Butternut Squash Wild Rice Stew
Butternut Squash Wild Rice Stew- made with autumn vegetables, chickpeas and cashew cream, this wild rice stew is as nourishing as it is comforting. (vegan + gluten-free)
Are you guys ready for the coziest autumn stew of all time? I whipped this up the first weekend we had a cold front come through Athens and it was the perfect meal on a cool evening.
I’ll admit it’s not the quickest of recipes to make but it’s relatively easy and definitely worth the extra time it takes to wash and chop the nourishing vegetables. I based it off of my Creamy Wild Rice Mushroom Soup but changed a few things and reduced the liquid to make a thicker, heartier stew.
Butternut Squash Wild Rice Stew Ingredients
- Autumn Vegetables– Using a combination of leeks, carrots, celery, garlic, kale and butternut squash gives this stew plenty of texture and well rounded flavor. While I highly recommend using leeks, you can always substitute a yellow onion in their place. Also, feel free to switch out the kale for your preferred greens if you’re not a fan.
- Dried Oregano and Thyme– I love using these herbs in this stew because they are earthy and pair so well with all of the vegetables. Again, feel free to adjust or substitute these according to your liking.
- Vegetable Broth– I prefer to make my own broth using Better Than Bouillon because I find it has the best savory flavor, but any vegetable broth will work.
- Wild Rice– You can use wild rice or a wild rice blend, just keep in mind the cooking time may vary a bit depending on which one you choose.
- Chickpeas– Garbanzo beans give the stew an extra boost of protein and iron, but you can always leave them out if prefer.
- Cashew Cream– The main reason why we’re using cashew cream, as opposed to store-bought plant milk, is because the flavor works the best in savory recipes. No matter what kind of plant milk I use, I can always taste the hint of sweetness in the recipe but that’s not the case with homemade cashew milk/cream. I also used to hate it when I saw a recipe called for blended cashews because I didn’t own a Vitamix and they would always turn out gritty when I used my regular blender or food processor. But I invested in a NutriBullet and realized that it works just as good as a high speed blender! If you don’t own a Vitamix, the NutriBullet is a great alternative.
- Cornstarch– Bledning just a few tablespoons of starch with the cashew cream creates a slurry that helps thicken the stew, giving it a rich and creamy texture. You are welcome to leave out the starch if you prefer, but the end result won’t be as thick and creamy.
How to Make Butternut Squash Wild Rice Stew
Outside of soaking the cashews and blending them to make a cream, the entire recipe is made in just one-pot so there isn’t a ton of dishes to do.
- Sauté the leeks, carrots, celery and garlic for about 5 minutes. Add the kale, and seasonings. Cover and cook until kale is wilted, about 3 minutes.
- Add the rice, pour in the broth and cook for 10-15 minutes. Then add the squash and continue to cook for another 20 minutes, until the squash is tender and the rice is fully cooked.
- Blend the soaked cashews with water and starch. Pour into the pot along with the chickpeas. Cook for about 5 minutes, until heated through. Serve and enjoy!
I’m telling you guys, it doesn’t get cozier than this stew. It’s sure to keep you warm and full all winter long. I’ll definitely be making it on repeat. I hope you enjoy it!
Butternut Squash Wild Rice Stew
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive or avocado oil
- 2 medium leeks, halved and thinly sliced (white and light green parts only)
- 2 large carrots, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 celery ribs, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 cups chopped lacinato kale
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon salt & pepper
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 2 pounds butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes (yields about 3 cups)
- 1 cup wild rice, rinsed
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked
- 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch or arrowroot
- 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Instructions
- In a large pot, warm 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add the leek, carrots, celery and garlic then cook for about 5 minutes. Next add the kale, oregano, thyme, salt & pepper and cook for an addition 3 minutes.
- To the pot, add wild rice. Pour in the vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, partially cover and cook for 10 minutes. Add the squash and continue to cook for another 20-25 minutes, until squash is soft and rice is fully cooked. The time may vary depending on the rice that you use.
- To a high speed blender or NutriBullet, add the soaked and rinsed cashews, 1 cup of water and 1/2 tablespoon starch. Blend until smooth.
- Lastly, add the chickpeas and pour in the cashew milk. Cook until heated through, about 5 minutes. Serve warm and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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Sarah, Sarah, Sarah….oh my. I always make a soup/stew for Halloween evening. I decided to give yours a go. It was simply delicious, warming, and unique. It was like a perfect balance of everything lovely about Autumn. The cashew cream and the wild rice were genius, delicate, and the prizes of this recipe. Thank you so much. Everyone adored it and I was printing multiple copies of the recipe for guests. You never fail me….
