Butternut Squash Curry

A very simple and easy one-pot butternut squash curry made with coconut milk, Thai red curry paste, and leftover ham or turkey.

Butternut Squash Curry with Coconut Milk

This butternut squash curry is very simple and is a great way to use up leftovers especially after the holidays when you have extra ham or turkey.

It has a balance of sweet and savory flavor, which comes from the naturally sweet butternut squash and red curry paste and it also has a very comforting creaminess that comes from coconut milk as well.

If you're looking for more recipes that will use up your leftovers, definitely check out my Easy Udon Noodle Soup, Teriyaki Chicken Yaki Udon (Stir-Fried Udon Noodles), and Stir-Fried Rice Cakes with Kimchi as well which are also recipes I use at home.

Ingredients for Butternut Squash Curry

• Ham/Turkey/Leftover Meat - For protein, you can also switch it up with leftover turkey, chicken, or any type of leftover meat. Keep in mind that ham gives this curry a lot of its savoriness so you may need to add a bit of salt if you are using another protein.
• Butternut Squash - I like to use butternut squash because of how sweet it is, and how much extra liquid that comes out of it once it softens. If you are going to use a drier squash like kabocha, you have to add at least 1 cup of water or stock to the curry.
• Coconut Milk - This gives the curry a wonderful flavour and creaminess.
• Red Curry Paste - You can use any type of Thai curry paste (red, yellow, or green) but I personally find red curry gives the most robust flavor. Green curry is usually the spiciest and very hot.
• Garlic, Tomatoes, and Onions - This trio of ingredients gives you a lot of extra flavour, so don't skip them.
• Curry Powder - Any type of yellow curry powder works great for this recipe. I usually use Madras curry powder.

How to Make Butternut Squash Curry

Toast and Brown all the ingredients for extra flavour

When you brown the curry powder, curry paste with the onion, garlic, and ham you might notice that a lot of the bits will stick to the bottom of the pan and slightly burn and turn brown. Don't panic! This is flavour! 🙂  

Once the squash starts to cook and soften, it will releases liquids - use the liquid to scrape the bottom of the pan. The burnt will give the curry a nutty flavour.

Creaminess and Moisture Come from the Butternut Squash

Before you add the butternut squash, the curry will look very dry after you put all the ingredients into the pot. Don't fret -- the squash will save the day. Squash has a lot of water in it. As it starts to cook down, it releases a lot of liquids which creates that saucy creaminess in this dish.

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Recipe Card

Butternut Squash Curry

A quick and easy one pot butternut squash curry made with coconut milk, squash and ham. Great recipe to use for any types of leftover meats.

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Course: Main

Cuisine: Asian, Indian

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

6 Servings

5 from 3 votes

Recipe Notes

• To easily cut squash, poke multiple holes in it and put it in the microwave for 3-5 mins. This softens this up so it can be easily chopped. Be careful! The squash is VERY hot once it's been microwaved.
• During the cooking process, it may look very dry. Don't worry, the squash will release it's liquids once it has been soften. If you add water, it will make it too runny. Trust the squash! ? If it's too dry for you even after the squash has been soften and fully cooked, you can add a bit of chicken stock.

Ingredients

 

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• ▢ 2 cups ham (or any type of leftover meat like turkey, chopped)
• ▢ 2 onions (diced)
• ▢ 4 cloves garlic (minced)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
• ▢ 1 tablespoon curry powder
• ▢ 1 butternut squash (peeled and cubed)
• ▢ 1 cup tomatoes (diced - canned or fresh)
• ▢ ¾ cups coconut milk

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Instructions

 

• Set the stove on to medium-low heat and add oil to a high walled pot
• Once the pot has been heated and the oil shimmers, toast the curry powder and curry paste for about 2-5 minutes, until fragrant. (Be careful on this step, the oil splashes a lot!)
• Adjust the heat to medium heat
• Add the onions and ham to brown and soften. Cook for approximately 5 minutes
• Add in the garlic and cook for 1 minute
• Mix in the tomatoes and squash. (Don't worry if it looks dry, the squash will release it's liquids once it cooks down)
• Add in the coconut milk
• Adjust the stove back to low to simmer for 60 mins and check every 15-20 mins to stir it.
• Serve it up with some rice or some naan and enjoy! (This taste even better the next day!)
  

Nutrition

Serving: 1Serving | Calories: 394kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 13g | Sodium: 1482mg | Sugar: 10g

*Nutritional information is calculated using online tools and is an estimate*

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Made with ♡ by Joyce | Pups with Chopsticks

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