With plenty of kale, coconut milk and tomatoes, these curried green lentils are not only delicious, they’re filling and pretty budget friendly. Slow cooker lentils never tasted so good! Enjoy with a dollop of yogurt and naan for a belly satisfying meal.
Hey hey everyone! What’s up? How was your weekend? Did ya do anything fun? Good eats? Tell me all about it, my friends. Love to hear!
If you read my last post, I mentioned that hubby and I were going to have a little staycation vacation last week. We had an awesome time!
Unlike the first time we had a staycation, the weather was fantastic! It was literally nice every single day. And it’s always nice to unwind, isn’t it?
So onto these wicked curried green lentils, shall we?
You’re probably thinking it’s kinda funny to use a slow cooker in the summer, aren’t ya?
Well, they say that it’s actually good to eat spicier foods in warmer weather.
Apparently, spicy food makes you sweat which, in turn, cools ya down. Now that makes total sense, doesn’t it?
Why We Love Curried Green Lentils
- This recipe is made in one pot for easy clean up (and no fuss).
- Pretty budget friendly.
- These lentils can be enjoyed as is or part of a multi-course meal.
- Of course, they taste delicious!
Do I Need to Soak Lentils?
Nope! Green lentils don’t have to be soaked prior to using in this slow cooker lentils recipe.
However, you’ll still want to pick them over for any rocks, foreign objects or imperfect lentils and discard those.
I like to give them a little rinse and drain, too.
Can I Use Brown Lentils Instead?
Absolutely! Green or brown lentils work in this slow cooker lentil recipe!
Tip: Don’t, however, use canned lentils here. They will cook to mush.
How To Cook Lentils in the Slow Cooker
After you’ve picked over your lentils and give them a little rinse, you simply place them in the slow cooker with some other recipe ingredients, stir, cover and cook.
At the end of cook time, stir in some lemon juice (or lime juice), salt and fresh cilantro. Easy, right?
Don’t you just love the slow cooker? You put everything in there, set your timer and go about your business until they’re ready.
I get in spurts using the slow cooker, do you? And whenever I remember to take it out again, I wonder why I don’t use it more often.
Full details on how to make these curried green lentils are in the recipe card below.
Tips for Making These Curried Green Lentils
- If you like your curried green lentils softer, simply continue cooking another hour or so.
- Use a good quality can of tomatoes. San Marzano is great!
- Canned tomatoes can vary in salt content. Season to taste.
- Similar to the canned tomatoes, no salt added vegetable broth was used here. If you use a regular or low sodium variety, you may need to use less added salt.
- I love to use full fat coconut milk here.
- If you like things less spicy, use less chili peppers (or omit entirely).
- Don’t have kale on hand? Sub with baby spinach. If opting for baby spinach, you can simply stir in at the end of cook time and the residual heat will wilt it.
More Yummy Lentil Recipes
If you make these curried green lentils, be sure to leave a comment below!
Curried Green Lentils (Slow Cooker Lentils)
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups dried green lentils, picked over (remove and discard any rocks, foreign objects and imperfect lentils), rinsed and drained
- 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, roughly break up tomatoes with a potato masher or your hands before adding to slow cooker
- 1 (13.5-ounce) can full-fat, unsweetened coconut milk, a 400 millilitre can
- 2 cups low sodium vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons curry paste, or curry powder
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 red Thai chili peppers, minced (or to taste)
- 1 yellow onion, peeled and sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups chopped kale (bite-sized pieces, leaves only, no stems)
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice, from about ½ of a lemon
- 1 handful cilantro, roughly chopped (or use parsley), plus more to taste for optional garnish
Instructions
- Set slow cooker to low setting and lentils, canned tomatoes, coconut milk, vegetable broth, tomato paste, curry paste, coriander, cumin, turmeric, nutmeg, chili peppers, onion, garlic, kale, and black pepper. Stir to combine. Cover and cook for 6 to 7 hours (I cooked mine for 6 hours and the lentils were just done).
- After six hours stir in salt, lemon juice and cilantro.
- To serve, divide the lentils into bowls and garnish with more cilantro or parsley (if desired). Enjoy!
Nutrition estimate (if provided) is based on 1 Serving.
Nutrition information (if provided) is provided as a courtesy and should be considered an estimate only. Ingredients can vary and Girl Heart Food makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are guidelines only.
Tried this recipe?
If you do make this recipe, thank you!! It would mean so much if you could leave a comment below. Love to know how you enjoyed it, and it helps other readers too!
