Happy New Year! It’s the first full week of 2016 and I’m comin’ atcha with a warm, hearty and delicious Slow Cooker Vegetarian Lentil Curry. Being that it’s a new year, this recipe represents my first of many New Year’s resolutions…”Cook meatless on Oneday.” Slow Cooker Vegetarian Lentil Curry for “Meatless Oneday.”
Yes, I know the saying is “Meatless Monday.” But what happens if Monday isn’t meatless? Guilt ensues and I have to wait until 2017 to try again?! I had to rethink my resolution and decided that I’m committing to “Meatless Oneday”, as in cooking meatless ONE day per week (at least). This post is, in part, a selfish way to get me to stick to my resolution. I figure if it’s out there in the world, written down for all to see, I’m much more likely to stick with it. And this is one I want to stick with.
I’m no stranger to vegetarian cooking. In fact, I was a vegetarian for eight years when I was in high school and college. And these days when we eat out, I still prefer to order vegetarian dishes. This resolution is my attempt to truly embrace vegetarian cooking again and I’m excited to try out some new recipes. And I’m lucky… Jon is fully on board.
More about “Meatless Oneday” coming soon…but for now, let’s get down to this Slow Cooker Vegetarian Lentil Curry. Let me just say, that when I made this a few weeks back, Em chose CURRY over her beloved Mama’s Pot Pie for dinner. I couldn’t believe my ears, but yes, she actually chose curry and rice over pot pie. That’s sayin’ something.
This curry has a sweet potato base, making it slightly sweet, which = kid-friendly. Cauliflower, garlic, onions, red lentils, chickpeas, green peas and coconut milk round out this fiber-rich, super-good-for-you vegetarian dish. And the warm spices give it just enough flavor without being too spicy. I adore the little red lentils in this curry, which get really soft when they’re cooked and help to thicken up the curry.
Serve this on top of some rice (perhaps some easy coconut rice?), couscous or with a piece of naan. Topped with a little dollop of plain greek yogurt and some Sriracha and we may just eat meatless Twodays (ha!).
Bonus: Lentils, with their coin-like shape, are symbolic of prosperity and good fortune for the New Year, making this dish a great one to start off the year right.
Little Hands Can…
- Break the cauliflower into small florets
- Older kids can help peel the sweet potatoes
- Put the chopped sweet potato, cauliflower, garlic and onion into the slow cooker
- Measure and add spices to the slow cooker
- Rinse the lentils and chickpeas and add them to the slow cooker halfway through
- Add the coconut milk and peas to the slow cooker at the end
- 3 large sweet potatoes
- 1 small head cauliflower
- 1 medium onion
- 5 cloves of garlic
- 2 teaspoons EACH coriander, garam masala, and mild curry powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1½ cups red lentils
- 1 can garbanzo beans (also called chickpeas)
- 1 can coconut milk
- 1 cup frozen peas
- Plain greek yogurt, Sriracha (hot sauce), and/or chopped cilantro for serving
- Prep the vegetables: Peel and dice the sweet potatoes (I usually leave about half of the skin on). Cut the core out of the cauliflower and cut or break the head into very small florets. Finely dice the onion and mince the garlic. Throw the sweet potatoes, cauliflower, onion and garlic into a large slow cooker.
- Add the spices, salt and vegetable broth to the slow cooker and stir to combine. Cook the vegetables on HIGH for 3 hours.
- Rinse the lentils and pick through them, removing any debris. Drain and rinse the garbanzo beans. After 3 hours, add both the rinsed lentils and the garbanzo beans to the slow cooker. Stir to combine and replace the lid. Cook on HIGH for an additional 1½ hours.
- After the total cook time, stir in the coconut milk and frozen peas and stir. Serve warm.
Serve over rice or couscous, or with naan.
This recipe makes A LOT of curry. We usually have enough for at least two dinners and two or three lunches too!
Recipe inspired by Crockpot Sweet Potato Lentils from Pinch of Yum (one of my favorite food blogs!)
On the Side
Lentils! They’re full of fiber, protein and minerals, making them a superfood…but, did you also know that they’re fun to play with?! With this recipe, we’re using dried lentils for sensory play!
Grab an extra bag of lentils (any color – we used both red and green) and pour them into a large bowl/dish or onto a sheet pan. You can provide tools for your kids to use with the lentils, or just let them explore using only their hands. Em loved how the little red lentils would stick to her hands.
Measuring cups, bowls, scoops, measuring spoons and little bottles are all great tools to use during sensory play. Scooping and pouring are both fun for kids and help to develop fine motor skills. You can also hide small toys or animals in the lentils and encourage your child to dig to find them.
You could also save a cup or so of uncooked rice (that you may have served with your curry) and mix it in with the dried lentils. How are the rice and lentils the same? How are they different?
Disclaimer: As with all of our recipes, my suggestions for how kids can help with a particular recipe are based on what has worked in our kitchen. Your child may be able to help more or less based on their age and/or ability. As always, make sure you are properly supervising kids in the kitchen.
Samantha says
January 4, 2016 at 6:11 AMWe do Meatless Mondays and I am always looking for easy kid-friendly options. We are definitely making this next Monday! Will report back!
Sally says
January 4, 2016 at 2:49 PMLet me know how the kids like it! Em likes the chickpeas in particular :).
Carol says
January 4, 2016 at 9:50 AMLove the lentil sensory play. The recipe sounds intriguing as well! Thanks, Sally!
Sally says
January 4, 2016 at 2:51 PMThanks, Carol! The lentil sensory play is the first one that Em has stuck with for a long period of time. And the recipe is great! Very mild if you’re worried about spice.
Brooke Nojima says
January 5, 2016 at 8:26 PMCan’t wait to try it!
Sally says
January 6, 2016 at 3:07 PMThanks, Brooke! Let me know if you do.
Amanda says
August 15, 2018 at 8:26 AMJust made this but with mixed veg I didn’t have peas or enough other veg; so I did sweet potato, potato, Brussel sprout, carrot, cauliflower and broccoli.
Worked fabulously!
It’s going into my fortnightly routine!