Since the beginning of the pandemic, I have not just gotten lazy about cooking healthy, but cooking in general. In the beginning, I took the opportunity of being stuck at home in stride, and cooked everything under the sun. But since then, I have fallen into a rut of ordering-in, taking-out, or heating up whatever I can find in my freezer. At this point, The Joy of Cooking sits on my kitchen counter ironically, rather than as a reference.

However, with fall quickly approaching, I have found new motivation to get back into the kitchen. Specifically healthy cooking, and cooking meals that won’t take a whole lot of time.

Luckily, my slow cooker has been my saving grace! This recipe, in particular, is one of my go-to’s, as it’s easy to prep, easier to cook, and delicious. It’s also made from all fresh ingredients, and it’s vegetarian. The best part is, this recipe yields a large serving size and doesn’t lose its quality when reheated, so it’s great for leftovers the next day!

Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 large white onion, finely chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 tbsp mild to medium Indian curry paste
  • 1 ½ cups sweet potato, peeled and grated
  • 1 cup dried red lentils, rinsed
  • 1½ cups tomato sauce
  • 2 cups vegetable broth
  • 3 cups baby spinach, packed
  • 1¼ cups roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
  • Salt (optional) to taste
  • 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 2 tbsp tomato, chopped

 

Steps:

  1. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
  2. Add onions, garlic and curry paste. Mix curry paste to get a consistent coating over onions and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  3. Add sweet potato and lentil and mix ingredients well.
  4. Stir in tomato sauce, and once brought to a boil, transfer mixture to slow cooker (3½- to 4-quart size slow cooker).
  5. Add vegetable broth and stir well.
  6. Cover and turn slow cooker on high for 3 to 4 hours, or on low for 6 to 8 hours. Make sure the lentils are soft before proceeding to the next step.
  7. Stir in baby spinach and red peppers.
  8. Cover and cook on high in slow cooker for about 20 more minutes, or until new ingredients are cooked and hot.
  9. Salt to taste, if desired.
  10. Garnish with tomato and cilantro and enjoy! Serves 4 to 6.

Tips:

  • All the ingredients are added to the skillet in relatively quick succession, so make sure to prep your ingredients before heating up your oil!
  • Most curry pastes contain salt, so make sure to taste your finished curry before adding more salt!
  • If you like heat, you can opt for hot curry paste instead, or add cayenne pepper when the curry is fully cooked to kick it up a notch!
  • To extend the serving sizes, Serve this curry over rice or add a can of chickpeas in with the spinach!

This blog was written by the lovely Abby Tomney, a practicum student at Power To Be.