Flavorful Curried Lentils “Stew” with Rice

A 20 minute vegetarian dinner that the whole family will love! Our Curried Lentils use canned lentils and strained tomatoes along with delicious Indian spices to create a wonderfully aromatic curry dish you will make time and time again. 

There is something about a good meatless meal that I just love! Curried Lentils are a super quick and easy way to incorporate more legumes into your diet while keeping the flavor game strong.

I promise you there is nothing boring about this dish! If you’re not used to cooking with these delicious little parcels of flavor, don’t worry.

I am going to provide you with some tips and tricks on how to enjoy this easy Lentil Curry without spending your entire day at the stove. 

For this recipe you will need: canned lentils, onion, strained tomatoes, cilantro, curry powder, ground ginger, garam  masala (see recipe for alternative), cayenne pepper, salt and vegetable oil. Rice for serving is optional. 

Curried lentils rescue boring dinners!

I am a huge fan of Indian spices and food, yet I find myself steering away from making them at home because I am always afraid of the time needed to really let the flavors stew together.

And as you know from most of our other recipes on here, we don’t like to spend hours making dinner during the week!

Cue our Curried Lentils! I have been cooking with lentils so much lately, see our Lentil Shepperd’s Pie ,  and decided  I wanted to try my hand at a stew-like recipe that didn’t take all afternoon to cook.

Now because we use canned lentils (they are a saving grace for weeknight meals!) I knew this dish was something I could pull off if I could just get my spices right in the amount of time allotted for a quick weeknight meal.

Thankfully my friend Google had all the answers I needed for savory spices to make this an easy Lentil Curry we could enjoy in under 25 minutes! Just take a look at it simmering away below.

Curried lentils FAQ

What is lentil curry? 

Very simply, it is a vegetarian dish that uses a variety of Indian spices and is served atop a bed of basmati rice.

It can be enjoyed for a quick weeknight dinner and even made ahead of time to enjoy later in the week. Lentil Curry can also be frozen so you have it on hand whenever the craving hits.

Do you have to soak lentils?

For this particular recipe we use canned lentils rather than a bag of dried lentils. Using canned lentils allows this dish to be made quickly and doesn’t sacrifice nutrition or flavor.

If you want to use dried lentils instead you will need to make sure you soak them for about 1 hour to ensure they are soft enough for your curried lentil stew.

How do you make lentil curry?

The key to a curry with a depth of flavor is to create a paste like mixture with your spices and onions before adding the remainder of your ingredients.

Once you let your spices become fragrant you add the strained tomatoes and lentils and allow to simmer until it thickens (about 10 minutes).

We stir in some cilantro at this point as well but that is optional. While your mixture thickens you will need to cook some rice for serving, or serve with toasted naan bread instead.

You may need…

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A good quality saucepan is a staple in any kitchen. This  4-quart one from Cuisinart is perfect for large batches of stews and soups!

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