Butternut Squash Black Bean Stew is a comfort food classic ! This easy, 20 minute, ultra delicious recipe you’ll eat all season long. This hearty plant based dinner is bursting with buttery sweet squash, earthy beans, zesty fresh veggies and creamy flavorful broth.
Come fall season, Panera Bread and other restaurants bring out Black Bean Butternut Squash Soup. Everyone including kids love that cozy comfy meal.
So I decided to base this recipe but instead of blending it into puree, I like the soft bite of stew. With necessary changes, this stew further enhances that hearty, savory taste with creamy comforting feel.
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You will love this Butternut Squash Stew Recipe because
- It’s gluten-free, vegan, dairy free and soy free
- Soothingly spiced, hearty and comforting
- It has perfect balance of savory, sweet and earthy flavors.
- Perfect for weeknight meals and lunch preps< Easy to make and filling and full of all ” good for you ” ingredients.
Similar to Curried Butternut Squash Soup, this butternut squash stew is our household favorite fall dinner recipe. We also love Pumpkin Mac and Cheese and Thai Pumpkin Curry for easy weeknight dinners.
Eating nourishing and meatless food doesn’t have to be boring. Just look at this beautiful stew. It’s like a sunshine in the bowl. Isn’t it?
The contrasting colors in this stew are beautiful, vibrant and totally inviting. It’s all natural food with bright colors. So pleasing to the eyes and to the taste buds as well.
This seasonal cozy meal is also full of vitamins, fiber, iron and plant protein. Everything is just too good and better for you. Plus it’s super affordable.
It is one of my favorites recipe to cook during the busy autumn and winter months. It warms up your belly and spirits.
This recipe makes vegan and gluten free non tomato based stew. A lot of our readers are looking to avoid tomato based recipes. This one fits their dietary needs too.
Is it a stew, chili soup or buddha bowl?
The stew is not quite soup consistency, but you can add extra broth to make it more soupy. You can also blend and puree it if you prefer slurpy soup.
To make it chunky chili texture, reduce the liquid broth by ½ cup. It will thicken some more as it cools.
If you are into buddha bowl meals, you can use same stew, add in some more greens and veggies and serve it in bowl.
Ingredients
Butternut squash : I often buy pre cut butternut squash. It comes in handy and saves lots of efforts.
Black beans : I am using canned beans. Drain and rinse them in fresh water before using.
Seasoning : A bay leaf, twigs of fresh thyme, minced garlic, 21 seasoning salute ( it’s an all purpose seasoning mix ) and chili lime seasoning (substitute red pepper flakes and lemon juice) and cumin-coriander powder.
Stew base : coconut milk and low sodium vegetable broth.
Veggies : Onion, red pepper and fresh spinach
As always, I am including instructions to make this recipe in electric pressure cooker like Instant Pot or in the cast iron skillet on the stove top.
Substitutions
- Use chickpeas, cannellini or butter beans instead of black beans.
- Sub sweet potatoes, turnips, carrots, parsnips, pumpkin or acorn for butternut squash.
- Want to add more protein? You can add extra firm tofu, peanuts, tempeh or seitan.
- Add grains ? use quinoa, barley or brown rice.
- If you’d like to swap out the spinach, add in kale or collard greens or rainbow chard.
- You can make this stew into chili or soup by adjusting the amount of liquid.
How to make
Step by step detailed instructions are listed in the recipe card below. The basic recipe involves steps as described below:
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add bay leaf, onions and bell peppers. Sprinkle some salt. Stir and cook until onions are soft, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add butternut squash, black beans, seasonings, thyme and stir to coat. Stir in coconut milk and vegetable broth. Let it come to a boil, then reduce heat, cover the pot and let it simmer for 15 minutes.
- Stir in spinach. Adjust the seasoning and cook for about 4 minutes. Ladle in serving bowls and enjoy.
- If you are using Instant pot, I recommend you pressure cook the stew in vegetable broth or water first and then add coconut milk after it’s done cooking. This ensures that coconut milk doesn’t separate or curdle and stew remains smooth creamy.
Storage
This black bean stew stores well and can be used for meal prep. Save leftovers in air tight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can also freeze it in freezer for up to 3 months.
To reheat, add couple Tablespoons of water or broth and reheat in the microwave until heated through.
Serving Suggestions
This one pot stew is complete meal enough of itself. It has a good balance of carbs, protein and fiber to keep you full and satisfied. To further enhance your dining experience, add a side of green salad or crusty bread.
Our favorite Instant Pot Comfort Food Recipes
- Minestrone Soup : One pot complete meal.
- White Bean and Spinach Soup – Easy comforting and perfect for meal prep.
- Lentil Quinoa Soup – Satisfying and affordable soup
- Easy Black Bean Soup – Full of flavors
- Creamy Tomato Soup – Loved by kids and adults alike.
- Creamy Gnocchi Soup – Easy one pot, Olive Garden Copycat soup recipe.
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Instant Pot Butternut Squash Black Bean Stew Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 cups butternut squash diced into bite size pieces
- 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 medium red bell pepper diced
- 1 cup baby spinach chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 Tablespoon lemon or lime juice
Seasoning :
- 1 teaspoon coriander cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon 21 seasoning salute see notes
- ¼ teaspoon Chili lime seasoning see notes
- 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme or ¼ teaspoon dry thyme
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper – adjust per taste
Instructions
STOVE TOP INSTRUCTIONS :
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add bay leaf, onions and bell peppers. Sprinkle some salt. Stir and cook until onions are soft, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute
- Add butternut squash, black beans, seasonings and stir to coat. Stir in coconut milk and vegetable broth. Let it come to a boil, then reduce heat, cover the pot and let it simmer for 15 minutes.
- Stir in spinach. Adjust the seasoning and cook for about 4 minutes. Add lemon juice, ladle the stew in serving bowls and enjoy ..
INSTANT POT INSTRUCTIONS:
- Press SAUTE button on the Instant Pot and add oil to it. Once the oil is hot, add bay leaf, onions and bell pepper. Sprinkle some salt. Stir and cook the onions till they are soft, around 3 minutes.
- Add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds.
- Add butternut squash, black beans, all ingredients listed under seasonings, thyme and stir to coat. Stir in vegetable broth. Cook the spices for 30 seconds.
- Deglaze the pot by scrapping the bottom. There shouldn’t be at burnt bits stuck at the bottom of the pot. Cancel SAUTE.
- Close the lid and set valve to sealing. Press the MANUAL / PRESSURE COOK button and cook on high pressure for 4 minutes.
- Let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes and then do a quick pressure release by manually moving the pressure valve from sealing to venting position. Once the silver pin drops, open the lid.
- Stir in spinach and coconut milk. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Add lemon juice and serve butternut squash stew in the serving bowl and enjoy !
BL
What could I swap out for the bell pepper?
admin
You could just leave them out or use other sturdy vegetables like snap peas or bok choy.
Mary
So, so good. Made it for the second time today- even better. Easy and delicious! A+ from this teacher.
admin
Thank you so much !
Scarlet | Family Focus Blog
I love butternut squash. It has so much rich sweet flavor and is so healthy for you. I can’t wait to try this stew recipe in the instantpot.