This Lentil Vegetable Curry is an easy vegetarian recipe for a busy night. Or make it ahead of time and reheat for a quick lunch or dinner.
**This post was originally published in 2012. I updated the photos and recipe in August 2016**
Hi Friends!
Today I’m sharing one of my go-to meals. Everyone has them. The ones you make so often you could pretty much do it in your sleep. The ones that are quick, relatively healthy, quick, enjoyed by the whole family, quick….for those nights you just don’t feel like cooking.
I know I have several. And a lot of them aren’t on this blog because, quite frankly, I don’t follow a recipe. I use what I have on hand, I don’t measure things, and the beauty of these “recipes” are that they’re still delicious every single time.
But, in an effort to help you guys…because I know many of you are searching for quick, easy meals…I’ve decided to start paying more attention when I make these meals. Maybe snapping a few pictures and taking a few measurements….so that I can share them with all of you!
Today’s recipe is one of our all-time favs. I make it pretty much once a week. It’s great for packing in a lot of vegetables and it’s also a great recipe for using lentils because they totally absorb the curry flavor and you really don’t even notice that they’re in the dish.
My Go-To Meals: Lentil & Vegetable Curry
This Lentil Vegetable Curry is an easy vegetarian recipe that's perfect for a busy weeknight. Or make it ahead of time and reheat for a quick lunch or dinner!
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup green or brown lentils, uncooked
- 3/4 cup brown or basmati rice, uncooked
- 1 Tbsp oil
- 1.5 cups (small) diced potatoes
- 1 cup diced red peppers
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
- 3 Tbsp red curry paste (hot or mild)
- 2-3 dried red peppers, minced (optional)
- 1 can coconut milk
- Naan (optional)
Instructions
- Cook lentils according to package directions.
- Cook rice according to package directions (or use 90-second microwave rice)
- Microwave diced potatoes for 1 minute to soften.
- In a large dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Saute potatoes, peppers, onion, garlic, mixed vegetables curry paste and hot peppers for 10 minutes.
- Add coconut milk and cook another 10 minutes or until vegetables reach desired tenderness.
- Stir in lentils, heat through and serve with rice and naan.
I love making a big batch so we have leftovers for lunch or dinner the next day. I buy my frozen naan from Trader Joes’s and it is absolutely delish!
Side note- The reason I microwave the potatoes is because they take so much longer to cook than all the other vegetables. Nuking them for a minute or so gives them a head start so they end up being the perfectly cooked by the time the other veggies are ready. If you don’t want to microwave them, you can just add them to the dutch oven first and saute them for a while before adding the other veggies.
All in all, this dinner can be ready in under 30 minutes and it’s a winner every time! If you’re a meat-eater, feel free to sub chicken for the lentils. I also make this with chickpeas sometimes.
Enjoy!
–Lindsay–
I’m pretty sure I could live on curry.
Yay for FitFluential! It is an awesome community. 🙂
GREAT idea for a new series.
I need I need.
(WHO KNEW about the microwater ‘tater tip?!)
This sounds delicious, Lindsay…I LOVE lentils…add that protein!!
Curry and Naan oh my! Love both of those sooooo much! My Mom makes her own Naan Bread, it’s 2 die for! Yummmmeh!
p.s. great idea for a series! Looks forward to your eats! 🙂
that DOES sound really good and fast and easy!! love it!!
I like the sound of this series! 😀 I also like curry and how quickly it can turn a meal from meh to woohoo!
YUM!! You are absolutely right! Curries don’t need to take a ton of time to make and you can basically throw anything in to make it delicious. This sounds AWESOME! Need to add it to my list of recipes to try 🙂 Can’t wait to read more of your go-to recipes!
I really really really need to get cooking with lentils.
Oh yum that looks so tasty!! You know, I don’t know if I’ve ever had lentils. How crazy is that?!
oooh, I can tell I’m going to LOVE this series!! i love a good curry so bookmarking to try 🙂 thanks for sharing!
and this go-to meal is so much more awesome-looking than my go-to meals! jealous of your cooking skills, lady!
