This Buttercup Squash Curry is full of warm Fall spices and served inside a whole squash. Ladle out the curry in a roasted buttercup squash to scoop up the tender flesh in each bite with creamy curry, rice, kale, and red peppers. This winter squash dinner is a creative way to serve Indian-inspired flavors with Fall ingredients and textures.
Want a NEW Autumn dish that’s full of flavor and super fun to prepare? Carve out your own Buttercup squash and fill it with this CREAMY and flavorful Curry.
Firstly, buttercup squash is a delicate squash. It’s tender and cooks up quickly. The flavor is much like a combination of pumpkin and butternut squash, and the texture after cooking is very creamy.
Buttercup squash is a flexible vegetable and can hold its own in a savory dish like this hearty dinner packed full of curried spices.
What else can you use buttercup squash for?
Buttercup Marshmellow Bites – Slice the squash into pieces and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Roast in the oven and in the last 5 minutes top with mini marshmallows.
Buttercup Ice cream bowl – Ok, hear me out. Buttercup squash is much like pumpkin. Sweet, creamy, and works for dessert. Roast the whole buttercup squash and once it has cooled, fill with scoops of ice cream, chopped nuts, and caramel syrup. It could be a fun way to have dessert together, as one buttercup would be enough for a few servings.
What is the difference between Butternut and Buttercup squash?
Both these winter squashes are tender and a bit sweet, with butternut squash leaning more on the sweeter side. Buttercup squash is creamier when cooked, which is absolutely perfect for this buttercup squash curry recipe and creamy soups even.
After roasting the squash for this savory buttercup recipe, spoon some chunks into the sauce. This will add a beautiful creamy texture and mild sweetness.
What’s really great is you can stop there or enjoy a self-made bowl or serving bowl (depending on size) filled with rice and this scrumptious buttercup squash curry, kale, and sweet red peppers. With each bite, scrap the side to grab a spoonful of squash with the curry.
Ingredients in Buttercup Curry
- Buttercup squash – For individual bowls, choose smaller squash. If serving a family you can use 1 or 2 large buttercup squashes as serving bowls.
- Yellow onion – White onion would also work. I like yellow onion in here because it is stronger to pair up with the curry flavors.
- Red peppers – Red peppers are sweeter, unlike green peppers which tend to be bitter.
- Kale – Kale is hearty and holds up well to the thick sauce. You could substitute kale for spinach.
- Coconut milk
- Garlic – fresh garlic is best. You can also use jarred and minced garlic.
- Ginger – freshly grated ginger is aromatic and adds a wonderful flavor to curry.
- Red curry paste
- Vegetable broth
- Spices – curry powder, coriander, garam masala, cumin, turmeric, and chili powder.
Tips for the most flavorful Curry
Use plenty of aromatics! – The garlic, onions, and ginger really make this curry dish pop!
Full-fat coconut milk – The buttercup squash is already very creamy, but using full-fat coconut milk is going to give you that extra creaminess that goes perfectly with the warm flavors in this squash curry.
Cook the paste – Like tomato paste, red Thai curry paste’s flavor is deepened and more impactful when cook down. Don’t skip this part! Plus the brown sugar helps to keep this recipe rich and smooth.
I hope you enjoy this Whole Roasted Butternut Squash Curry! Let me know in the comments if you have tried this recipe. Be sure to tag #ladleandgrain on Facebook and Instagram!
More Fall-inspired Recipes to try this season!
- Spicy Chili
- Savory Butternut Squash Galette
- Roasted Red Pepper, Tomato, Carrot Bisque
- Pumpkin Scones
- Cranberry Apple Crumb Tart
- Pumpkin Biscotti
Whole Buttercup Squash Curry
Course: All Recipes, Dinner, MainCuisine: Indian, AmericanDifficulty: Easy4
servings30
minutes40
minutesThis Buttercup Squash Curry is served in a whole roasted buttercup squash with rice and flatbread. Your Autumn deserves a warm, spiced, and flavor-packed dish to bring in the season that’s creamy like the texture of buttercup squash and curry.
Ingredients
4 small buttercup squash, deseeded (or 2 larger squash)
2 tbsp coconut oil, separated
1 small sweet onion, diced small
1 red bell pepper, deseeded and diced small
1-2 red chili peppers, deseeded and thinly sliced (optional for spiciness)
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger (about a 2-inch piece)
3 tablespoons red curry paste
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 cup vegetable broth
1 tablespoon mirin
2 tsp Corriander
2 tsp Ground Cumin
1 1/2 tsp Garam Masala
1 tsp Ground Turmeric
1 tsp Ground Chili Powder
1 bunch kale
1 can coconut milk
white or jasmine rice, cooked according to package
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cut off tops of buttercup squash and deseed. Use 1 tbsp coconut oil to rub on the flesh of the squash. Turn upside on a baking sheet, place in oven, and roast about 40 minutes or until tender.
Remove from oven and gently* spoon out about 1/2 cup of buttercup squash from each one. Set aside.
Cook rice according to package, set aside. - In a skillet, add coconut oil and warm over medium-high heat. Add diced onions, chili pepper, and red peppers, cooking until tender.
Then add in the grated ginger and garlic sauteing for another minute, or until fragrant. - Lower heat to medium and add the red curry paste and brown sugar and continue to cook another 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly, until the paste has thickened into a dark brown paste.
Add Coriander to toast a few seconds. - Add the mirin and soy sauce to gently deglaze the pan and all the flavor bits.
- Sprinkle in the remaining seasonings and stir in broth. Simmer 20 minutes for best flavor and until reduced.
- Stir in buttercup squash pieces, coconut milk, and kale and simmer another 5 minutes or until kale has just wilted.
- Spoon Rice and Curry into the whole Buttercup Squash* and ENJOY!
Notes
- If using two larger buttercup squashes, cut in half before roasting. You can either still serve over the roasted squash or spoon out all of the flesh, add to the curry sauce, and spoon over rice.
- Buttercup squash is very tender when cooked, so use care with spooning out the flesh to add to the curry. (check out the squash in the back of a few images. It fell apart a bit from being too tender when removing some squash pieces)
