Yumlicious Lentil Curry


You’re shocked, right? No chocolate, and no sprinkles today!

You might not know it from my recent posts, but I promise I don’t sit around all day eating chocolatey desserts… Today I’ve decided to break the “desserts-only” streak, on which I’ve been for the past month or so, with a savory recipe featuring one of my fave legumes: the lentil!

vegan lentil curry

When I do make a lentil dish, I always say to myself, “I should cook with lentils more often!” Such was the case with last night’s dinner.

vegan lentil stew

Yumlicious Lentil Curry

(Lentils… perfect for Lent!)

  • 2-4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 large onions, diced
  • 4 carrots, chopped
  • Optional: 2 zucchini, sliced
  • 3 minced garlic cloves (about 1 tbsp)
  • 1 (28 ounce) can plum tomatoes
  • 1 cup (7 ounces) lentils (See the note below this recipe, in regards to whether to use 1 cup uncooked or cooked)
  • 2 cups vegetable stock
  • 2 teaspoons mild curry powder
  • 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped (I use 1/2 tsp dried)
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • optional: pepper (I only use a small dash)
  • 1 tablespoon good-quality red wine vinegar
  1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onions and carrots and cook over medium low heat for 8-10 minutes, until the onions start to brown. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon. Add the garlic and cook 1 more minute. Be careful not to burn the garlic.
  2. Meanwhile, cut the tomatoes with a knife until they are coarsely chopped. Add the tomatoes (and the juice in the can), lentils, broth, curry powder, thyme, salt, and pepper to the pan. Raise the heat to bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer covered for about 40 minutes, until the lentils are tender. Check occasionally to be sure the liquid is still simmering.
  3. Remove from the heat and allow to sit covered for another 10 minutes. Add the vinegar. Season to taste and serve hot. Enjoy!

Cooking Mishap!

The original recipe, based off one from The Barefoot Contessa, is supposed to be for lentil curry. So I could not figure out why mine looked more like soup. Finally I realized: when it called for 1 cup lentils, it meant un-cooked. I’d used 1 cup canned! Oops!

All was not lost, however. I simply drained the liquid and poured it into a separate container. This gave me the curry for which I’d hoped… and now I had the most delicious, broth-y soup, besides. Two dishes from one recipe!

vegan curried lentils

And just because it wouldn’t be a CCK post without chocolate…

Chocolate Cake Batter Shake 

Meet Katie

Chocolate Covered Katie is one of the top 25 food websites in America, and Katie has been featured on The Today Show, CNN, Fox, The Huffington Post, and ABC’s 5 O’clock News. Her favorite food is chocolate, and she believes in eating dessert every single day.

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120 Comments

  1. Beth @ Beth's Journey to Thin says:

    I don’t photograph everything I eat at all. I used to, but it got old really quick!

    I made a delicious vegan lentil bolognese sauce yesterday, and it was SO good. I love lentils!

  2. Erin says:

    This recipe looks awesome. I love lentils and I love everything else that’s in this too!

  3. Emma says:

    I don’t even have a camera haha, not to mention my food isn’t very pretty, as a student I am currently living off cabbage :P.
    I think recipes are made to be guidelines more than instructions, so I always do my own thing with them and make ooddles of substitutions and it almost always comes out tastier and healthier than it would have if I used the exact recipe. That way there are never any mistakes, just new variations!

    1. Chocolate-Covered Katie says:

      Haha have you ever seen Pirates of the Caribbean? Your comment made me think of the pirate code! (And lol you’ll have no idea what I’m talking about if you haven’t seen it; sorry to be confusing!)

      1. Emma says:

        Hahaha! Yes! with ‘Parle’ 🙂 I love that movie!

  4. Maryea @ Happy Healthy Mama says:

    Lentils ARE perfect for Lent. I love your sense of humor! 🙂 Have a great weekend, Katie!

  5. Albizia says:

    This looks incredibly delicious. Can I ask a stupid question? How many portions is it supposed to be? Because my most common mistake when I cook for the family is to cook enough for an appetizer instead for a main course… 😀

    I used to photograph most of my meals but then I got bored and started taking pictures only when I cook something I find very interesting or good-looking. It obviously doesn’t happen very often.

    1. Chocolate-Covered Katie says:

      Not a stupid q at all! The Barefoot Contessa recipe says 6 servings… but I have a large appetite and never get that many outta it ;). It also depends on whether or not you add zucchini.

  6. Lauren (Diary of a Vegan Girl) says:

    That looks so yummy and warming! The rain just wont go away here. I want this 🙂

  7. Katarina says:

    Looks really good, I like lentils!

  8. Chocolate-Coated Runner says:

    all you need is Veggies & Chocolate and call it a meal!!

    I don’t photograph everything I eat. I also haven’t made a cooking mistake that turned out to be good that I know of lol maybe one day

  9. Debra says:

    It looks yummy even though there was a mishap.
    Blessings, Debra
    Raw Vegan Diet