This recipe for Coconut Curried Green Lentils is one of those recipes that’s so convenient to have in your back pocket. Whether you haven’t been to the grocery store lately or are just looking for something easy to put together, chances are, you’ll have all the ingredients you need in your pantry for these coconut curried lentils.

Table of Contents

• The Story Behind the Recipe
• Ingredients
• Adaptations/Variations
• How to Make Coconut Curried Green Lentils
• Tips for Success
• Can I Freeze Coconut Curried Lentils?
• More Curry Recipes

• Jump to the Full, Printable Recipe
• Read Comments & Reviews

The Story Behind the Recipe

This coconut curried lentils recipe has been a favorite for years! I first stumbled upon a version of the recipe in the cookbook Small Victories by Julia Turshen (buy it here on Amazon [affiliate link]). Lentils simmer in sautéed onion, coconut milk, water, and spices – and I’ll be honest, the recipe is so simple that the first time I tried this recipe, I expected to be underwhelmed – or at least just whelmed. But I took one bite and was floored at the deliciousness!

Turshen’s recipe calls for split red lentils, which makes for a faster recipe, but the lentils don’t keep their shape. Other versions call for half split red lentils and half French green lentils, which is a combo I’ve made many times and is the best of both worlds.

For the version I’m sharing today, and the version I make most frequently, it’s all French green lentils. I also tend to use veggie broth instead of water for another layer of flavor, but it’s not strictly necessary.

Ingredients

• French green lentils – There are many types of lentils, but French green lentils are one of my faves! They’re smaller than standard green lentils, and hold their shape for excellent texture in dishes like this Coconut Curried Green Lentils recipe. You can use another type of lentil, too, but cooking time may vary.
• Olive oil – For sautéing the onion and spices.
• Onion – asdf
• Spices – Ground cumin, ground turmeric, ground coriander, and cayenne pepper (optional, but nice for an added touch of heat)
• Ginger
• Garlic
• Coconut milk – I like the richness of full-fat coconut milk for these curried lentils, but lite coconut milk will work, too.
• Vegetable broth – I like the extra flavor that veggie broth brings to the table, but water will work, too.
• Salt – I like to use kosher salt in my cooking. This recipe calls for a teaspoon, but you can add more or less to taste.

Adaptations/Variations

• Coconut Curried Red Lentils: Sub in split red lentils. You’ll want to reduce the cooking time, and keep in mind that they will not hold their shape so the result will be more homogenous and cream, but the taste will still be amazing!
• Swap in brown lentils or another lentil; the recipe will work, but the cooking time may change. Keep a close eye on it and add more liquid if needed.

How to Make Coconut Curried Green Lentils

These coconut curried lentils are so easy to make! Just set a large pan or pot over medium-low heat and sauté the onion, spices, garlic, and ginger.

Then add the lentils, coconut milk, broth, and salt.

At this point, you’ll simmer it for quite awhile until the lentils are tender. The curried lentils will thicken while cooking into this glorious pot of lentil goodness!

Serve with rice, a dollop of plain yogurt, cilantro, and naan for tastiest results.

Tips for Success

• Don’t boil it! Coconut milk can be fussy and will “break” if it’s cooked at too high of heat for too long. Just a low, steady simmer is perfect.
• Watch your lentils closely and add more liquid if needed. Sometimes the liquid will cook off too fast and the lentils need more time – and liquid – to cook perfectly.
• Peel your ginger with a spoon – I have to throw this tip in there because it’s borderline life-changing! Use the edge of a spoon to get the peel off of fresh ginger. I find I waste way less of the ginger peeling it this way than when I use a knife.

Can I Freeze Coconut Curried Lentils?

Yes, the leftovers freeze really well. Just place them in an airtight container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and warm gently over the stove.

More Curry Recipes

• Crock Pot Curried Pumpkin Chickpeas & Lentils
• Crock Pot Curried Chickpeas & Lentils with Potatoes & Peas
• Zucchini & Corn Curry
• Tomato & Chickpea Curry

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Coconut Curried Green Lentils Recipe

An easy one-pot pantry recipe! You probably have all the ingredients on hand to make these creamy, savory, perfectly spiced lentils. Best served with creamy plain yogurt and naan for delicious scooping!

