Sunday, December 10, 2017

Crockpot Turkey Red Lentil Chickpea Butternut Squash Curry/Stew

The name of this recipe is a real mouthful but I don't want to leave anything out! Inspired by https://www.kitchentreaty.com/slow-cooker-pumpkin-chickpea-red-lentil-curry/, this is oh-so-good comfort food. If it would ever start FEELING like winter here in Denver, this is perfect to warm you up. I didn't know it would be blog-worthy when I made it so didn't take pictures along the way, whoops.

What you need:
-1/2 butternut squash, peeled and seeded. I only cut mine into 3 giant chunks because cooking it disintegrates it!
-1 lb. ground turkey
-1 chopped onion
-a couple chopped garlic cloves
-1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
-1.5 cups of red lentils, rinsed
-3 C broth of your choice (I actually used 2 C of broth and 1 C light beer...)
-curry powder: I used about 2 T regular curry powder and maybe 2 t. hot madras curry powder-it wasn't spicy at all. I'll add more next time.
-1 can coconut milk
-cilantro and sour cream/Greek yogurt to top, optional

What to do:

  • Brown up ground turkey and onions; cooking thoroughly isn't necessary
  • add all other ingredients to crockpot except coconut milk and cilantro/sour cream. Add ground turkey/onion mixture on top. 
  • Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high 4-6 hours. You'll know it's done when the lentils and squash are all falling apart. Stir well to ensure the squash is well disintegrated and mixed in.
  • Add coconut milk, serve, and garnish if preferred.