It’s been months since I posted a new one pot recipe. Who have I become?! Thankfully, Gena and her new cookbook have come to our rescue. Within the pages of Power Plates, I found this amazing creamy one pot curried lentils and quinoa recipe. Made by simmering green lentils, quinoa, an ample dose of turmeric and other spices, and leafy greens with a touch of creamy coconut milk, it totally hits the spot in these trying winter times! I’m also giving away a copy of the book; please scroll down below the recipe to enter!
I’ll be honest with you, I have a total of 7 (!!) cookbooks waiting for a review & recipe right now, all them tantalizing and beautiful. But despite my earnest attempts at using a FIFO queue, I couldn’t resist moving Power Plates to the top of my list. At a time when I’m trying harder than usual to eat healthy, this book just made it so damn easy! Gena has a way with creating flavorful, wholesome, nourishing dishes, and in the dark of February I seem to need that more than ever.
Some other appealing dishes you’ll find in this book include charred broccoli and freekeh salad, golden beet risotto, and roasted zucchini tacos. But today is all about these fantastic, perfectly spiced, creamy one pot curried lentils and quinoa.
I made a few small changes for personal taste, because I’m at least hanging on to the part of my personality that can’t follow recipes. Solely fueled by my efforts to make our meals a little bit lower fat and higher fiber, I reduced both the coconut oil and coconut milk; and I added quite a bit of extra kale because I bought too much and it cooked down into a totally appropriate amount anyway :). My only other change was to swap in garam masala for curry powder and reduce the salt a little bit. I go through garam masala like hotcakes but curry powder, not so much, so this just made more sense for me.
If you believe in the “bean + green + grain” way of constructing plant-based meals then this one pot quinoa and lentils will fit the bill for you! Like all of the recipes in Power Plates it’s balanced in both nutrition and flavor, and with everything cooking together in one pan it’s exceedingly easy for me to imagine making this regularly. Thank you Gena for helping us cure our winter blues with this fabulous and stunning vegan cookbook, full of unique yet familiar plant-based delights!
Creamy One Pot Curried Lentils and Quinoa
Ingredients
- 2 tsp coconut oil
- 1 small white or yellow onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 cup dried green lentils
- 3/4 cup quinoa rinsed
- 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 6 cups firmly packed chopped kale (180g) (or use chard, spinach, or collard greens)
- 3/4 cup full-fat coconut milk (or use cashew cream)
- 2 tbsp freshly-squeezed lime juice
- freshly-ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until tender and translucent. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes.
- Stir in the salt, garam masala, turmeric, cumin, and red pepper flakes. Cook for about 45 seconds, or until fragrant.
- Add the lentils, quinoa, and broth. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes. If the curry is very thick, you can add 1⁄2 cup (120 ml) water to thin it slightly.
- Add the greens, cover, and cookfor 5 minutes, letting the greens steam on top of the curry. Stir the greens in, then add the coconut milk and lime juice. Season with black pepper, then taste and adjust the seasonings if desired. Serve right away, with any additional toppings you like (fresh cilantro, toasted cashews, etc.).
Nutrition
Want to win a copy of Power Plates for yourself and discover more recipes beyond these one put curried lentils and quinoa? I’m making it easy this time. To enter:
- Leave a comment on this post with a recipe from the book you are excited to try.
- I’ll give you an extra entry if the email you use to comment is on my newsletter mailing list!
You have until 00:00 EST on February 15th to enter. I’ll draw a winner then and contact you via email! Anyone entering must have a United States mailing address.
Note: First-time commenters have their comment held for moderation (this is because I get literally 1,000 spam comments per day) so it may take some time for them to start showing up!
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this cookbook for review. All writing and opinions are my own. Gena and her publisher are also generously providing the giveaway copy.
I'm Shannon, the writer and photographer of Yup, it's Vegan! I'm a morning person based in Baltimore, USA. My mission is to create healthy plant-based recipes that anyone would enjoy, using seasonal produce with inspiration from global flavors.
Denise says
Excellent dish, plenty protein, warming and nourishing. First of your recipes I’ve tried so far. Thanks Denise
Jill says
Solid recipe. My very picky 4 yr old really liked it which is impressive! I would increase the spices next time for more flavor, and I think the lentils could have used another 10 minutes, as mine were a little al dente. Easy and quick recipe though! Thinking of making pickled red onions for a topping next time…..
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Thanks for your review! Sometimes I find lentils can randomly take more or less time than usual to cook. So i totally get that this can happen. I’m glad you liked it overall!
Lori Norton says
I substituted frozen spinach, flax milk and added frozen cauliflower rice. It’s good. I would have loved the coconut milk but cutting out fats.
Yummy.
