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Butternut Squash and Green Bean Stew

A large serving bowl of butternut squash stew topped with crispy shallots and served with bowls of lime wedges and wild...
Photo by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Anne Eastman

This warm and rich vegetarian stew with roasted butternut squash and green beans is a staple at chef Meherwan Irani’s dinner table. At home, he likes to make double or triple batches of the coconut milk curry (see his recipe for All-Purpose Coconut Curryhere) and freeze it in two-cup portions. Then, when he’s ready for dinner, all he has to do is reheat the prepared curry and roast some squash. If you want to prepare this recipe with premade curry, bring two cups curry to a gentle simmer in a saucepan over medium-low heat, then add the roasted squash and cut green beans and simmer until the squash is warmed through and the green beans are tender.

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What you’ll need

Ingredients

4 servings

Squash

½ large butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed, cut into 1" cubes (about 4 cups)
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. light brown sugar
½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt

Curry and assembly

3 Tbsp. grapeseed oil or vegetable oil
1 tsp. brown mustard seeds
3–4 fresh or dried curry leaves (optional)
½ tsp. asafetida (optional)
1 3" piece ginger, peeled, finely grated
5 garlic cloves, finely grated
1 large red onion, finely chopped
Kosher salt
1 tsp. ground turmeric
1 14-oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 13.5-oz. can unsweetened coconut milk (not low-fat)
2 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
6 oz. green beans, trimmed, cut crosswise into thirds (about 1 cup)
Store-bought fried onions or shallots (such asLars Own,French’s, orMaesri); cilantro leaves with tender stems; cooked basmati rice, wild rice, or warm naan; and lime wedges (for serving)
  1. Squash

    Step 1

    Preheat oven to 400°. Toss squash, oil, brown sugar, and salt in a medium bowl to coat. Spread out in a single layer on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet and roast until fork-tender, 30–35 minutes. Set aside.

  2. Curry and assembly

    Step 2

    葡萄籽油在热介质荷兰烤箱或其他heavy pot over medium-high. Add a few mustard seeds to pot. When seeds start to wiggle and pop, reduce heat to medium and add curry leaves (if using), asafetida (if using), and remaining mustard seeds. Cover pot and cook spices, swirling, until mustard seeds start popping more gradually, about 30 seconds. Uncover pot and return heat to medium-high. Add ginger and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until beginning to brown, about 1 minute. Add red onion and a big pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often and reducing heat if needed to prevent burning , until onion is golden brown and jammy, 7–9 minutes.

    Step 3

    Stir in turmeric, then tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring often, until tomatoes are glossy and darkened in color and oil starts to separate around edges of pot, 5–7 minutes.

    Step 4

    Add coconut milk and broth and stir to combine; season with salt. Bring curry to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, 10 minutes.

    Step 5

    Add green beans and reserved squash to curry. Return to a gentle simmer and cook until green beans are tender, 7–10 minutes. (If curry gets too thick, add a splash of hot water; curry should have consistency of heavy cream.) Taste and season with more salt if needed.

    Step 6

    Ladle stew into bowls and top with fried onions and cilantro. Serve with rice and lime wedges for squeezing over.

    Do Ahead:Curry can be made 5 days ahead. Let cool, then transfer to an airtight container and chill.

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  • I’ve made this a couple of times and love it. I never use the sugar on the squash because I think it would be too sweet for me.

    • Windy

    • Minneapolis, MN

    • 12/4/2022

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