Tomato and Lentil Curry

This is a hearty, bold, veggie-packed curry stew with lentils. It's vegan and good for you, too!

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Indian-spiced tomato and lentil stew

Do you ever feel like you need to do nothing for a while before you can muster up the strength to do anything? Sometimes I need to take relaxing to a whole new level—let the dishes pile up in the kitchen, forget about that recipe concept, and just laze around on my bed with the windows open. A pile of books on one side and Cookie on the other.

That’s what I did this weekend; I chose to stay in rather than go out and read cookbooks instead of cook. My only notable accomplishments included ruffling through all 600 beautiful pages of Nigel Slater’s Tender (Nigel, dear fellow, why so much cream?!), getting my money’s worth out of my Netflix account and baking up some of my famous dark chocolate-dipped macaroons to ship to a friend. It was just what I needed.

black lentils and kashmiri curry powder

On Sunday, I was busy doing a whole lot of nothing and feeling totally unmotivated to cook this week’s Food Matters Project recipe. I blame the title: curried tomato soup with hard boiled eggs. I find hard-boiled eggs to be truly noxious and I wasn’t feeling soup. After reading through Mark Bittman’s write-up and recipe list, I wondered why he called it soup when it sounded more like a stew. Intrigued, I googled “makhani,” the Indian dish it’s based upon, and recognized it as one of the many vegetarian options I’ve enjoyed at Indian buffets (I generally despise buffets but Indian buffets are a major exception).

cauliflower

Through my research, I learned that makhani is often served with black lentils (dal makhani), so I decided to add lentils for substance and give the recipe name a makeover: Tomato and Lentil Curry. While it’s certainly an improvement, I’m not sure any name could represent this bold and spicy, hearty dish in its full glory. Please give this dish a try and get back to me with your naming suggestions.

lentil vegan curry

Other than adding black lentils (also called urad dal or beluga lentils) and some extra coconut milk, I stuck to the recipe, which you can find in its original form at Eats Well With Others. I just added one cup of rinsed black lentils to the pot once the liquids came to a boil, and extra coconut milk at the end. I served the curry over a bed of brown jasmine rice with a big slice of lime to squeeze on top. It’s definitely my most successful attempt at Indian cooking so far and I dare say it’s almost as good as the authentic dal makhani served at my beloved Indian buffets.

Indian-spiced tomato and lentil stew

Ingredients of note include an amazing kashmiri curry blend provided by Native Roots Market. Locals, if you haven’t, you really must check out their spice bar! They have custom spice blends for sale and will hand mix any blend your heart desires.

I also used Pomi brand tomatoes because Pomi is the only brand I’ve found that uses BPA-free packaging.

black and white mutt sleeping

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Tomato and Lentil Curry

  • Author: Cookie and Kate
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 40 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 4 servings

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.7 from 30 reviews

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This is a hearty, bold, veggie-packed curry stew with lentils. It’s vegan and good for you, too! Recipe yields 4 to 6 servings.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 yellow or white onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
  • 1 jalapeño pepper, minced
  • 2 tablespoons curry powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • Pinch of sugar
  • 2 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and chopped
  • 1 carrot, chopped
  • Salt and black pepper
  • 1 cup black beluga lentils or regular green/brown lentils, picked over for debris and rinsed
  • 3 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 cup light coconut milk, plus more for garnish
  • 1 large can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes
  • 1 small cauliflower, cored and roughly chopped
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish
  • Cooked brown jasmine or long-grain rice, for serving (optional)
  • Lime wedges, for serving

Instructions

  1. Warm the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When it’s hot, add the onion, garlic, ginger, and jalapeño. Cook until softened, about 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the curry powder, cumin, and sugar. Cook and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.
  2. Add the potatoes and carrot and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring for a minute or two. Add the lentils, broth, coconut milk and tomatoes with their liquid. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat so the mixture bubbles gently. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes and carrots are soft, about 15 to 20 minutes.
  3. Add the cauliflower and adjust the heat so that the mixture bubbles gently. Cook until all of the vegetables are tender, about 15 more minutes. Serve in bowls with an extra drizzle of coconut milk, chopped cilantro, and a wedge of lime.

Notes

Recipe adapted from The Food Matters Cookbook by Mark Bittman.

Nutrition

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.

Kate and Cookie

HELLO, MY NAME IS

Kathryne Taylor

I'm a vegetable enthusiast, dog lover, mother and bestselling cookbook author. I've been sharing recipes here since 2010, and I'm always cooking something new in my Kansas City kitchen. Cook with me!