Keyword coconut curried green lentils, coconut curried lentils, curried lentils

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Calories 320kcal

Author Kare

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 medium yellow onion diced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 cup French green lentils rinsed
• 13.5 ounces coconut milk 1 can
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste

Instructions

• Set a large saute pan or pot over medium-low heat. Add the olive oil. When warm, add the onion, cumin, turmeric, coriander, and cayenne pepper. Sauté the onion and spices, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, 5-6 minutes.
• Add the garlic and ginger and sauté for one more minute.
• Add the lentils, coconut milk, broth, and salt and stir to combine.
• Increase heat to medium and, once the mix is simmering, lower the heat to continue simmering, uncovered. There will be a lot of liquid at first, but the lentils will soak up some and some will cook off.
• Cook, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are tender, about 40 minutes. If the mixture begins to dry out before the lentils are cooked through, add another splash of vegetable broth or some water. By the end, the curried lentils should be thickened but still loose, like the consistency of risotto. Taste and add more salt if desired.
• Serve with rice – I recommend white basmati rice, brown basmati rice or cauliflower rice. Naan, a dollop of plain yogurt and some fresh cilantro leaves are excellent, too.

Notes

Nutrition info does not include toppings

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 320kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Sodium: 713mg | Potassium: 180mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 189IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 5mg

The post Coconut Curried Green Lentils Recipe appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

This vegan stuffed delicata squash makes for the perfect transitional side. And by transitional I mean it can be a side for the meat-eaters but easily transition into a main dish for the vegan and vegetarian folks. (I also call these substantial sides or meal-worthy sides because apparently it is in my nature to be wildly inconsistent. Either way: Super-handy for multi-vore households!)

After all, they say Thanksgiving is all about the sides. And as someone who doesn’t partake in turkey, it’s safe to say that I agree. This stuffed delicata squash side dish is one that I’m pretty excited about, too; with wild rice, lentils, and cranberries, it hits all the right marks.  

This stuffed delicata squash recipe uses one of my favorite winter squashes to cook with, delicata squash. I’ve had these things in bowls, baskets, rolling around on my kitchen counter, and roasting in my oven all season long. Love the things, just love ’em. 

This stuffed delicata squash might be my application so far.

What is Delicata Squash?

If you’re new to Delicata Squash, I thought I’d share a bit about it here. It’s one of my faves! (By the way, I love squash so much, I recently launched a whole new website about it. For real!)

Delicata squash is a delicious winter squash that has really exploded in popularity over the past decade or so.

Pale to bright yellow in hue with green or orange vertical stripes, delicata squash’s small, oblong shape is similar to that of a chubby zucchini. Delicata, though, is a winter squash (zucchini is a summer squash).

Inside, delicata squash is a pale orange. The squash is creamy, light, and, well, delicate in taste – if Sweet Potato Lite was such a thing, delicata would taste a lot like that.

One of the best things about delicata squash is that the skin is great for eating – it’s thin and a bit chewy when cooked. Being able to leave the skin on makes for a prettier presentation – and whole a lot less preparation. Win!

How to Make It

Half and de-seed your delicata squash, brush with olive oil, and place the oven to roast. While that’s happening? Whip up a your hearty wild rice pilaf, amped up with French green lentils, flavored with curry powder and cumin, and dotted with dried cranberries and pecans. Yess.

Once your pilaf is done and your squash is roasted, just fill in your little squash boats, sprinkle with parsley, and away you go. 

Can’t you just see this on your Thanksgiving table? 

Oh and did I mention these bad boys are vegan AND gluten-free? Perfect for when you have guests with special diets – just cover ’em all in one swoop. Well, and if you have anyone with nut allergies coming to the table, you could totally leave those out too – this dish is still plenty delicious without. 

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Wild Rice & Lentil Stuffed Delicata Squash with Cranberries & Pecans

Wild rice pilaf heartied up with lentils, flavored with curry spices and cumin, and dotted with sweet dried cranberries and crunchy pecans – all served up in delicious roasted delicata squash halves. Yum!

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Calories 348kcal

Author Kare

Ingredients

For the filling:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion diced
• 3/4 cup wild rice blend rinsed well
• 2 medium cloves garlic minced
• 1-2 teaspoons curry powder to taste*
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3-4 cups vegetable broth
• 1/3 cup French green lentils rinsed
• 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar packed
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans

For the squash:

• 3 delicata squash stems cut off, halved vertically, seeds removed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the garnish:

