one-pot pumpkin chickpea curry

a cozy way to welcome november

Happy Halloween Hangover to all who consumed, and/or allowed their children to consume, far too much sugar last night! I have a warm, nutritious, EASY meal in store for you today.

It’s the first day of November, so even though it was 85°F all week in Carmel, it’s officially time for a pumpkin recipe.

I’m not a pumpkin spice latte gal, but I am all about using the cans of pumpkin purée that I amass every October to make veggie-packed curries even more creamy and nutrient rich.

This is a delicious and filling vegetarian curry, but if you want to add meat to the meal, cubed chicken would be great. See the notes section beneath the recipe for a how-to for that, plus many, many more ideas to make this recipe perfect for you (pumpkin swaps! slow cooker instructions! fancy rice suggestions!). This is my new favorite fall curry, and I can’t wait for you to try it.

P.S., while you’re shopping, grab two cans of pumpkin purée and use the second can to make deb perelman of the smitten kitchen digest’s pumpkin bread. It is perfection.

If you love curry, here’s what to cook next! Wontons and veggies in curry broth is a 15-minute, busy-weeknight wonder and was one of the most popular WTC recipes of 2024. Coconut curry lentil veggie stew is a hearty vegetarian stew that’s perfect for any chilly day. And coconut curry chicken is a sheet-pan delight. If you have What To Cook the book, you’ll also love my cauliflower chickpea masala on page 163!

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Serves 4 to 6

Cook time: 10 minutes active, 50 minutes inactive

Tools:

• Chef’s knife

• Cutting board

• Large pot or deep skillet

• Another pot if you’re cooking rice

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons neutral oil

• 1 yellow onion, diced

• 2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced

• 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin purée (NOT pumpkin pie filling)

• 1 to 3 tablespoons red curry paste (see note below recipe for how much to use)

• 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

• 1 (14-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk

• 2 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken stock

• 3 cups spinach, chopped

• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

• 1 tablespoon fish sauce

• 1 lime, halved

• To serve: Cooked rice or naan or even really good sourdough, cilantro, more lime wedges

Heat 2 tablespoons neutral oil in a large pot or deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 diced yellow onion and 2 thinly sliced red bell peppers and cook until they are soft and starting to brown, 5 to 6 minutes.

Add 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin purée and 1 to 3 tablespoons red curry paste (see note below recipe for how much to use) and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 to 7 minutes. You’ll see the pumpkin start to darken, and the moisture will cook off — it’ll turn almost paste-like. This is what you want! You’re concentrating all that pumpkin-curry flavor. If it’s popping at/splattering you, turn the heat down slightly.

Pour in 2 (drained and rinsed) cans of chickpeas, 1 can full-fat coconut milk, and 2 cups of low-sodium stock. Stir everything together, scraping up any stuck bits from the bottom of the pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a slow simmer (there should only be an occasional small bubble) over medium-low and cook UNCOVERED for 45 minutes to 1 hour until the curry thickens. Stir it occasionally, and really scrape the bottom of the pot when you do to make sure it doesn’t burn. If your curry is getting too thick, just add a little more stock or coconut milk.

Stir in 3 cups chopped spinach, 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, and the juice from 1/2 lime. Cook until the spinach wilts, 2 to 3 minutes. Keep tasting and adding more soy sauce, fish sauce, lime juice, and/or curry paste, as desired, until it tastes perfect. I add a lot more soy sauce because I like things salty!

Serve over cooked rice (or with naan or sourdough) and topped with lots of cilantro and extra lime wedges.

one pot pumpkin chickpea curry

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• How much curry paste should I use? This will depend on how spicy the brand you have is — they vary a lot. Thai Kitchen red curry paste is really mild, so use closer to 3 tablespoons (maybe even more if you love spice!). Mae Ploy, Mekhala, and Maesri, on the other hand, are REALLY spicy, so start with 1 tablespoon. Blue Elephant brand has medium spice, so I would start with 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons. If you have a brand of red curry paste not mentioned here, taste it before you add any to the pot. Is it super spicy? Use the 1 tablespoon starting point. Is it totally mild? Go the 2 to 3 tablespoons route. Taste and add more, if desired.

• I don’t like/can’t eat pumpkin: A few options: You could use a can of puréed butternut squash instead. You could just omit it (if you do, you won’t need to sauté the curry paste as long, just for 2 minutes or until fragrant). If you are cutting the pumpkin and want to replace those nutrients and flavor with something similar, you could add a pound of cubed butternut squash or sweet potatoes to the pot. You could also do that in addition to using the pumpkin purée to bulk it up even more.

• Feeding kids: If you’re feeding kids (or adults) who hate spice, start with the minimum amount of red curry paste. If you’re working with a really spicy brand, you can even start with 1/2 tablespoon. Otherwise, this is a really kid-friendly meal! If they’re not into stewy things or curry flavor, you can fish the chickpeas and veg out at the end of cooking, give them a rinse, and plate ‘em.