Pat Watts says
I just saw this recipe after cooking my lentils and quinoa separately. Can I still make this with sauteing the ingredients and then combining everything?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Would probably work, but you’ll need to reduce or maybe even eliminate the liquid.
Stacy says
I notice you mention switching curry powder for garam masala. But if I want to use both do I use same amount of curry powder as garam masala?
Maria Im says
i’m thinking about adding chopped up cauliflower to the recipe to give it some more veggie punch! will let you know how it turns out tomorrow when i make it 🙂
also will be mixing in some curry powder cause i love the mix of curry + garam!
Diane Coppino says
love love love it! And super easy:)
Timothy says
I just made this and love it! I added a little more hot Indian curry powder, garam masala, and a little more salt to taste
Anne Judson says
Yum!
Lisa says
I’ve just made this, and while it was delicious, the lentils were still crunchy while the quinoa turned to mush. (Maybe it was the type of lentils I used?) Will definitely make this again but will let the lentils cook most of the way before adding the quinoa.
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
That’s super strange, it’s never happened to me when making this one using the green lentils as written. Did you make any other changes? Adding the coconut milk and lime juice early before the lentils are done would cause them to seize up and not cook through so this could be a culprit, also if any other acidic ingredients were added like tomatoes. If not… I’d guess it’s something with the type or age of your lentils… but I’m not completely sure. Sorry!
Lisa says
Thanks for replying 🙂 It was definitely the lentils. I made this again today, this time adding just the lentils first, and then letting them cook most of the way through before adding the quinoa. The lentils took 40 minutes till they were mostly done! So I guess I’ve got some strange lentils 🙂 In any case, this is a great recipe and will definitely be in our regular rotation.
Denise says
The lentils I used advised soaking overnight, which I did and came out perfectly. I don’t think all lentils need soaking, but just went with what it said on the packet.
Crista Gilbert says
Can I freeze this? Looking for recipes to make ahead and freeze for later or camping.
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
I think this one would freeze well!
Lisa Macauley says
I made the curried lentils and I was skeptical at first but they taste AMAZING. Just enough heat and spice. I think they will be even better tomorrow when the flavors have set. Want to try the cauliflower queso.
Elizabeth says
I want to try it all but the golden beet risotto and sweet potato falafel both sound outstandin
Gitanjali says
Can you make this in the instant pot? If so, would the recipe change? Thanks!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
I have not tested this recipe in a pressure cooker yet, sorry! I’m sure it would cook for less time but I don’t know what amount.
Jessica says
I did 10 minutes in my instant pot and it turned out great!
Rosalie says
I am currently cooking the one pot curried lentils and LOVE the taste! The next recipe I would love to try from your cookbook would be the Golden Beet Risotto – I love experimenting with cooking, and cookbooks are something I love to collect!
Lynette Lyons says
STICKY SESAME CAULIFLOWER (BAKED) looks so delicious. I make a lot of soups and stews because they are easy and nutritious but understandably my family is ready for a lot more options. Thank you for the opportunity to win this book!
Larry says
I’m making the Curried Lentils and Quinoa today for lunch, but I also would love to try the Smoky Red Lentil Stew with Chard.
In faith, I’m rating this one high. After reading the ingredients, I don’t see how it can be anything but great.
Thanks Shannon! I’ve made several of your recipes and love them. I just had the broccoli and chickpea Gen Tso again last night. I have made that one several times, although I cheated and used a premade sauce last night. (Hey, it was 8:30 pm, just home from the gym and I was hungry!)
Larry says
Update: The Curried Lentils and Quinoa was so good, healthy, and easy! Perfect. I think this will become my knew fav lentil dish. Glad I rated it high.
I wish I could find coconut milk in like 1 cup servings. I don’t know if it freezes well, and I have always read that the leftover milk needs to be used by the next day and I don’t always plan that well.
Thank you!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Glad to hear it Larry!!
Susie says
Golden Beet risotto would be my first try! I love bests and it sounds like a winner. Also the breakfast bowls would help me too!
SANDY ELLIS says
Looks like a great book – very original and yet reasonable recipes and ingredients. Sowing season will be here soon and I’m excited to have something new to do with all the veggies, especially cauliflower and kale. Thanks for the chance of winning the book. Great website you have.
Linda Langford says
This recipe is just up my alley. I happen to have about 3/4 cup of coconut milk in my refrigerator waiting to be used so and all the other ingredients on hand. Looks like this will be dinner tonight! Previewing the cookbook on Amazon, all I can say is that there is hardly a recipe there that I wouldn’t like to try. (So let me win this book!) LOL I love “bowls,” and having just returned from Jamaica lamenting that the only thing I didn’t like there was that it was hard to find good, healthy vegan food, I will definitely be trying the Curried Jamaican Stew recipe
jacquie says
the toast with mushrooms and greens sounds great
Jacky says
I’d love to try the West African Peanut Stew!