• A few leaves of fresh parsley chopped, for garnish

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Make the pilaf. Set a large saute pan with lid (or a medium dutch oven) over low heat. Add the olive oil. When hot, add the onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring frequently, until a few pieces of the rice start to get golden on the ends, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, 1 teaspoon curry powder, cumin, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, for one more minute.
• Add 3 cups of the vegetable broth, the brown sugar, and the lentils. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to a simmer, stir, and cover. Set the timer for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. If the mixture begins to get too dry before being cooked all of the way, add additional broth. If the mixture seems too wet after cooking for awhile, vent the pan to help some of the liquid evaporate. I’ve found making the pilaf is not an exact science as each pan is different, so just monitor your pilaf as it cooks. Pilaf is done when it’s relatively dry and the lentils and rice are tender, about 40 minutes.
• Remove pilaf from heat and stir the dried cranberries and chopped pecans. Taste and add the remaining teaspoon of curry powder and more salt and pepper if you wish.
• Meanwhile, while the pilaf cooks, prepare the delicata squash. Cut the stems off the ends, half lengthwise, scrape the seeds out with a spoon, and brush the inside of each half with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and place cut side down on a large baking sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes, until fork-tender and golden around the edges. Remove from oven.
• When ready to serve, flip over the delicata squash and spoon pilaf into the squash halves. I like to mound it just a bit but not too much or serving will become interesting (as in messy). You may have some pilaf left over. Transfer to serving plate and sprinkle chopped parsley over the top. Serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 348kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Sodium: 872mg | Potassium: 953mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 3362IU | Vitamin C: 30mg | Calcium: 92mg | Iron: 3mg

The post Wild Rice Stuffed Delicata Squash with Cranberries & Pecans appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

Sorry.

Anyway, for this one, I’ve branched out from soup into more of a dal situation.

Hello, dal situation.

These curried lentils are about as unfussy as it gets. And I definitely like unfussy! They’re inspired by this curried lentil recipe that I found via Food 52 compliments of the Small Victories cookbook (which is wonderful, by the way).

They’re highly flavored, wonderfully hearty, and delicious served up with a pile of rice and a bit of red onion, cilantro, and toasted cashews on top.

Why two types of lentils? The red lentils dissolve and thicken the whole caboodle while the French green lentils hold their shape and give the dish a nice bit of texture.

Meanwhile, the sweet potatoes sort of melt into the dish so you don’t end up with firm, disparate bits – instead, they lend a rich, slightly sweet note to the whole thing.

These Instant Pot Curried Sweet Potato Lentils freeze perfectly. In fact, I’ve just frozen a couple of lunch-for-two-size batches along with some brown basmati rice so that my guy and I can have quick and easy lunches next week. Because next week, we’re both taking most of the week off and hitting the kitchen hard.

We are READY to wrap up this whole remodel thing already, and painting the cabinets is next on the list. We can do this! (We hope, eek!).

I probably won’t be sharing any new recipes here next week because I’ll be in kitchen remodel mode. But if you’re interested in the progress, be sure to check out my Instagram Stories – I’ll be updating there now and then!

(more…)

The post Instant Pot Curried Sweet Potato Lentils appeared first on Kitchen Treaty.

Every once in awhile, I find a recipe that is just, somehow, fun to make. I don’t know why it is, but this lentil vegetable soup recipe does that for me. Maybe it’s the simplicity of the standard mirepoix, the smell of the sauteing garlic, the pretty French green lentils that skew almost to blue in the right light. Maybe it’s just the therapeutic nature of making a basic, nurturing soup. I don’t know – I just know I love making this soup.

The inspiration comes from the one and only Ina Garten’s Lentil Vegetable Soup. While the Barefoot Contessa herself has created a fine soup, I also find that it can be a bit more labor intensive than I like – plus, it makes a loooooot of soup. Her recipe also calls for chicken stock and Parmesan cheese, neither of which I eat these days.

So I set out to make a simpler, smaller batch, vegan version, and this is the result.

Simple and simply tasty.

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Lentil Vegetable Soup

This satisfying bowlful is a simpler, smaller-batch, and vegan version of Ina Garten’s Lentil Vegetable Soup.

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Author Kare

Ingredients

• 1 cup French green lentils*
• 2 tablespoons olive oil plus more for serving, if desired
• 1 large yellow onion diced
• 2 medium carrots diced) (about 1 cup
• 2 stalks celery chopped) (about 3/4 cup
• 4 medium cloves garlic minced) (about 1 tablespoon
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper plus more to taste
• 6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• Chopped parsley chopped scallions, or snipped chives for topping, if desired (I usually add one of these, whatever I have on hand, for a bit of color)

Instructions

• Rinse lentils. Place in a heat-proof bowl and pour boiling water over the top. Let sit 20 minutes.
• While the lentils soak, chop and saute the vegetables. To saute, set a large soup pot over medium heat.
• When hot, add the olive oil. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 10 minutes. Add garlic, thyme, cumin, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring
• frequently, for one minute.
• Add the vegetable broth and the tomato paste. Drain the lentils, discarding the soaking water, and add them to the pot. Increase heat to medium high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until the lentils are tender, about 30 minutes.
• Remove from heat and stir in the red wine vinegar. Taste and add additional salt and pepper if
• desired.
• Scoop into bowls and serve. If you like, drizzle with a little more olive oil and an optional topping if desired.

Notes

*The recipe calls specifically for French green lentils because they keep their shape when cooked. Brown or green lentils will also work, but the end product will probably be a bit mushier.

Adapted from Ina Garten

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