Moroccan Chickpea, Carrot and Butternut Squash Stew

This Moroccan inspired stew makes the most of in season butternut squash in a hearty, flavourful and warming dish which is packed full of goodness and perfect for this time of year. The flavour comes from Ras El Hanout, a North African spice blend, which works so well with the squash, carrots and chickpeas. As tends to be the case with this sort of dish, it tastes even better the following day once the flavours have had a chance to infuse and furthermore, it's well suited to batch cooking. It's lovely to serve as an informal dinner with friends, with an extra drizzle of good quality olive oil and some quinoa or flatbreads.

Three great health benefits: boosts immunity, good source of fibre, promotes healthy skin

Serves 4

Ingredients:
400g butternut squash, chopped into bitesized cubes (peeled)
2 carrots (200g), chopped into bitesized circles
3 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 & 1/2 tsp ras el hanout
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 x 400g can chickpeas, drained
1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
500ml vegetable stock
3 handfuls spinach (80g)
Sea salt and black pepper

Method:
1) Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
2) Place the butternut squash and carrots in a roasting tin. Drizzle with 2 tbsp of the olive oil and season with salt & pepper. Roast for 20- 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside. (You can do this step in advance if desired).
3) In a saucepan over a medium low heat on the hob, warm 1 tbsp of the olive oil. Add the onion and lightly fry for a few minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and lightly fry for a further 1-2 minutes.
4) Add the ras el hanout and tomato puree and stir together.
5) Stir in the chickpeas and roasted butternut squash and carrots. Add the chopped tomatoes and stir to combine.
6) Pour some of the stock into the empty tomato can and swish around before pouring into the saucepan (to obtain all of the tomato juices), along with the rest of the stock. Stir to combine. The stew will look quite liquidy at this point but don't worry as it will reduce! Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15- 20minutes, stirring regularly.
7) A couple of minutes before the end of the cooking time, stir through the spinach.

Let me know if you try out this recipe! Tag me on Twitter @HaloEats or Instagram @halo.eats