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 just made this and it’s really good and flavorful. It didn’t take very long to get everything cut up and in the pot.
Hi Debbie – I’m so glad it was delicious (and not too difficult!)
I am snowed in right now, but craving a hearty soup/stew, so had to make a couple adjustments for what I had on hand…bag of frozen butternut squash, quinoa/brown rice blend (minus the spice packet), fire roasted tomatoes. I had everything else and it tastes AMAZING! Perfect for a cold snowy weekend!
Hi Dani – sending warm thoughts your way! I’m glad you loved this and were able to adjust!
This was EXCELLENT. Thank you for sharing!!!
This was AHMAZING!!! I made this tonight and ate 2 bowls! So gooooood! The smokey flavor from the paprika was a nice touch and the kale took it to the next level!! Thank you so much for this recipe!! I will make this again!
HA – thanks, I’m so glad you enjoyed this one 🙂
This soup is PERFECTLY spiced. I made this for a dinner party – to give it a little more substance, I made parmesan cheese croutons and topped the soup with a sprinkle of parmesan shavings and the croutons. Everyone loved it!
I have also been freezing it. Pro tip: I wait for the soup to cool before adding the kale so that the kale doesn’t lose its color from being frozen/re-heated.
so glad you liked it! Thanks for the tip!
How many servings does this recipe make? Can’t wait to try it, it looks beautiful and nutritious! Thank you 🙂
Hi Whitney – about 4. You can easily double everything to make a larger batch, it keeps well.
I just made this for dinner and OMG it was soooo delicious! The acidity of the vinegar blends in so well with all the spices! Thanks for sharing this recipe.
This has to be one of the best receipes we’ve ever made. Its so hearty and flavoursome!
Made this for dinner last night. It was a huge hit! So hearty and flavorful, yet light and gentle at the same time. 🙂
Thanks for this delicious and healthy recipe! It was perfect for everyone from my vegan teenager to may youngest, a picky eater. It’s the most delicious soup we have ever had!
Hi Michelle, I’m so glad! I love winning over picky eaters, so great to hear 🙂
Yhis looks amazzing! How many people would this recipe feed? Also, would Kabocha squash work instead of butternut? Thanks!
Yep, Kabocha squash should work great – this serves about 4 although you could double it to serve more and then save/freeze the leftovers.
Great! Thanks so much. Can’t wait to make this for dinner tonight.
*I meant “delish” not “relish!” But I do RELISH this dish!!! (arghh, spell check)
HA 🙂
I’ve tried a few iterations of butternut-kale-quinoa… I usually improvise, but resisted here (aside from subbing the onion with shallots and some leftover red onion and white wine for deglazing… same thing-ish). This is a perfect recipe! The spice ratio is relish. So savory. Brothy and filling. Beautifully balanced and textural. I will try the vinegar next time, as it probably adds a touch more tang and I’m sure it’s even better. Thanks for a great go-to!!
Hi Jocelyn – I’m so glad! Thanks for the great feedback 🙂
I’ve tried a few iterations of butternut-kale-quinoa… I usually improvise, but resisted here (aside from subbing the onion with shallots and some leftover red onion and white wine for deglazing… same thing-ish). This is a perfect recipe! The spice ratio is relish. So savory. Brothy and filling. Beautifully balanced and textural. I will try the vinegar next time, as it probably adds a touch more tang and I’m sure it’s even better. Thanks for a great go-to!!
This is fast becoming my favourite butternut squash recipe. Really easy to make, great instructions and just beautiful.
Looking forward to trying more of your recipes. 😉
Hi Carla, I’m so glad! Thanks for letting me know 🙂
Looks delicious, I’ll be making this next week, thank you 🙂
I just made this today and it is awesome! Great favors. Thanks for sharing.
Cannot wait to try this! There’s nothing I love better than a big burly stew!
Thanks for such a great, simple recipe with BIG flavors. The flavors were well balanced and we enjoyed every bite. I used organic precut squash, which made for quick prep. This was definitely an easy soup we’ll make over and over again in our cold Colorado winters!
Saw the picture of this beautifully colored stew on Crate and Barrel’s Instagram freed and immediately needed on find the recipe…so glad I looked because what I found was a wonderful food blog {loveandlemons} and now cannot wait to try all of the recipes!
This was the first recipe I decided to make. the stew came out great!! Followed the recipe exactly, next time may try a few new spices. Thank you for teaming up with C&B, if not I would’ve never found your amazing site!
Hi Tiana,
Welcome! I’m so glad you liked the recipe 🙂