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–+ servings
Overhead view of large black bowl filled with red lentil coconut curry
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5 from 2 votes

Vegetarian Red Lentil Coconut Curry

The one-pot coconut curry recipe is packed with veggies and flavor. It's perfect for weeknight dinners or a week of meal prep lunches.
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time25 mins
Total Time35 mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian
Servings: 7 servings
Calories: 632.45kcal
Author: Cassidy Reeser, RDN, LDN

Ingredients

  • 2 cups dry brown rice see note
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ cup diced yellow onion from ½ yellow onion
  • ½ cup chopped carrots from ~2 carrot sticks
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
  • 1 tablespoon curry powder
  • 2 teaspoons garam masala
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup frozen green peas
  • 1 13.5 ounce can chickpeas drained and rinsed
  • 2 cups dry red lentils
  • 1 13.5 ounce can coconut milk
  • 3 cups vegetable broth choose reduced sodium if possible
  • 3 loosely packed cups spinach or kale
  • lime wedges and chopped cilantro for serving

Instructions

  • If serving with brown rice, prepare according to package instructions.
  • Heat oil in a dutch oven or medium stockpot over medium heat. Once hot, add diced onions. Saute until translucent, about 5 minutes.
  • Add carrots, garlic, and ginger, sauteing a minute more, until the garlic is lightly browned and aromatic.
  • Add the spices and salt, frozen green peas, chickpeas, red lentils, coconut milk and vegetable broth. Stir to combine.
  • Bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, cover and reduce to a simmer over medium-low heat. Simmer until the red lentils are cooked, about 15 minutes.
  • Once cooked, stir in the spinach or kale. Serve over rice with lime wedges and chopped cilantro.

Notes

  • You can subtitute 1 teaspoon ground ginger per 1 tablespoon fresh.
  • You can sub lite or reduced fat coconut milk in place of whole fat coconut milk.
  • Curry powder can be mild, medium or hot -- choose based on your heat preference. 
  • For a complete meal, serve with your choice of brown rice, basmati rice, or naan. You can also make burritos by adding ~1 cup of cooled curry to a large tortilla with spinach and sliced bell peppers.

Nutrition

Calories: 632.45kcal | Carbohydrates: 96.42g | Protein: 24.99g | Fat: 17.5g | Saturated Fat: 11.2g | Sodium: 594.61mg | Potassium: 1035.99mg | Fiber: 23.77g | Sugar: 6.68g | Vitamin A: 1983.85IU | Vitamin C: 13.71mg | Calcium: 103.25mg | Iron: 9.01mg