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This coconut lentil curry is both creamy and filling. A 30-minute healthy plant-based dish that is the perfect budget-friendly vegan dinner!
One of the many complaints I hear is how expensive it is to eat a vegan diet. Well, this dish busts all those myths. Coconut lentil curry is a healthy and delicious economical dish made with ingredients easily attainable.
Lentils, of all varieties, are one of those curvy vegan pantry staples to have. Just like in my Vegan Chickpea Curry recipe, the texture of red lentils makes them the PERFECT ingredient for vegan curry recipes!
Frugal Vegan Recipes Please!
I can’t take credit for this dish. This is just one of the many yummy recipes found in Melissa Copeland’s new cookbook 30-Minute Frugal Vegan Recipes.
Melissa is the creator of the blog The Stingy Vegan and her book includes quick and flavourful plant-based meals you can make on a budget.
So you don’t have to worry about hard to find ingredients or expensive processed vegan mock meats.
Melissa will tell you herself that she HATES spending money so you can be sure that these recipes will be friendly on your pocket. Not only that, these recipes are colorful, delicious, healthy plant-based meals!
30 Minute Frugal Vegan Recipes is divided into 8 chapters:
- Cheap-as-Chips Main Meals
- Quick-Fix Pasta and Noodles
- Speedy Soups and Stews
- Plant-Powered Salads
- Irresistible Vegan Sandwiches, Wraps, and Burgers
- Savory Small Bites
- Quick and Easy Morning Munchies
- Snappy Sweet Treats
I chose to feature the Coconut Lentil Curry (located in Cheap-as-Chips Main Meals chapter, page 32) recipe because I can’t resist a good curry! This dish was so delicious! The eggplant in this recipe gives this dish a fleshy meaty like texture and the lentils help make it super filling!
Other Delicious Recipes from 30 Minute Frugal Vegan Cookbook
Black Bean Salsa Burgers, p. 104
Mediterranean Stuffed Mushrooms, p. 122 GET THE RECIPE HERE
Cranberry-Oat Breakfast Cookies, p. 151 GET THE RECIPE HERE
You can learn more about Melissa book and how to purchase your copy by visiting The Stingy Vegan blog.
How to Make Coconut Lentil Curry
*Please read detailed and printable recipe card below for full ingredients and instructions.
Cook your Lentils
- First, saute your onions, garlic, and seasonings. (Photo 1 & 2)
- Then add your red lentils, broth, frozen spinach, and crush tomatoes and simmer until lentils are tender. (Photo 3 & 4)
Add Eggplant and Tomatoes
- While the lentils are cooking, saute the eggplant and tomatoes. (Photo 1)
- When the lentils are ready, add the eggplant and tomatoes and coconut milk. Heat for a minute then serve. (Photo 2, 3 & 4)
Substitution, Cook, and Storage Tips:
- This recipe is adaptable to a no-oil lifestyle!
- Frozen spinach and canned tomatoes are used because it’s more affordable than fresh. If you prefer to use fresh, buy locally from a farmer’s market as it’s inexpensive.
- Crushed canned tomatoes also help thickens the curry dish but again you can use fresh if you desire.
- This dish would be super yummy with added sweet potatoes or mushrooms!
- You can use other frozen (or fresh) greens of your choice: kale, swiss chard, etc
- If you want to substitute with brown lentils, note that the cooking time will be a tad bit longer as red lentils cook faster.
- I found that this recipe will keep in the fridge for 4 days so it makes a great meal prep dish!
- Can this be frozen? I was able to freeze a portion of my curry and thaw it out a week later and it was still delicious. Generally, red lentil curry dishes can be kept frozen for up to a month.
I know you are going to love this recipe as much I did. 30-Minute Frugal Vegan Recipes is a wonderful book filled with affordable yummy dishes! I highly recommend adding this cookbook to your vegan collection. Enjoy!
You can purchase Melissa’s cookbook on Amazon: 30-Minute Frugal Vegan Recipes: Fast, Flavorful Plant-Based Meals on a Budgets
More Curry Inspired Recipes
Other Recipes with Lentils
- BBQ Lentil Meatballs
- Lentil Shepherd’s Pie
- Vegan Lentil Loaf
- Zucchini Spaghetti Recipe
- BBQ Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
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Coconut Lentil Curry
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon oil divided
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
- 1/2 medium medium onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic finely diced
- 2 teaspoon curry powder every curry powder is different so adjust this depending on how strong yours is
- 1 cup red lentils, rinsed
- 7 ounce frozen spinach
- 2 cups vegetable stock, broth, or water
- 1 canned crushed tomatoes 14 ounces
- 1 small eggplant cubed
- 15 cherry tomatoes
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt divided
- 1 can coconut milk 14 ounces
- Rice for serving optional
- Optional garnishes: cilantro lime, plain vegan yogurt, vegan naan
Instructions
- In a large saucepan or pot, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and fry for 30 seconds, or until they darken in color slightly and are fragrant.
- Add onion and sauté until tender, 5 to 7 minutes, then add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds to 1 minute more, until tender. Finally, add the curry powder and fry for 30 seconds, to release the aroma
- Add the lentils, spinach, stock, and crushed tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the lentils are tender but not falling apart.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Add the eggplant and cherry tomatoes, season with ½ teaspoon of salt and fry until the eggplant is soft and golden brown and the tomatoes blister, about 10 minutes.
- When the lentils are ready, add the eggplant mixture, coconut milk and the remaining teaspoon of salt, or to taste, to the lentils. Heat for a minute, then serve with your choice of garnishes.
Video
Notes
- Frozen spinach and canned tomatoes are used because it’s more affordable than fresh. If you prefer to use fresh, buy locally from a farmer’s market as it’s inexpensive.
- Crushed canned tomatoes help thicken the curry dish but it can give this dish a very strong tomato flavor. If that is not your thing, use ½ or ¾ can of the tomato puree.
- This dish would be super yummy with added sweet potatoes or mushrooms!
- You can use other frozen (or fresh) greens of your choice: kale, swiss chard, etc
- If you want to substitute with brown lentils, note that the cooking time will be a tad bit longer as red lentils cook faster.
- Make sure you use CANNED COCONUT MILK. DO NOT skip it as it helps balance out the acidity of the tomato puree.
- If you still find curry with too much acidity, add a little bit of coconut sugar.
- Depending on the type of curry powder you use(and your tastebuds), you might need more or less.
- I found that this recipe will keep in the fridge for 4 days so it makes a great meal prep dish!
- Can this be frozen? I was able to freeze a portion of my curry and thaw it out a week later and it was still delicious. Generally, red lentil curry dishes can be kept frozen for up to a month.
Nutrition
Reprinted with permission from 30-Minute Frugal Vegan Recipes by Melissa Copeland, Page Street Publishing Co. 2019.
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