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Comments

  1. Michelle@PeachyPalat

    That looks incredible! “pin” :)

  2. Jen

    Lentils are a great addition. My husband and I are eating leftover with pasta and rice already. He loved this challenge. Strike! :-)

  3. Laura

    Oooooh that is a pot of goodness. Love steamy curries and stews in early spring when the nights are still cold. Also, I get you on the whole needing lazy days to get back into productivity mode. I think any successful busy body requires them here and there :)

  4. Gina

    Agreed about Indian buffets…they are the only ones I will even consider and by consider, I mean stuffing my face. :) This looks beyond delicious.

  5. Eileen

    Ooh, that looks incredible! We too are in the “need to figure out how to cook everything we love at the Indian buffet” boat, and dals are at the top of the list. Time to experiment! :)

  6. Sarah

    Love what you did here! I need to adventure myself into the world of Indian cooking. Or Indian eating, for that matter! I’m kind of a virgin.

    1. kate

      Sarah, I don’t usually recommend dining at buffets, but get yourself to a good Indian buffet ASAP! You can sample everything that way. I’m pretty sure you’ll love all of it!

  7. Valerie

    Oh such yumminess! and thanks for the heads up on the canned tomatoes…never even thought or knew of that! Yuck ;(

  8. Katrina

    This is simply lovely! Yum!

  9. Rhonda (@diningalone

    Sounds like you had a great weekend, I am not a huge fan of lentils but this makes them look rather delicious.

    1. kate

      Have you tried black lentils before? I love them because they retain their shape rather than turning into mush, and they’re so easy to cook!

  10. Margarita

    Love the lentil addition for substance! Sounds like a perfect lazy weekend… I should do that soon and finish my good book.

  11. EverydayMaven

    Black lentils are a great addition. I can not tell you the last time I had a weekend like that – it sounds divine!!!!!

  12. Supal {chevrons and

    After this, especially the commentary, my Indian mother would adopt you.

    1. kate

      Unfortunately I am not up for adoption at the moment but I totally want to take Indian cooking lessons from your mom!

  13. Gracie

    Love your post and your adorable pup!

  14. Katie

    Kate, if you like Indian food you must must must get your hands on the two cookbooks from Vij’s restaurant in Vancouver. Although nothing can quite rival the dining experience there, the cookbooks are exceptional and the recipes turn out so well they could easily rival any Indian restaurant experience.

  15. thelittleloaf

    Those kind of lazy weekends are my absolute favourite! And this looks like the perfect, simple accompaniment. Gorgeous gorgeous photos.

  16. Jeanine

    I agree, the title threw me off also until I actually sat down and read the recipe. We were thinking alike… I did just about the exact same google research that you did before I decided on my take :)

  17. Baker Street

    What a gorgeous looking curry! Pinned. :)

  18. Joanne

    I really wouldn’t call this a soup so much as a striaght-up curry either! I’m so glad you found an adaptation that worked for you…the finished product looks so delicious! I’m definitely going to add lentils in lieu of eggs next time!

  19. Pamela

    This is perfect cause I love lentils – and this way I probably wouldn’t need to serve it over rice. Also re: the canned tomatos thing, we’ve recently been just peeling and chopping our own and I can hardly notice the difference in cooking! Cans kinda freak me out..

  20. Sylvie @ GitK

    I’m desperately in need of one of those whole lot of nothing days to rejuvenate! I think Cookie has the right idea all snuggled up in bed. ;-)

  21. Melanie Saucier

    Yep, I totally relate. Sometimes I feel like I’m on strikes over chores. But like everytime, chores and life won so I get back on track pretty quick. But at least, it feels great to refuse to obey once in a while ;)

  22. Kasey

    Your weekend sounds a lot like my weekend. I’ve had a few really stressful, tiring weeks, and the rainy weekend forecast was the perfect excuse to just stay home, thumb through some books and magazines, watch movies (and the Mad Men premier!) and cook without feeling overwhelmed by it. Sometimes I need to step back and remind myself that cooking is FUN, and taking pictures of food is fun, too. Those weekends that aren’t jam-packed with activities, are definitely good reminders of what really matters. I’m all about a good curry, especially when tomatoes are involved.

  23. Katherine Martinelli

    Sounds like a lovely weekend! I am so with you on hard-boiled eggs – not my thing! I love all of the changes you made to this recipe. It sounds hearty and wonderful.

