Quick Lentil Curry Recipe

I just love curry, especially the fragrant and very spicy variety! Unfortunately though, this isn’t a practical meal for small children who won’t go anywhere near hot and spicy. This quick lentil curry recipe is the perfect meal to suit the whole family.

Because this is a meat-free dish, it’s great for meat-free Mondays, and is very economical to make. The pumpkin and potato provides all the filling carbs your growing children need. And the lentils provide important fibre and are key for good mental health, especially if you have teens in the house.

You can make this dish with store-bought tomato sauce, or use our home-made tomato sauce recipe for extra flavour and nutrients.

Although this lentil curry recipe is designed to be simple, you can change up the veges to include sliced carrot, or small broccoli florets. Or throw in some frozen peas and corn in the last 5 minutes of cooking.

Speedy Lentil Curry

This tastes so much more interesting than it sounds! It’s very cheap, and easy to make. And it’s economical and nutritious too. Serve with basmati rice and warm roti in the cooler months, or with steamed beans, and a fresh summer salad in the warmer months.

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Speedy Lentil Curry

This tastes so much more interesting than it sounds! It’s also cheap, nutritious, and easy to make. It goes particularly well with a fresh green salad for something a bit different over summer.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion diced
• 2 cloves garlic crushed
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp mild curry powder of your choice
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 300g pumpkin skinned and cut into 3cm chunks
• 4-6 small potatoes and/or kumara cut into 2-3cm chunks
• 1 x 400g can lentils (or dried lentils cooked in boiling salted water until tender, then drained)
• 1 x 400g can Italian-style tomatoes
• 1 cup or low-salt commercial tomato sauce
• ½ cup water as needed.
• ½ cup sultanas

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the onions and garlic, lower the heat and simmer until the onion is translucent.

2. Add the spices, stir for a few moments, until fragrant, then add the diced pumpkin, potato and/or kumara and mix well.

3. Add the tomatoes, cooked, drained lentils and enough water to just cover the vegetables.

4. Cover and simmer 15-25 minutes or until the vegetables are just tender. Check them regularly after the first few minutes.

5. Stir through the sultanas and check the seasoning, add salt if required. 

Recipe Notes

Sprinkle over finely chopped coriander leaves and serve with basmati rice and freshly heated roti. Or, in the warm summer months, serve with steamed beans, and a fresh green salad.