Curried Lentils with Sweet Potatoes is a vegetarian meal that is loaded with protein, fiber, and nutrients.
I’m normally the type of person to plan out a weekly menu. Most Sundays, I’m scouring recipe books and compiling grocery lists. But sometimes, it’s nice to have a dinner that doesn’t call for much prep work. I love my Curried Lentils with Sweet Potatoes, not only because it’s delicious, but because it uses a lot of dried goods and ingredients I always have on hand. Plus, it’s gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan, so it’ll please everyone! Use it as a starting point or make it straight to the letter to clean out some pantry space of your own.
Pantry Goods
Everyone has different staples for their pantry, and these are some of mine:
- Dried lentils and split peas
- Canned beans (cannelini, chick pea, kidney, black, etc.)
- Tomato products (fire roasted, sun-dried, crushed, paste, etc.)
- Starchy vegetables (sweet potatoes, butternut squash, red potatoes)
- Spices from around the world (smoked paprika, cumin, curry powder, garam masala, za’atar)
How to Make Curried Lentils with Sweet Potatoes
Start your curried lentils by adding some olive oil to a large skillet, and grating fresh ginger and garlic into the pan.
Next, add the curry powder and garam marsala, heating the pan over medium-high heat.
Add the diced onion, some salt and pepper, and cook until soft and tender.
Then add in the chopped sweet potatoes and stir in.
Pour in the chicken or vegetable broth and add the dried lentils and bay leaf.
Let the lentils and sweet potatoes simmer in the chicken broth for about 25 minutes.
Then add the canned fire-roasted tomatoes and kale.
Season with salt and pepper, and simmer for an extra 20 minutes. Add more broth if needed.
Stir in lemon juice, make sure everything is cooked to your liking, and you’re ready to serve.
Garnish with fresh scallions, a dollop of Greek yogurt, and more lemon juice. Eat it with rice or on its own. Enjoy!
Change It Up
- Add more protein. You could add some cubed chicken to this dish if you wanted to a more meaty protein.
- Up the heat. Add a jalapeño pepper, cilantro, and bell peppers to up the spice and give it an extra kick.
- Swap greens. Instead of kale, add baby spinach or Swiss chard.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Do I need to soak lentils before cooking?
Nope! You can soak them in cold water for 20 minutes to an hour to help reduce the cook time, but don’t worry if you pull them out last minute.
Are lentils good for you?
They are high in protein and fiber, while being low in fat. They’re also a great source of iron, folate, and other nutrients.
How do I store leftover curried lentils?
Kept in an air-tight container, curried lentils with sweet potatoes will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days.
More One Pan Recipes
- Pesto Chicken Pasta with Swiss Chard
- Fire Roasted Sausage and Kale Pasta
- Sesame Chicken and Green Bean Stir-Fry
- Sheet Pan Greek Chicken and Vegetables
- Spicy Chicken Sauté with Jalapeño
Did you try this dish and love it? The next time you make it, snap a picture and share it to your socials! Tag @thelemonbowl and #thelemonbowl so we can admire and share your meal.
Whether you make it to clean out your pantry or not, Curried Lentils with Sweet Potatoes is a delicious meal that you’ll want to make again and again.
Your spoon is waiting.
Curried Lentils with Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 large onion (diced)
- 2 cloves garlic (grated)
- 1 tablespoon ginger root (grated)
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 4 cups chicken broth (low sodium)
- 2 medium sweet potatoes (peeled/diced)
- ½ cup dried lentils
- 1 bay leaf
- 14 ounces can diced fire roasted tomatoes
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ½ pound kale (chopped)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- Cilantro (scallions and plain yogurt to serve)
Instructions
- Heat a large soup pot on medium-high and spray with non-stick spray.
- Sautee onions until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add garlic, ginger, curry and garam masala and cook for additional 60 seconds.
- Add chicken broth, sweet potatoes, lentils and bay leaf; bring to a boil and simmer for 25 minutes.
- Stir in tomatoes, salt, pepper and kale and cook for additional 20 minutes. Add more broth if needed.
- Stir in lemon juice right before serving and top with yogurt, cilantro and scallions.
I love that this recipe is a pantry cleaner. If I’m low on groceries and don’t have time to go to the store, this recipe immediately comes to mind. We ate these curried lentils and sweet potatoes garnished with lime and cilantro and served it over a bed of basmati rice. The rice helped stretch the leftovers and we got to enjoy it for a few meals during the week. Thanks for this recipe!
So glad you enjoyed it!
Looks good but what kind of lentils do you use – brown, green etc?
Thank you for the recipe.
I used brown lentils, but you could make this with any color!