils for the quinoa, due to grain intolerance, and we typically have chicken bone broth and fire-roasted tomatoes on hand — so that’s what I’ve used when I’ve made this. I’ll definitely be tripling this recipe and freezing! You won’t be disappointed!
Made this and it was really delish! Comforting and healthy. I made some changes because of what I had on hand: pumpkin for squash and then added some cooked white beans I had kicking around to add more protein. Will totally make this again! 🙂
This stew looks delicious, I will cook it for sure, but I’m a little worried that adding quinoa that hasn’t been rinsed before won’t work. Am I wrong?
Hi Lucy, you can rinse the quinoa – I only meant that it should be uncooked quinoa going in vs. pre-cooked quinoa. I see how that’s unclear, thanks for pointing that out!