This recipe for Curried Lentils is a spin-off of the ever-popular Quick Curried Chickpeas. It always amazes me how a recipe with so few ingredients can have such big flavor! For this version, I subbed out chickpeas for lentils, added some diced carrot for color and sweetness (and because my New Year’s resolution is VEGETABLES!), and increased the curry powder. The result, although not exactly pretty, was so good that I couldn’t stop piling forkfuls into my mouth while I took the photos. Seriously, I couldn’t stop.
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There are so many ways you can eat these Curried Lentils that I decided to present the recipe as the lentils themselves. They’d be great as part of an Indian platter with some creamed spinach and naan. You could stuff them into a pita as sort of a sloppy joe-like sandwich (but vegetarian, of course), or you could build a “bowl” meal with brown rice, a fried egg, and maybe even some spinach. Options, options, options!
This recipe made about four cups and depending on how you serve it, that should be at minimum four servings. Pretty stinking cheap. If you happen to have any left over, these lentils should freeze quite well.
Curried Lentils
Servings 4 1 cup eachIngredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.16)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 1 medium onion ($0.32)
- 3 medium carrots (1/2 lb.) ($0.55)
- 1 cup uncooked brown lentils ($0.68)
- 2 Tbsp curry powder hot or mild ($0.60)
- 15 oz can tomato sauce* ($0.59)
- Salt to taste ($0.02)
- 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro (optional) ($0.40)
Instructions
- Spread the lentils out on a baking sheet to make them easier to see. Pick out any stones or debris. Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a sauce pot, then add the lentils. Allow the pot to come back up to a boil, then turn the heat to low, place a lid on top, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the lentils are tender. Drain the cooked lentils in a colander.
- Meanwhile, mince the garlic and finely dice the onion and carrots. Sauté the onion, garlic, and carrots in a large skillet with olive oil over medium heat until the onions are transparent (about 5 minutes). Add the curry powder and sauté for one minute more.
- Add the cooked and drained lentils to the skillet, along with the tomato sauce. Stir and heat through (about 5 minutes). Turn the heat off, taste the lentils, and add salt if needed (I added about 1/2 tsp).
- Top with fresh cilantro and serve over a bed of rice, with naan, or crusty bread.
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Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Curried Lentils – Step by Step Photos
For this recipe I used brown lentils because they cook quickly and hold their shape. Brown lentils cook in about 20 minutes, whereas French or green lentils take closer to 45 minutes. Red and yellow lentils also cook quickly, but they tend to break down and turn into mush when cooked. I definitely wanted the lentils to stay whole.
To cook the lentils, bring a pot with about 3 cups of water to a boil (the amount of water isn’t so crucial, just as long as there is enough for the lentils to move about freely, kind of like when cooking pasta. It will be drained off later). Once boiling, add 1 cup of dry lentils. Let the pot come back up to a boil, then turn the heat down to low, place a lid on top, and let it simmer for about 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, test a lentil to see if it’s tender. If not, let it simmer for about 5 more minutes. Drain the lentils in colander once finished cooking.
Meanwhile, prep and cook the vegetables. Mince two cloves of garlic and finely dice one medium onion and three medium carrots (about 1/2 lb.).
Add the garlic, onions, and carrots to a large skillet along with one tablespoon of olive oil. Sauté over medium heat until the onions become transparent, about 5 minutes.
Add two tablespoons of curry powder and sauté for one minute more (this toasts the spices and helps bring out their flavor). All curry powders are a little different, so you can start with one tablespoon and increase it to your liking.
Add the cooked and drained lentils, plus one 15oz. can of tomato sauce. Stir to combine and then heat through (about five minutes). Taste the lentils and add salt if needed. I added about 1/2 teaspoon.
Serve them hot topped with fresh cilantro (if you’re a cilantro person).
There are a lot of different ways you can eat these Curried Lentils, this yummy bowl being one of them. I added a bed of brown jasmine rice, the lentils, a fried egg, and some fresh cilantro. SO GOOD.
I served this to my brother and his children as a variation on traditional Mexican breakfast.
Scrambled Eggs
Curried Lentils (instead of refined beans)
Fried Potatoes
Pico de Gallo
Avocado Slices
Very filling. Great start to a busy day.
I made this tonight with one can of lentils and one can of chick peas because it’s all I had. Talk about quick and delicious! So grateful for this tonight. I will make it again and again. Just for kicks I added cayenne and cinnamon, 1 tbs of apple cider vinegar and 1 tbs of maple syrup. Topped with cilantro and raisins and a bit of cultured milk.
This recipe is the basis of so many amazing meals! I love your version but I also LOVE coconut. So to add a flare to this meal while keeping it relatively healthy (without cream) I substitute the olive oil for coconut oil, grate in a tablespoon of fresh ginger, and in the final minutes of cooking add a bag of frozen spinach… PERFECTION. I must say I truly appreciate the versatility of your recipes as they are teaching me, slowly, the art of cooking and perfecting my meals!
I made this tonight but only had red lentils and then pizza sauce to use in place of the tomato sauce. It still turned out really good, and the mushiness helped my toddler eat it with rice.
This recipe has become a staple in our house. And me, never having been a lentil fan as a child! I love how this can be such a satisfying meatless meal. The flavor is so outstanding. We’re doing it tonight with naan instead of rice. I may do it with some noodles next time. If I don’t make this for awhile I really begin to crave it! Thank you for bringing this recipe to us!
I made this for lunch today. I put it over quinoa. It was delicious. It required no salt at all. So glad I tried it. Thanks so much.
I just made this for lunch today and it was delicious! I love how budget-friendly and nutritious it is! Just what I needed for quarantine cooking!
I live in West Yorkshire UK and am in isolation at this virus ridden time. I am using up lots of things from my cupboard and freezer so my ingredients varied a little but oh, this is so delicious. Thank you. Ann Broxham
Delicious! Lentils were all sold out, so I used chana dal (split chickpeas) which required soaking + longer boil time, but it turned out fantastic. Tastes even better when topped on warm rice!
This was amazing. i really like the part about toasting spices. I had done it with fresh black pepper before, but didnt know it extended to spices already in a powder form.
This recipe was easy to make and delicious! I added it to my recipe book. Thank you for sharing!
It was amazing, my husband said it was a little to thick so I might have to add more tomato sauce next time, added little chucks of chicken cooked with some of the curry.
Hi sorry to bother you but isn’t 15 oz of tomato sauce around 450 gm is that amount okay or is it excessive. I don’t know anything about cooking that’s my first time trying so I am asking 😅
Hi Maryam! It’s approximately 425 grams. Have fun!
I tried it for the first time tonight. The carrots we’re not soft enough at all, I cooked the carrots and onions for at least 10min. I’m guessing they weren’t diced small enough.t kids finished it anyway though :-D. Thanks for sharing. This website has been a godsend.
Yes the thickness of the carrots can greatly impact how quick they’ll cook. Glad to hear it was still a hit! We’re happy you are here!
Great Stuff! I am going to personalize it for my own tastes a bit but it is awesome! Thank you for sharing!
Thanks Tina!