This butternut squash red lentil curry features butternut squash, soft red lentils, and kale in a tomato and coconut milk-based curry. It’s cozy, comforting, and super easy to put together!
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Butternut squash red lentil curry! I’ve been experimenting with squash so much this season that I will be sick of it soon. But until then, we use our leftover squash in delicious ways. I revamped the recipe and photos of this curry I made last year, which surprisingly got a lot of remakes on Pinterest despite the fact that it looked like mush. This recipe also highlights butternut squash and red lentils, but uses a slightly different mix of spices and has some kale in there.
I know using the term “curry” is problematic because of its ties to colonialism, but I wasn’t about to call this stew, so here we are. Here is a quick rundown of how to make this.
How to Make Butternut Squash Red Lentil Curry
Make the base of the curry. You’ll need cumin seeds, onion, ginger, garlic, green chilis, ground spices (turmeric, cumin, coriander, garam masala, red chili powder/kashmiri lal – optional, and cinnamon), and tomatoes. This blend of spices is way better than any curry powder could get!
Simmer with butternut squash and red lentils. You can also soak red lentils for 30 minutes to 1 hour for a faster cooking time, but they cook pretty fast regardless. Both the squash and lentils should cook in 20-25 minutes! And that’s 20-25 minutes where you can step away. You could alternatively roast the squash and add it near the end of cooking time.
Finish off with coconut milk, kale, lemon juice, and cilantro. This curry is still delicious without the coconut milk, but the richness of coconut milk definitely adds something to this recipe.
Serve with rice, roti, or naan!
Butternut Squash Red Lentil Curry
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp vegan butter *sub any neutral oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- ½ red onion, finely chopped
- 2 inches ginger, minced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 serrano pepper, minced *sub green chilis
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp coriander
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp kashmiri lal *optional, sub with ½ tsp red chili powder
- ½ tsp red chili powder
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tomatoes, diced *sub 1 cup tomato paste
- ½ a butternut squash, cubed *approximately 3 cups of cubed squash
- 1 cup red lentils
- 3 cups water
- 1 tsp salt + more to taste
- 1 14 oz. can of full fat coconut milk
- 1 cup chopped kale
- ½ tsp black pepper
- cilantro and lime for finishing
Instructions
- Add vegan butter to a medium saucepan over medium heat. When it's hot, add cumin seeds and stir for 1 minute.
- Add onion to the butter and cook for 5 minutes, until translucent. Add the ginger, garlic, and serrano pepper. Cook for about 2 minutes.
- Add ground spices, making sure that they don't stick to the pan. Add a splash of water if they start to stick to the pan.
- Add tomatoes and cook for 7-8 minutes, or until the tomatoes' juices have evaporated and it all starts to stay together.
- Coat the butternut squash and red lentils in the tomato mixture for a couple of minutes. Add 3 cups water and 1 tsp salt. Bring heat to high and reduce to medium or medium-low heat. Cover and maintain a steady simmer for 20 minutes, or until the butternut squash is soft. Uncover and stir occasionally during this time, just to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- When the butternut squash and lentils are soft, pour in coconut milk and add kale. Cook uncovered for 3-4 minutes.
- Add pepper. Taste and decide if it needs more salt and/or chili powder. Finish with 1-2 tbsp lemon juice and cilantro.
- Serve with rice, roti, or naan!
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I’m all about squash right now! Pairing it with naan sounds perfect 🙂
Can’t wait to try this with your naan recipe. I love seasonal food and this is so up my alley
I’m so so glad you enjoyed the recipe Justin! I can totally relate to wanting a straightforward recipe when trying different cuisines. That extra serrano sounds like the move! Thanks for your feedback.
This is the 3rd recipe I’ve made from this site, and I’m so impressed! With each one, I felt like all the proportions and ingredients were spot on and I wouldn’t change a thing – which makes it so easy, especially when dabbling in a new type of cuisine. This curry was so yummy, and came together easily. I did add an extra serrano, since we like things on the spicy side!