Such a wonderful comment to finish off my Halloween with! Thank you so much, Lauren. I’m so happy everyone enjoyed it! :)
I have made this tonight, it is lovely and definitely a keeper for the cold winter months
Thank you such much for sharing your fabulous recipes
:)
This stew completely lived up to my expectations! It was absolutely delicious. I prepped the veggies the night before and it came together nicely. The cashew cream/milk is genius! I added a bit more salt and pepper. Thank you for this healthy, creamy “keeper” soup recipe!!
So delicious and easy! Beautiful flavors that are so comforting.
This was soooo good! Can you please tell me if the nutrition info is based on 1 cups worth of stew or how much? Hopefully it’s more because I can easily eat all six servings in 1 sitting haha
I’m so happy you like it! :) The nutrition information is based on 1/6th of the recipe. So if you were to divide it into 6 servings, the facts are for 1 of those servings. Does that make sense?
Yes I saw that but I already delivered some to a client and kept some for me so I have no idea how much it made in total especially because I x1.5 it ;)
This is incredible and unlike anything I’m currently making. I followed the recipe to the letter and it turned out perfectly. I was thinking the rice would not be done in that amount of time, but it was perfect. The cashew cream + chickpeas pulled everything together at the end to create the most perfect consistency. The portions are so generous, we’ll be enjoying this for a couple more dinners this week.
What a wonderful soup to serve on a cold winter night. Followed the recipe to a tee which is rare for me. :-) (Minus the chick peas) Will definitely make again. Thanks for sharing!
Remember to read the cashew comment right at the bottom of the instructions! Dumb not to put it up with the rest of the instructions and completely messed up my timings . You say to blend the cashews and water yet at the bottom it says not too.
Sorry for the confusion, Tamara! The instructions at the bottom are only for soaking the cashews. You discard that liquid after soaking, rinse the cashews then blend them with the amount of water listed up with the rest of the instructions. Hopefully that makes sense!
This was the exact question I had, so thanks so much for clarifying. Going to give it a try tomorrow. Am also going to try freezing some of it.
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I do not have a high speed blender. Can you substitute with cashew milk from the store?
You could but the cashew milk from the store is much thinner so the stew won’t be as creamy. Do you have a NutriBullet or similar small blender? That’s what I use and it works perfectly!
I assume the cashews are raw cashews, correct?
Yep!
Can something else be substituted for the cashews? We have a tree nut allergy on the fam. Thanks!
Cassie, rinse and drain a can of any white bean, puree it with just enough water to make a thick puree and add to soup at the last. I have made this with cashews and pureed beans and we couldn’t tell any difference in taste or texture. Cashews are SO expensive here so I will probably stick with beans.
Sauteed mushrooms are amazing in this too, added at the end with the puree.
Love that idea! Thanks for sharing, Kelly!
Just made this and my mother and I loved it
Will definitely be making again!
This soup is beautiful as it is healthy! Since I plan to reheat during the week I added the kale towards the end.
Amazing stew! Are you able to freeze it for later?
So glad you liked it! I haven’t tried freezing it yet so I’m not sure!
I had all the ingredients ready to go and cooked it up in a flash after church on Sunday. I love all your easy one pot meals and this one did not disappoint!
I don’t have a Nutrabullet either and went with a can of full fat coconut milk instead. I will give the cashew cream a try next time using my small blender since I bought a large jar of raw cashews at Costco.
How was it with the coconut cream?
This stew is amazing, really unique flavours and sooo delicious!
I try two new recipes EVERY week, and this is the first one I’ve ever left a review for. This stew was delicious! I absolutely loved the texture of the wild rice, and the whole thing was just so yummy, hearty and comforting. I’ll definitely be making it again, especially for my vegan brother! Thank you. :)
Absolutely incredible recipe – cozy, comforting, hearty and easy while still feeling special and unique compared to many of the soups/stews in my normal rotation. I will definitely be making this one again! Thanks so much for the recipe.
This was AMAZING!!! THANK YOU!!! I used cannellini beans & sweet onions but otherwise followed it exactly. Delish!!!
This is amazing! I will be making this over and over and over again. Simply one of the best recipes I have ever found! LC
I can’t wait to try this recipe! Does it reheat well? For example, could I make it the night before and throw it in a crockpot on low while out hiking to slowly reheat it?
It does but the squash doesn’t hold it’s shape if you reheat it or cook it for too long. You will probably have to add more broth as it will thicken the longer you let it sit over heat. So long as you are ok with that and the squash being a bit mushy then it should be fine!
Followed the recipe exactly and it was delicious. My husband was skeptical but he went back for seconds. So so so good. Thank you!