I CANNOT WAIT TO TRY THIS! I love all of these things and this looks fantastic. Perfect to make at the beginning of the week and take to work for lunch. Thank you for sharing such a great recipe!! 🙂
I LOVE this idea!! It’s so true – we have a bunch of healthy “go-to” meals that we often think are too easy / too quick to blog about. But readers need these go-to meals too!! Thanks for sharing, and the idea. I might have to feature my own-go-to meal and reference back to this post (like What I Ate Wed!!… you might have started something here Lindsay!!). Quick Question – do you know of any substitute in this recipe for coconut milk? I’m allergic 🙁 Was just writing on Gina’s blog yesterday about this unfortunate circumstance in my enjoyment of Thai food. Let me know what you think might work! Thanks 🙂
PS. Maybe you should make a logo for the “go-to meals” idea. (Like WIAW)
I love having a little arsenal of go-to meals. At the top of my list is tortilla pizzas and stir fry!
YUM! I just made a lentil concoction last night and it is quickly becoming my go-to too. SO yummy and versatile! I must try this too!
Great post… it looks so colorful. I want to eat it over some rice (white or brown). Nom Nom Nom
Okay, I’m the oddball (what’s new) and have no go-to meals. I rarely cook the same thing twice, even for company! 🙂
i definitely have go to meals, it seems like most of them are lunch items. 🙂 This looks like it’d be good on my lunch menu!
Love this idea! I have tons of quick, go-to meals. But I do sometimes share them on my blog even thought they’re easy peasy. I need to try this one! 🙂
P.S. Missed you at the Dirty Girl!!!! Hope you’re feeling better though. <3
Considering most nights I just throw whatever is in the fridge into a bowl and call it dinner–much to the shock of people who live with me and think, “I thought food bloggers cooked epic meals all the time?”–I can empathize with the “go to” meals idea.
Unfortunately I don’t think people would like to eat what I normally come up with.
I do have weird tastes. 😉
great recipe! im definitely in a cooking slump so i look forward to u giving me recipes to make for dinner 🙂
Hi Lindsay! Can you tell me a little more about FitFluential? I just started my blog back in February and would love to learn more and get more involved. Thanks!
yes! if you’re a blogger I would definitely apply to be a fitfluential ambassador. it’s a pretty big company, growing rapidly but there’s no contracts or anything. it gives you access to opportunities for different fitness and health related events around the country, there are facebook groups just for the ambassadors where you can promote your blog posts and ask fellow ambassadors to help spread the word about your posts on twitter/pinterest etc. You get opportunities to work with big fitness brands as well as smaller companies. If you’re on twitter it’s an amazing community to be part of. Everyone is SO motivating and supportive. If you need motivation to hit the gym, there are people there…if you have an awesome workout, people will congratulate you…i’d definitely check it out! email me if you have more specific questions!
This looks fabulous!! I love love love curry!!
And you have to love a dish that cooks in 20 minutes!!
Just pinned this recipe…thanks for sharing!!
I love this series idea! So you are making me drool with all of your great recipes. I can’t wait to make this!!
Lentils & curry? Yum! This recipe looks amazing, these are two of my favorite things so I’m excited to give it a try!
great idea for a series!
This looks delicious, Lindsay. Thank you so much for sharing your go-to recipes – Definitely my favorite type of recipe!
Can I just say thank you? I’ve been looking for a lentil meal to make, and this sounds really good! I may have to make a few adjustments (don’t have every thing right now), but this is such a great starting base. I’m looking forward to your other Go-To Meals!
And, by the way, isn’t that true? I find myself making the same thing so often that – just like you! – I don’t need a recipe. But – and my husband and I both agree – you end up eating the same thing over and over. This will bring a nice change!
I made this tonight and we loved it!! I thought I had red curry paste, but it turned out to be tom yum paste…..still awesome :).
awesome!!! so glad to hear it! it’s one of our favs 🙂
I’ve made this twice and now it’s officially one of my go-to meals! I love that your can add whatever and however many veggies you want. I use Trader Joe’s split red lentils which get mushy and make it almost into a soup. Throw in some quinoa and you’re good to go!
This looks so good! I’ve been loving lentils lately! They’re so filling!
Curries are one of my absolute favorite meals. I’m glad I now have a vegetarian recipe to try!
Yum! I love all things curry. My husband is a naan lover too, so that Trader Joe’s frozen naan is PERFECT to keep on hand for meals like this 🙂
This sounds ridiculously delicious!
I can never get enough lentils! My favorite legume!
Ah perfect timing–I’ve been looking for more lentil recipes! We use red curry paste all the time. I don’t know why I haven’t thought to make lentils with it yet!
This recipe couldn’t come at a better time! I JUST made your lentil sloppy joes and I’m obsessed! We’ve had a HUGE bag of lentils (was going to make soup, clearly didn’t happen) in our pantry forever and came across the sloppy joe recipe and thought why not! This is going to be next on my list! THANK YOU!