  24. Dramatic Pancake

    Kate, this looks incredible! I am obsessed with Indian food (seriously, my birthday “party” of choice in second grade was dinner at my favorite Indian restaurant..) but I don’t cook it nearly enough myself. This looks totally do-able and so delicious!

  25. Aunt B's Kitchen

    I like this recipe very much. I’ve featured it on my News of the Day today. Thank you for sharing it.

  26. Bonita

    Kate I made a batch like yours last week and froze half. The first serving was with spinach salad and brown rice – delish! Second batch last night with parathas and a huge garden salad sprinkled with toasted cumin seeds. Oh my all the changes you made on the recipe resulted in the best lentil curry EVER. Rich, velvety and substantial. A winner in our house again! Thank you <3

  27. Ashley

    Mmmmm, looks delicious! I was planning on making this over the next few days, as several of your recipes have become family favorites. Unfortunately I can’t find the recipe, just the introduction and some tempting photos. Please get the recipe back up so we can try this out. Thanks!

    1. Ashley

      Sorry, just realized I just need to follow the link…. Will try this one asap!

    2. Kate

      Sorry about that, Ashley. I’ve been meaning to make sure all the recipes are here on the site for you!

  28. Claire

    Recipe isn’t up. Too bad, it looks amazing :(

  29. Gary Allen

    “Dal Yummi”

    1. Kate

      :)

  30. Rebecca

    Yum! Last nights dinner and I could not wait to have leftovers for lunch. I added a dab of plain yogurt for a little more creaminess. It was perfect without the addition. I look forward to trying more of your recipes. Thank you for sharing.

    1. Kate

      Thank you for commenting, Rebecca! I hope you love the other recipes, too. :)

  31. Angie

    Oh. My. Goodness. I called my sister and told her she had to come for dinner because I cared so much about her taste buds they should get to enjoy this meal. Super delicious!

    1. Kate

      Awesome!!! Thanks, Angie!

  32. Kathy

    Made this last night and it was delicious and easy! Served it with coconut basmati rice. Thanks for another great recipe!

    1. Kate

      Awesome, glad you enjoyed it!

  33. Christine

    Tried this recipe last weekend and it was great – love the lentils you suggested. Thanks for this – it’s a new favourite in our house.

  34. Tracey

    I tried this recipe last night and I’m sure it will be the first of many that I try from your site.

    FREAKISHLY DELICIOUS.

    And, it wasn’t heavy at all. After eating a hefty portion, I didn’t feel bloated and even after going back for seconds, still felt amazing. I am SO EXCITED to eat more of this for tonight’s dinner.

    1. Kate

      Woohoo! Thanks, Tracey! Hope you love my other recipes just as much!

  35. GirlVsCity

    What you ended up making was my favorite – dahl makhani (just with added veggies). I was actually searching for this recipe as after living in India for 5 years, we are leaving. However, all I can find are recipes in the local language that I can’t speak or recipes with premixed family spice secrets. What a bummer!
    Now, I at least have a good start to go forward and eat my heart out.
    (Please don’t visit my website until July 2016 – it’s not ready. haha!)

  36. Lidio

    I paired this dinner with your Vegan Lentil Soup recipe for a casual Sunday afternoon invite the neighbors fare. First let me say that these are both very easy recipes, and once the veggies were cut, I was surprised how quick I was done. I brought them both to a boil, then turned down the heat and just let it simmer on low-low all afternoon. I didn’t use the greens as dad is on a blood thinner, but otherwise stuck to the recipe. I do recall that, in lieu, I added some other veggies to this stew recipe – I think more cauliflower and zucchini. I may have added a finely chopped carrot. I don’t recall. Yes, it was a bit weird to have soup, then this stew. But I let the stew cook down to more of a plate meal with the rice, and it was a easy casual hearty meal. Either one would have been enough for a meal.
    My guests all are relatively picky eaters, including 3 older adults (mid 80’s, and 101!) who weren’t sure they would like the “curry” and “spicy” soup. They all chowed it down! I served this ‘stew’ meal right after with some wild rice I had on the side. They all ate it with no complaint. One friend stated the Lentil Soup had more flavor.
    I was lucky to have left-overs for myself. I’ve made the soup twice since. You cant go wrong with the basic format of the recipe and I just add whatever veggies are in the fridge.

