As soon as the weather turns chilly, I crave Indian food non-stop.  I love the warmth of the spices, the heartiness of the ingredients, and I’ll ultimately eat anything that is served with a piece of fluffy naan!  My favorite meal from my local spot is Saag Chole- basically chickpeas and spinach blended into a super creamy mixture.  I’ve tried to recreate it several times at home, but I know that I’m simply not using the quantity of butter and cream the restaurants use, so my result is never quite the same.  However, when I saw Half Baked Harvest post her Indian Pumpkin Butter Chickpeas, I thought it was not only seasonal, but GENIUS to use low-calorie pumpkin to add depth of creaminess to a saucy recipe, without the heavy calorie load.  Alas, I’ve used a hybrid of Tieghan’s recipe + variations on my favorite Indian takeout to create this Pumpkin Butter Saag Chole, that I’m currently *swooning* over.

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Aside from the incredible taste, saag chole is my favorite Indian meal because the chickpeas load the dish with plant-protein and fiber, and the spinach adds a ton of micronutrients- including Vitamin K, A, C, iron, and magnesium.  Plus, ginger, garlic, and turmeric not only add a boat load of flavor to the recipe, they’re also powerful immune-system boosters, perfect for colder months when sickness runs rampant.  And just in case you’re skeptical, you won’t taste the pumpkin AT ALL, but it does work with the coconut milk to add a silky smooth consistency to the sauce of this Pumpkin Butter Saag Chole.

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The best part about this Pumpkin Butter Saag Chole is it makes A LOT- which is great for those trying to cook-once-eat-many-times, as it can be served as a meal on its own, or even a side dish alongside another protein source.  Like I mention in the instructions, it’s also a meal that gets better with age, as the flavor has more time to develop, making it the perfect lunch to eat throughout the week! (If the sauce gets thick from the coconut milk being refrigerated, feel free to stir in some extra water, broth, or unsweetened plant milk to thin things out, or simply adding heat should bring it back to it’s original consistency!)

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All I have to left to say about this creamy, cozy, perfectly-seasonal meal is… don’t forget the naan 🙂 Enjoy!

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