Delicata Squash Stew with Chickpeas + Quinoa

A warming vegan fall stew with a nutritional boost. Delicata squash stew with chickpeas quinoa, kale and an easy turmeric broth. Vegan and Gluten Free.

I’ve been buying extra corn on the cob every saturday at the market these past few weeks. Every time I fear it might be the last of it. Now that I’ve said it out loud I know it probably will be. It has been such a good season for it this year I’ll be sad to see it go, but I guess I should consider ourselves lucky it has even lasted this long. I sort of have a hard time letting go of summer. As much as I love fall, the cold weather always creeps up on me and I find myself biking to work in sandals on mornings when temperatures don’t quite match my sense of fashion.

It always takes me a week or two to get into a groove of fall cooking. It all just takes a little bit more thought and planning than summer meals that can be thrown together from the the fridge and garden. With fall comes a little more sautéeing, simmering, stirring and roasting. Some of my favorite meals are one pot wonder recipes that can be thrown on the heat after work and then simmer away until dinner time. I love delicata squash this time of year because it doesn’t require a cleaver to cut into and there is no need to peel it. I make a quick and delicious vegetable stock that is full of flavor by adding my own stock powder and a cob of corn. A pinch of turmeric powder brings out the yellow hues and in my mind makes you feel just a little warmer and brighter. A few simple steps to save time and boost flavor.

We’re headed to a thanksgiving potluck this weekend. I’ll be bringing a big salad with some roasted beets thrown in the mix, some sort of fall focaccia to nibble on before dinner and maybe even my favorite pumpkin pie.  In the meantime, we’ll be eating delicata squash stew by the spoonful and crossing our fingers that there will be corn at the market tomorrow morning. Friends, food and something to look forward to – I hope this weekend brings the same to all of you too.

Delicata Squash Stew with Chickpeas + Quinoa (Vegan, Gluten Free) | happy hearted kitchenDelicata Squash Stew with Chickpeas + Quinoa (Vegan, Gluten Free) | happy hearted kitchenDelicata Squash Stew with Chickpeas + Quinoa (Vegan, Gluten Free) | happy hearted kitchenDelicata Squash Stew with Chickpeas + Quinoa (Vegan, Gluten Free) | happy hearted kitchenDelicata Squash Stew with Chickpeas + Quinoa (Vegan, Gluten Free) | happy hearted kitchenA warming vegan fall stew with a nutritional boost. Delicata squash stew with chickpeas quinoa, kale and an easy turmeric broth. Vegan and Gluten Free.


DELICATA SQUASH STEW WITH CHICKPEAS + QUINOA

Throughout the winter I always keep a jar of Elenore’s Mighty Vegetable Stock Powder in the fridge. It is a quick and easy way to add flavor to soups and stews without adding any undesirable ingredients. Another quick tip to getting a buttery, full flavor vegetable broth is adding in a cob of corn. That little cob will add so much flavor to broth based soups, so don’t throw it away. You can even stock them up in your freezer throughout the summer instead of tossing them in the compost!

Vegan and gluten free. Serves 4-6.

Ingredients

1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 large leek, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic
2 small or one large delicata squash, seeds removed and skin still on, diced
1 cob of organic corn, kernels removed from cob and cob reserved (or about 1 cup frozen corn)
1 + 1/2 cup cooked chickpeas
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
8 cups vegetable stock (or 8 cups water with 2 tablespoon mighty vegetable stock powder)
1/2 cup quinoa
3-4 stalks tuscan kale, stems removed and leaves thinly sliced
Sea salt and pepper to taste

What to do

Place quinoa in a small bowl and cover with water. Set aside.

Heat oil in a heavy bottom pot and add onions and leeks and sautée until soft. Don’t rush this step, this is where we develop flavor. Stir often to prevent burning, add a splash of water if the pot gets dry. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to season. Once soft and cooked down, after about 10 minutes, add in the minced garlic and stir. The add in the diced delicata squash, corn kernels, chickpeas and turmeric and stir to combine. Cook for a few minutes, stirring often, then add in stock, or water + stock powder and if you have a bare cob of corn, throw that in as well. Add enough water/stock to cover ingredients fully, in my case this was 8 cups. They quinoa will soak in some water as it cooks as well, so a little extra is ok.

Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to medium simmer. Cook until the squash is almost tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and rinse quinoa in cold water then add the quinoa to the pot. Cover once again and continue to simmer for another 15 minutes. Add in the kale 2 to 3 minutes before the end, I like it to be just wilted but feel free to cook it for longer. Continue simmering until all the flavors have melded together. Taste, adjust seasoning as needed. A good pinch of salt and some fresh cracked black pepper should do the trick.

Serve warm or reheat for quick meals throughout the week. The flavor only gets better.


Let me in on your kitchen creations – tag your photos #happyheartedkitchen and share the love!

22 Comments

  • Reply
    Warm Vanilla Sugar
    October 8, 2016 at 8:23 am

    I am so with you! I keep buying corn with every market trip and now it’s really looking like the season is over. I should grab one last bit this weekend and get on a good stew!

    • Reply
      Jodi Kay
      October 11, 2016 at 7:29 pm

      Oooh I just love it so much, Katrina! Hoping you get your hands on some too :) xo

  • Reply
    Sophie MacKenzie
    October 8, 2016 at 11:01 am

    This looks so cozy and warming! Happy Thanksgiving to you, Jodi!!!