    I just picked up what I call a bean pot, an old fashioned hand-made stove-top / oven proof small round pot. The paperwork that came with it says Micaceous Cookware; and, Cristobal Quesada. Hand-made. This small pot I got at a benefit auction (for much less) was marked $275! The inside is 6″ round. I was looking for a recipe for this pot. Once I read all about it I was interested in doing something fun with this pot. I was thinking a bean-version recipe. I’m from New Mexico. We have our own chili thing going on, and I eat enough chili with everything else, so I’d like to avoid that route. I was looking for something more of a one-pot meal, and something a bit more interesting and classy than another version of Texas chili-beans. Suggestions?
    Thanks again for your great site! Say hi to KC for me. I went to grad school there and I love KC!

  37. Diane

    Sounds great! Where is the actual recipe????

  38. Diane

    Looks fabulous but where is the actual recipe??? :(

    1. Kate

      Hi, Diane. The recipe is over at Eats Well With Others. I made a few adjustments, which I discussed in the blog post. Let me know how it goes!

  39. Alok Srivastava

    Truly impressed with your veggie recipes. Being an Indian I like the way you use spices to make dishes interesting. Will continue trying out your recipes.

  40. Maggie

    Where is the recipe?

  41. Wendy

    Whenever I try to make Indian food, it never really tastes like Indian food. THIS actually tastes like Indian food. Looking forward to lunch leftovers. It’s a keeper!

  42. Louise

    I may be suffering internet blindness, but I can see the Tomato and Lentil Curry blog, but not the recipe itself??

  43. chels

    so, so good! i added a spoonful of plain greek yogurt along with the cilantro.

  44. Malia

    Love, love this soup. I am making it for the second time this week because I didn’t eat enough. My guests loved it too. I just ate it as a soup/stew without the rice, but I’ll keep the rice in mind. Thank you!

    1. Kate

      Wonderful! You are welcome. Enjoy round two :)

  45. Jennifer Fox

    Hello. I’ve really been enjoying your recipes and really want to try Tomato and Lentil Curry but I’m having a hard time finding the recipe. Can you please share it with me. Thank you so much.
    Jennifer

    1. Kate

      Hi Jennifer, I’m sorry for the trouble! I just fixed it so you can see the recipe.

      1. Jennifer Fox

        Hi Kate. I will. I did however make your tomato curry soup with hard boiled egg tonight for dinner. It was out of this world yummy! Thank you.

        Jennifer

  46. Jennifer Fox

    Thank you very much for the recipe. I’ll be making it this week. Can’t wait to try it.

    1. Kate

      Welcome, Jennifer! Let me know what you think.

  47. Shireen

    Hi Kate,
    Firstly, I’ve only just recently gone vegetarian and I can’t tell you how happy and relieved I was to find your site…your meals are DELICIOUS. I have got a thumbs up from hubby every time I cook one of them, including this one – I love the added extra drizzle of coconut milk, chopped cilantro, and the wedge of lime…a must!

    1. Kate

      I’m glad you found it too! Two thumbs up, that’s awesome. Thank you, Shireen for the review.

    2. Mike Open

      There are not enough lentils for the amount of liquid. It ends up like a soup, and one is left with the choice between it being rooliquid or the he veg being overcooked if you try to reduce the sauce. 400g of lentils would be more appropriate.

  48. Kristie Harrison (& Hubby Michael)

    I think our family has met the home chef that has all the best recipes!!!! We made this one, made some changes to accommodate what we had. Followed recipe but omitted cauliflower and lentils and instead used mushrooms and butternut squash. IT WAS AMAZING!!! It tasted similar BUT BETTER than the jar sauce that we used to buy. This is way less expensive, healthier without all the additives and who knows what, tastier and honestly just as easy to make as using the jar sauce. We opted for a bit spicier and added double the peppers and used Serrano peppers from our garden. Our 7 year old LOVED it just as much as we did! Thank you for your recipes. We cannot wait to try more. PS. We already made another triple batch of your Pesto using our backyard basil before the frost hit last night. We packaged it into individual family servings and put in freezer. Also, we made 3 more jars of the Quick Pickled Peppers! YUM YUM!

    1. Kate

      Thanks for sharing! You are so sweet, Kristie. All great recipes to try and have on hand. :)

  49. Rajinder singh

    Love your post, Tomato and Lentil look delicious, i will definitely try this. Thanks for sharing such a amazing post with us

    1. Kate

      Thanks!

  50. Melissa

    There is a freezing rain storm going on outside. Inside, my kitchen was filled with the warmth of the spices and flavors of this great tasting curry. I substituted zucchini for the carrot and black beans for the lentils as I didnt have any on hand. Served with some garlic naan bread on the side, the cold winter weather was quickly forgotten. A great recipe.

    1. Kate

      I’m glad this helped make you forget how cold it was! Thanks, Melissa for the review.