Awesome recipe! I swapped kale for spinach, celery for onion and added 1/2tsp ground sage and about 1/2 cup cream. It was so flavorful and filling. I thought about adding crispy bacon on top but honestly there was so much to taste already it would have just been too much.
DELICIOUS. Every bite had different taste and incredible flavor. It was even husband approved! This will definitely be a permanent recipe on the fall and winter line-up :)
Sent this recipe to my sister to try and she was on it before I was! She said it was awesome so I couldn’t wait to try it and used pumpkin instead of Butternut since I hadn’t gone to the store yet! My partner thought it was fantastic also. I’m definitely putting this hearty, warm Fall deliciousness into rotation again and again. Thanks!
The only substitution I made was spinach for kale. We loved it!
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Just started dabbling in vegan recipes. This is so far a favorite and must try!!
This looks so delicious! I was wondering if you can make this in an Instant pot?
I don’t own an Instant Pot so I’m not sure how to advise you on this one! I’m sure it can be done though. :)
This was easy, satisfying, and totally delicious! I’ll definitely be making this soup again.
This soup was so comforting, nourishing, delicious. creamy…..I didn’t want to stop eating it. Thank you so much for a wonderful recipe that I didn’t have to make any adjustments to.
I taste as I go along and wasn’t sure I was going to like this soup. However, once the cashew cream was added and everything had a chance to meld together I was completely won over. This soup was delicious! It is definitely one that I will make time and time again. Thank you for a great recipe!
What can be substituted for the cashew cream?
You could use plant-based milk like oat or soy (something that’s thicker) but they tend to impart a sweetness that I find undesirable in savory recipes. If you can find one that is very neutral in flavor it might work!
YUMMY! So good! Thank you for sharing!
Incredible! It FEELS so nourishing as you eat it. I made this for a friend with long time covid along with several other healthy meals. It really lifted her up. Someone asked how make this for someone with a nut allergy. Easy! Puree a can of chickpeas or any other white bean with a little water for a nice thick consistency and add at last. I have made it twice with cashews and twice with pureed beans. It is very time consuming so PLEASE DOUBLE and freeze half or better yet, give away . You won’t be sorry. Thank you for your hard work Sarah. Your recipes give the blessing of health AND truly taste awesome!!!
AMAZING!!! SOOOO GOOD :) Thank you
So I tried this recipe, but altered it so I don’t have a comparison BUT I have always found this to be the case with every soup when it comes to the vegetables.
Cook and roast them first before adding them to the soup. Especially the squash! Not only do you get that awesome roasting flavor, it softens the squash and some of it will liquify into the soup also make it thick and adding tons of flavor.
Caramelize the leeks and carrots especially! It REALLY impacts the flavor. Not just 5 mins. Wait until you start seeing good browning on the edges. Usually cooking it down 15 mins.
If you have access to fresh thyme, I would also suggest this over dried because of the flavor is more intense.
I added in some paprika and chipotle chili powder to give it a little bit more of a kick.
I also added spinach just because I had a bunch that needed to be used soon. Other than my changes, it is up there in the top best soups I’ve had. I am not vegan so it’s nice to find really good vegan soup options just to reduce meat/animal intake!
I made this yesterday and it was delicious! I found it took more than 20 min to prepare all the ingredients but worth it. The butternut squash especially took time. Next time I will prepare the day before.
I shared the stew with 2 friends and it was a hit.
Yes, the nuts are expensive and I thought about using cashew milk from the dairy and adding the cornstarch to it or use my Almond milk that I use every day but decided to go for it and follow your recipe as written.
Luckily I found 1 lb packages of raw cashews on sale in the Organic section in my grocery store. (the dairy cashew milk actually cost the same) Score!
The organic wild rice took a little longer to cook than I thought but that was fine.
After sharing and having had some myself, I’ll put the rest in individual portions in the freezer for future quick meals.
Thanks for a good and healthy recipe!
Very good recipe. I left out the leeks and kept everything else the same. Would make again.
Loved this recipe! Didn’t have a butternut squash on hand so I subbed potatoes and spinach for the kale. Delicious :)
This was delicious and perfect on a cold night!! Thank you!
Awesome recipe! My family loved this! Thank you for sharing!
Oh my goodness!! I’m so glad I came across your recipe! I had vine ripe butternut squash and was wanting something to take me into fall… you definitely delivered! I’m not a kale fan so I did spinach at the end and used a wild rice blend. This hit the spot on so many levels, I couldn’t get enough! I shared it with my folks and they gobbled it up! Lol! I can’t wait to make this again. Definitely a keeper! Thank you!!
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