    • Reply
      Jodi Kay
      October 11, 2016 at 7:28 pm

      Thank you, Sophie! Hope you had a good weekend too – full of fresh air, sunshine and lots of treats! Grateful for you and your kind comments and always inspiring recipes :) xo

  • Reply
    Jessie Snyder | Faring Well
    October 10, 2016 at 3:50 pm

    Jodi, I love this stew and getting to see your sweet little space! What a dreamy window and cozy kitchen you have. I hear you on the slow transition into fall, I’ve been trying to get myself out of my summer habits this past few weeks and embrace the roasting and simmering – with a green smoothie in between still ;). I hope you have the most wonderful thanksgiving up there in your new town with new friends! There is something special about the start of new traditions, and I hope you feel super full in your belly and heart after it all <3

    • Reply
      Jodi Kay
      October 11, 2016 at 7:35 pm

      Jessie, I love this kitchen too but sadly it isn’t mine. We’ve been sharing a space with friends since we’ve arrived, they have the most lovely home here and I’ve been lucky to be able to work and use this beautiful kitchen! But we are moving out into our own little place next weekend, much smaller, probably way less light but it will be cozy all the same. Plus Matt is finding us a dog :) Thanksgiving is always my favorite holiday, so grateful so you Jessie, you always inspiring comments make me smile and faring well feels like a friend. Hoping you have a great week ahead xx

      • Reply
        Jessie Snyder | Faring Well
        October 14, 2016 at 9:49 am

        Aw Jodi! Yay! So excited for you guys to move into your new space. Still so sweet you had friends to live with up until this time though. Does this mean I can come visit now?! ;) Hehe. Hugs!

  • Reply
    Shelley Ludman
    October 11, 2016 at 4:53 am

    Hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving weekend Jodes! Still dreaming of your pumpkin pie from last year. I made a giant pot of curry last night, and felt comforted by the simmering, stirring and bowl of warm goodness – this recipe hits all the right notes and is so perfect for this change in seasons. Mmmm, excited to try this one! xx

    • Reply
      Jodi Kay
      October 11, 2016 at 7:50 pm

      Oh your weekend looked so full of sunshine + fall colors + family time, Shelley! Hope it was as lovely as it looked :) Pumpkin pie is my all time favorite, once is just never enough! So grateful for our friendship x

  • Reply
    Maya | Spice + Sprout
    October 11, 2016 at 7:03 am

    I was away exploring Gatineau Park this weekend and the whole time I was wishing I could come home at night to a big pot of stew, just like this one! It looks so cozy and full of flavour. I love the idea of putting a cob in the soup stock, I bet it adds such depth. I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving weekend <3

    • Reply
      Jodi Kay
      October 11, 2016 at 7:36 pm

      Ah that Park must be so beautiful right now! Did you go to Chelsea? I love that place :) Hoping you had a good weekend Maya, full of all those fall colors and some good pie! Thankful for you + your kind words x

  • Reply
    danielle | rooting the sun
    October 15, 2016 at 7:36 am

    catching up lovely jodi – my goodness i’ve missed so much and i love your recipes SO much. this stew is no exception. i must agree that it takes me some time to fall into autumn cooking as well (no pun intended, har har) – but I feel like once I get there it’s a gorgeous place to be. the lengthy preparation times yield a sort of meditation for me. love the delicata and turmeric. hope your holiday was lovely. xo

    • Reply
      Jodi Kay
      October 20, 2016 at 9:12 pm

      Thank you Danielle! My goodness I love reading your comments and I thank you for taking the time to catch up. Hoping you are having a good week, we closed down our garden the other day. Season are changing. Looking forward to catching up over at your’s now too. xx

  • Reply
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  • Reply
    Sharon Snee
    October 2, 2017 at 7:39 pm

    For the delicate squash stew you failed to tell us when to add the kale. The third from the last sentences says add the 2 to 3 minutes before the end? Well, I think you forgot the word Kale….add the Kale. But I think kale takes longer to cook than 3 minutes so I will just punt. That means just add it much earlier than 3 minutes. All items are cooking and here I stand with the kale……

    • Reply
      Laura
      October 16, 2017 at 6:31 pm

      I just scrolled down to make the same comment–luckily I noticed the picture and realized I hadn’t added the kale when I added the quinoa. Hoping the cook time is about the same for both.

  • Reply
    Jodi
    October 18, 2017 at 1:15 pm

    Hi Laura and Sharon! I’m sorry about the confusing – yes I do add the kale 2-3 minutes before the end, I like it to be just tender. I’ve updated the recipe and added a few extra notes. You can really add the kale in whenever, that’s the fun thing about these one pot meals, it’s hard to go wrong! Thanks for letting me know x

  • Reply
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    March 7, 2018 at 12:14 pm

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    March 8, 2018 at 4:01 am

    […] meal was happily inspired by my friend Jodi’s delicata squash stew with chickpeas + quinoa. I saw it when she originally posted it and bookmarked it. It’s taken me longer than a year to […]

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    Curried Delicata Squash & Chickpeas – Healthy Living Blog
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  • Reply
    Dee
    January 22, 2020 at 6:00 pm

    I can’t find any delicata squash at my grocery store. What would be a good sub?

    • Reply
      Jodi
      February 4, 2020 at 9:17 am

      Hi Dee! Sorry for the late reply! Any squash will do – delicata has a thin skin so you might need to peel other squash! Sweet potato could work as well.

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