Pumpkin Chickpea Curry with Kale

Spice up your pumpkin recipe routine with this tasty Pumpkin Chickpea Curry recipe! Pumpkin simmers with kale, chickpeas and curry spices for a healthy and flavorful meatless meal. Read on for details on the recipe and our suggested wine pairing, or click here to jump down to the recipe. 

Up until recently, I had yet to post a recipe featuring pumpkins here on Cooking Chat. Then we came up with this tasty Pumpkin Patch Soup the other day, ad now we are rolling out this Pumpkin Chickpea Curry to spice up you pumpkin recipe options. Great timing, with Halloween tomorrow, right?

Making Pumpkin Chickpea Curry

This Pumpkin Chickpea Curry relies on a can of pumpkin puree, which is certainly a fast way to get some real pumpkin flavor onto your table. (my Amazon affiliate link provided if you’d like to order some pumpkin puree) Our pumpkin soup recipe is a good option if you are eager to carve up a sugar pumpkin and make good use of the flesh. And stay tuned for another pumpkin recipe we will be posting in a few days…

The idea for this Pumpkin Chickpea Curry recipe came from the Whole Foods fall flier with “Meals for four under $15”. I made their recipe once, then created my own version with several variations on their recipe. One of my goals was to make the recipe more kid-friendly, so our eleven year old who is just starting to warm up to curry would eat it. I used less ginger than the original recipe calls for, and added the cinnamon and honey to create a touch of sweetness as a counterpoint to the heat of the curry. We all liked that addition to the recipe, including our son.

I also added kale and cauliflower to this Pumpkin Chickpea Curry recipe, which means this meal is loaded with nutrition. You can certainly skip the cauliflower if you want one less thing to chop, but it does absorb the curry and pumpkin flavors nicely if you choose to use it.

We served this curry dish over couscous, but you could certainly serve it with rice if you prefer. I also heated up some frozen vegetable samosas to serve along with the curry, which made our 11 year old even more enthused about this meal!

Wine Pairing for Pumpkin Chickpea Curry

I have previously had good success pairing Italian food with Indian flavored curry; I decided to try that option again with our Pumpkin Chickpea Curry. We opened the 2015 Aia dei Columbi Falanghina ($15 , 13.5 ABV) to pair with our curry. Falanghina is a native Italian white wine grape. This Falanghina comes from the Sannio DOC, a hilly region north of Naples.

I get lemon on nose of this Falanghina wine, with crisp citrus taste and a touch of salinity. This is a food friendly wine that can work with a lot of flavors, and it definitely works with the curry. That crisp quality refreshes the palate, and the wine is pretty light so it lets the curry flavors shine nicely. Once again, we show that Italian wine and Indian curry can be a good combo! For more white wine pairing ideas, visit our always growing resource page!

Recipe card

Pumpkin Chickpea Curry with Kale

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4.8 from 4 reviews

Pumpkin puree simmers with curry spices, chickpeas and kale for a healthy and flavorful meal.

• Author: Cooking Chat
• Prep Time: 5 mins
• Cook Time: 40 mins
• Total Time: 45 mins
• Yield: 5 servings 1x
• Category: Main
• Method: stove top
• Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

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• 1 tbsp canola oil (or other vegetable oil)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 large carrot, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 1 tsp ginger powder
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp honey
• 2 ½ cups low sodium vegetable broth
• 1 15 oz can chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
• 1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
• 1 large potato, peeled and cut into a small dice
• 2 cups cauliflower, chopped (optional)
• 3 cups kale, stems removed, slice the remaining leaves

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Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onions and carrots, cook until they begin to soften, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another two minutes.
2. Add the curry powder, ginger and cinnamon, stir to combine. Cook for about 2 more minutes.
3. Stir in the vegetable broth, chickpeas and pumpkin puree. Add the potatoes, kale and cauliflower if using. Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.
4. Simmer covered, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are soft. This will take about 25 to 30 minutes. When the potatoes and other vegetables are tender, you are ready to eat.
5. Scoop out a serving of the curry, and serve over couscous or rice. Enjoy!

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Things You Will Need for Pumpkin Chickpea Curry

You want to use a can of 100% pure pumpkin puree. Below is an Amazon affiliate link to one good option for pumpkin puree; I would earn a small commission if you choose to make a purchase using the link.