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Black Bean & Butternut Squash Stew

December 28, 2020 by Catherine Perez 8 Comments

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This black bean & butternut squash stew is smoky with a taste of sweet coming from a special hit of cinnamon. Easy and perfect for meal prep and naturally gluten free!

Plate of brown rice served with black bean and butternut squash stew topped with cilantro.

Why you’ll love this black bean & butternut squash stew

  • It’s smoky thanks to the fire roast tomatoes and toned down with a little bit of natural sweet from the cinnamon. The perfect harmony for ingredients like black beans and butternut squash.
  • All vegan and gluten free with no funky ingredients.
  • Extra boost of plant protein thanks to the combination of black beans and red lentils.

Moving the spices around the bottom of the pot with the onions and celery to develop their flavor.

Key Ingredients

  • Garlic: I’m starting at 6, but if you are a garlic lover, go to town!
  • Cumin, Sweet Paprika, and Coriander: Delicious savory spices to help compliment the black beans and fire roasted tomatoes
  • Cinnamon: The perfect compliment to the butternut squash and helps tone down the acidic flavors
  • Butternut Squash: A starchy addition that helps add more body to the stew
  • Black Beans: Our main protein source and a great source of iron
  • Red Lentils: Our thickening agent that happens to add more protein
  • Fire Roasted Tomatoes: For that smoky and extra hit of umami

Mixing the butternut squash, tomatoes, black beans and red lentils together with the spices that cooked in the pot with a large green spoon.

How to make this recipe

  1. Cook down your onions and celery in a large pot until they soften.
  2. Layer in your flavor starting with the garlic and then working your way up to the spices.
  3. Stir in your tomatoes, beans, lentils, butternut squash and vegetable broth.
  4. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 25-30 minutes or until the red lentils have disintegrated into the stew.
  5. Remove pot from heat and allow to cool and thicken for a few minutes before serving.

Black bean and butternut squash stew being stirred together in a large pot after cooking.

Tips for making Black Bean & Butternut Squash Stew

  • If you don’t have fire roasted tomatoes, make sure you use smoked paprika or a splash of liquid smoke to achieve the smokiness that you desire. If you’d prefer this not to be smoky, feel free to use the same amount of crushed tomatoes along with the sweet paprika.
  • As the red lentils cook, they will start to breakdown in the stew. This will help the stew thicken, so after the allotted cooking time, stir well and allow to cool for a few minutes minutes to allow the natural fibers in the lentils and beans to swell and thicken.
  • If stew is still not thick after waiting for it to thicken, use the back of your cooking spoon to mash some of the black beans in the pot. This will also allow the stew to thicken and to your desired texture. Just make sure to give a good stir.
  • To help absorb some of the iron rich components of this dish, feel free to add a squeeze of lemon or lime juice overtop when serving.
  • This stew stores well in the fridge for 4-5 days, and can be frozen easily into small containers for up to 3 months. Just thaw and heat up before serving.

More stews to try

  • Coconut Spiced Red Lentils
  • Chipotle Red Lentil Chili
  • Cannellini Tahini Stew
  • Chipotle Stewed Pinto Beans
  • Cozy Eggplant and Tomato Stew

Close up of the stew topped with cilantro.

Print
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Zoomed out shot of the black bean stew served with brown rice in a white bowl.

Black Bean & Butternut Squash Stew

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 8 servings 1x
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

This black bean & butternut squash stew is smoky with a taste of sweet coming from a special hit of cinnamon. Easy and perfect for meal prep.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 tsp olive oil OR 2 tbsp vegetable broth for sautéing
  • 1 small red onion (diced)
  • 1 rib celery (diced)
  • 6 large cloves of garlic (minced)
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp coriander
  • 1 1/2 tbsp sweet paprika
  • 1 tbsp dry basil
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 cups diced butternut squash or sweet potato
  • 2 cans black beans (rinsed and drained)
  • 1/3 cup red lentils
  • 1 15 oz can diced fire roasted tomatoes
  • 4 cups vegetable broth

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pot up to medium heat on the stove top and add in oil or vegetable broth, onions and celery then sprinkle vegetables with a pinch of salt and cook them down until onion have softened.
  2. Add in garlic and stir well for a minute, allowing to become fragrant.
  3. Stir in cumin, coriander, paprika, basil, cinnamon and salt with the vegetables in the pot, allowing seasonings to become fragrant.
  4. To the pot, add in butternut squash, black beans, canned tomatoes and rinsed red lentils then give the mixture a good stir.
  5. Pour in your vegetable broth and bring mixture up to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for about 25-30 minutes while stirring on occasion. As the red lentils cook, they will start to breakdown in the stew. This will help the stew thicken, so after cooking time, stir well and wait a few minutes for it to thicken before serving.

Notes

If stew is still not thick after waiting on it for a few minutes, use the back of your cooking spoon to mash some of the black beans well and stir.

You can enjoy this stew with some brown rice, avocado and some extra veggies as desired. 

Keywords: black beans, butternut squash, stew

Did you try this recipe?

Tag @plantbasedrd on Instagram, so I can share your creations!

Did You Try This Recipe?
Then let me know what you thought! Share your creations by tagging me on Instagram with the hashtag #plantbasedrdeats

★ Catherine

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lauren

    October 20, 2021 at 9:10 am

    Theirs soup was delicious! The combination of spices is unusual, but works so well. I did add a little cayenne pepper and two frozen ginger cubes, but other than that I stuck right to the recipe. I’m about to heat some up for my teen daughter’s breakfast—she requested it! Thanks for this! It’s a definite make-again!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Catherine Perez

      October 24, 2021 at 9:00 pm

      Love the kick of cayenne and the ginger you added. So glad that you and your daughter enjoyed. Made my day to read this. Thank you Lauren!

      Reply
  2. Andreé Johnson

    November 19, 2021 at 9:48 pm

    Super good. It’s a cold night in Ohio so I made this and we loved it. I was full from one bowel but my boyfriend went back for seconds. I made it with jasmine rice and brioche toast on the side

    Reply
    • Catherine Perez

      November 20, 2021 at 11:21 pm

      So glad you enjoyed it! And yes, getting so cold here and so glad to hear you got to cozy up with a bowl. The Jasmine rice and brioche toast sound like such an amazing addition!

      Reply
  3. Mom24

    September 21, 2022 at 1:14 pm

    Looks amazing! My kiddo does not like tomatoes, I’m wondering if I could leave out the tomatoes and add a tablespoon or two of tomato paste along with a smidge of liquid smoke? Thoughts? Thank you.

    Reply
    • Catherine Perez

      September 22, 2022 at 12:47 pm

      Hi! Thank you! It should still work. Another option if you think it could work since you mentioned the tomato paste is to use crushed tomatoes or blend the tomatoes to make it really smooth. But the flavor of the tomato paste should work, saute a little to help naturally tone it down and then you may want to add an extra 1/2 cup or so of veggie broth to make up for some of the liquid. If it is thin, mash some of the squash and beans at the end and that should help thicken everything up. Hope that helps, but feel free to ask any extra questions. 🙂

      Reply
  4. Gabriella

    January 29, 2023 at 9:11 pm

    Great recipe! My kids loved it even though they are not usually fond of squash. My oldest took 3 servings! We served it on rice.

    Reply
    • Catherine Perez

      January 30, 2023 at 8:03 pm

      Such a major win! So glad the family enjoyed it. 🙂

      Reply

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I’m Catherine, registered dietitian and plant based eater. I share tips and recipes for making  balanced plant based meals easier and more delicious. Learn more about me.

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3245 shares