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Red Lentil Spinach Curry

This red lentil spinach curry is creamy, comforting, healthy, and easy to make. Ready in about 30 minutes and packed with greens!
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Prep Time:10 minutes
Cook Time:25 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients

Spices

  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp curry powder
  • ½ tsp ground coriander
  • ½ tsp turmeric
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • ¼-½ tsp Indian red chili powder* adjust to taste

Spinach Cream

  • 250 grams fresh spinach blanched
  • 45 grams raw cashews soaked in hot water for 10 minutes
  • 1 cup water or non-dairy milk

Curry

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 small onion diced
  • 2 small carrots diced
  • 2-3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tbsp ginger minced
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 2½ - 3 cups vegetable broth1
  • 1 cup red lentils2 rinsed
  • 2-3 tsp lemon juice
  • ¼ tsp salt or more to taste

Instructions

  • Mix spices together in a small bowl.
  • Blanch the spinach for the cream sauce. Add spinach to a large heat-safe bowl. Boil a pot or kettle of water and pour over the spinach. Let the spinach sit in the hot water for 1-2 minutes until wilted, then drain and rinse the spinach. Once cool enough to handle, take handfuls of spinach and squeeze out excess water. Set aside.
  • Make the curry: Heat oil in a pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft, about 5-8 minutes.
  • Add carrots, garlic, and ginger and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
  • Add spices and tomato paste and stir for 30-60 seconds to toast.
  • Deglaze the pot with some of the vegetable broth, scraping the bottom for any stuck pieces. Add remaining broth (start with 2½ cups) and red lentils. Simmer until lentils are soft, about 15 minutes. Check and stir every few minutes, adding more broth if needed.
  • Make the spinach cream: Drain soaked cashews and add to a blender with spinach and water/non-dairy milk. Blend until creamy.
  • Once the lentils are soft, stir in the spinach cream. Gently simmer for another 5 minutes.
  • Turn off heat and stir in lemon juice and salt to taste.

Notes

1) Vegetable Broth: I use water + 1/2 tsp of Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base*. 
2) Red Lentils: While you don't need to soak red lentils before cooking, it can be helpful to speed up cook time and reduce any potential bloating. See "Tips for Success" in the blog post for more details.