Butternut Squash, Pepper, and Swiss Chard Stew

posted on November 7, 2013

Butternut Squash, Pepper, and Swiss Chard Stew is a warm, comforting harvest stew.  Butternut squash is cooked with red bell pepper, swiss chard, and San Marzano tomatoes with ancho chili powder and cumin, and is topped with cool, creamy Greek yogurt.

butternut squash stew1

This has been one crazy, hectic week at school, and I wasn’t even sure I was going to get this post done.  Normally I like to post on Wednesdays, but last night I needed a break and took it. 🙂  I’m waiting for the day to come when I’ll be ahead of the game and have blog posts and photos lined up ahead of time, but with my school schedule, I’m one post at time.  I guess I’m lucky I have time to do it at all.  It’s certainly hard to limit myself to two recipes posts a week with so many inspirations coming at me from other blogs, magazines, cookbooks, and school, but normally I know right away when I want to post something.  This stew was one of those dishes.

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If you have seen my post on Cooking School Week 5, you know I was tasked to make this stew last week at school.  We ate it for lunch, and I had two bowls.  Two!  It’s not like I’m that hungry at school because we’re always eating or tasting, but I loved this so much, refilling my bowl was just necessary. 😉

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If you know me, you know I’m crazy about butternut squash.  I’ve posted Butternut Squash Soup, Butternut Squash Potato Leek Soup,  Roasted Pear and Butternut Squash Soup, and Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad.  I roast it all the time, too and I never seem to tire of it.

This “stew” has autumn written all over it.  While the squash is aplenty, it’s toned down by all the warm flavors of ancho chili powder and cumin.  If you’re not a big fan of butternut squash, you could replace it with pumpkin or sweet potato could be really interesting here.  The original soup had hominy in it instead of corn, and it was delicious!  I didn’t have any, so I used roasted corn instead.  Garbanzo beans would be great as well.  Dollop some cool, creamy Greek yogurt or sour cream on top, and you’ve got one comforting bowl of goodness.  🙂

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Butternut Squash, Pepper, and Swiss Chard Stew
 
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Butternut Squash, Pepper, and Swiss Chard Stew is a warm, comforting harvest stew. Butternut squash is cooked with red bell pepper, swiss chard, and San Marzano tomatoes with ancho chili powder and cumin, and is topped with cool, creamy Greek yogurt.
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 2 large cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
  • 4 cups butternut squash, cut into ½" cubes (one ¾ lb. squash)
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 2 tablespoons ancho chile powder
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • (2) red bell peppers, seeded and diced
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 2 cups reduced sodium chicken or vegetable stock
  • 1 28 ounce can of San Marzano whole tomatoes with juice
  • 1 bunch Swiss chard, tough stems removed, cut into ribbons
  • 1 cup of frozen roasted corn, thawed
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • Garnish with Greek yogurt or sour cream with cilantro or scallions
Instructions
  1. Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic, squash, oregano, chile powder, cumin, and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add the bell peppers, wine, and stock and stir once more. Squeeze the whole tomatoes into the pot, tearing any large chunks into smaller pieces (you can dice them ahead of time if you prefer). Add all the juices from the tomatoes to the pot along with a large pinch of salt and stir. Simmer for 30-45 minutes or until the squash is almost tender. Add the chard and corn, and cook for 15 -20 minutes more. If the stew is too liquid, pour off the liquid and reduce it down in a separate pot. If the stew needs more liquid, add more stock and water. Season the stew with salt and pepper, to taste.
  2. Ladle into soup bowls and garnish. Enjoy!
Notes
The butternut squash may be substituted for pumpkin or kabocha squash.

The corn may be substituted with hominy or garbanzo beans.

Recipe adapted from Tante Marie Cooking School, San Francisco, CA.