• Love your leftovers/make-ahead: This is one of those dishes that just gets better the next day and the next! Leftovers will be good for up to 4 days, so enjoy them for lunches, or make the whole meal well ahead of time, store it in an airtight container, and reheat it right before dinner. Reheat it on the stovetop over medium heat (or in the microwave!), adding a splash more stock, coconut milk, or water, if needed, to loosen things up.

• Freezer-friendly: This is an excellent stock-your-freezer meal. Cook the curry as written, let it cool, then freeze it in a zip-top bag or freezer-friendly container. I like to freeze my meals in quart-sized bags — that way I can thaw just one if it’s for just myself or for me and George, or I can thaw multiple bags if I am feeding the whole family. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then reheat as directed above. You can also freeze rice, FYI!

• Cook it in a slow cooker: I would sauté the onion, red bell pepper, pumpkin purée, and curry paste as written, then transfer them over to the slow cooker and add the liquid ingredients and chickpeas. Some slow cookers have a sauté setting to let you do all that in the same pot! Cook on low for 5 to 6 hours or on high for 3 to 4, then add the remaining ingredients (spinach, soy sauce, etc.) and cook for another 30 minutes or so to let the flavors meld and spinach wilt.

• Cook it in a pressure cooker: Sauté the onion, red bell pepper, pumpkin purée, and curry paste as written. Add all the other ingredients and cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. Let pressure naturally release for 5 minutes, then quick release the rest.

• Must have meat/extra protein: Add cubed chicken breast or thighs (I prefer thighs here!) for the last 15 minutes of the curry’s cook time, making sure it cooks through (to 165°F). You could also add cubed tofu at the same time as the liquids. First press the tofu between two paper towels and under a heavy book for 20 minutes.

• What to do with your leftover red curry paste: Make the thai chicken chop or coconut curry lentil stew!

• How do I cook rice? First of all, might I suggest microwaveable frozen rice to save you some time and effort? But here’s a quick and easy way, should you want to DIY! Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (as if you’re cooking pasta). Add 1 1/2 cups rice and cook until tender, about 17 minutes for white rice or 30 minutes for brown rice. Drain the rice, then return it to the pot, and cover it until you’re ready to eat.

• Extra extra: If you’re feeling fancy, you can make cilantro-lime rice. Follow the directions right above. Once your rice is ready, use a microplane to scrape the zest of 1 lime straight into the pot, then add the juice of that lime, 1 tablespoon butter, a 3-finger pinch of salt, and 1/4 cup chopped cilantro. Another fancy rice option that would be delicious here is coconut rice!

• Cook once, eat twice: If you’re cooking rice for this meal, double it so that tomorrow you can make bacon kimchi fried rice.

• Vegetarian: Swap the fish sauce for extra soy sauce

• Dairy-free/gluten-free: It’s already DF. Swap the soy sauce for coconut aminos or tamari, and make sure your stock is GF.

• Neutral oil: You can use pretty much any oil here — avocado, olive, canola, coconut, grapeseed…

• Yellow onion: Red or white onion, thinly sliced leeks, 2 shallots

• Red bell peppers: Yellow or orange bell peppers. Or another veg you love like bite-sized cauliflower or broccoli florets; 1/2-inch cubed sweet potatoes, carrots, or butternut squash; or yellow squash or zucchini sliced into half circles.

• Pumpkin purée: See the “I don’t like pumpkin” note above for sub ideas.

• Red curry paste: Yellow curry paste, or you can use curry powder — 1 teaspoon to replace each tablespoon of paste.

• Chickpeas: Chickpeas are definitely my favorite for this, but another white bean like navy or cannellini would be good. See the “must have meat” note above for additional protein options. You could also bulk it up with extra veg (see the red bell peppers sub ideas).

• Full-fat coconut milk: A can of coconut cream would work! Lite coconut milk isn’t going to thicken the curry up quite as much, but it’s fine if that’s what you have. If you can’t do coconut or are out of coconut milk, you could use Greek yogurt, heavy cream, or even sour cream to thicken it. Start with a 1/4 cup and add more as needed, tasting as you go — you don’t want the dairy to overpower the curry!

• Vegetable or chicken stock: Low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth, 2 cups water + 2 teaspoons Better Than Bouillon, or bone broth

• Spinach: Kale, collard greens, mustard greens

• Low-sodium soy sauce: Coconut aminos or tamari

• Fish sauce: Oyster sauce, tamari, or extra soy sauce

• Lime juice: 1 tablespoon of a light-colored vinegar like white wine or rice vinegar

• Cilantro: Fresh basil, thinly sliced green onion, or omit

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Editor: Molly Ramsey