Easy One-Pot Vegan Red Lentil Dal with Carrots & Spinach
This one-pot vegan red lentil dal is incredibly easy to make and loaded with carrots, spinach, and aromatic spices for an insanely flavorful AND nutritious dish! Serve alongside brown rice and a dollop of coconut yogurt for a complete and ultra satisfying meal.
I absolutely love one-pot dishes that are both insanely flavorful and nutritious, such as dals, curries, or really any other type of stew. In fact, I would actually go so far as to declare these to be some of my favorite meals. While stews are typically not crazy innovative or mind blowing by any means, they are 1) easy to make, 2) super nutritious, and 3) loaded with great flavors. And a lot of times, they are quite comforting, too! So on most days, when I don’t have several hours to cook a lavish meal (or simply don’t want to), but I still want to eat well (i.e. enjoy good flavors and get those nutrients in!), dishes like this deliver.
Chances are that you’ve probably eaten some version of red lentil dal before, maybe even several. (And if you haven’t, or you’re wondering what dal technically even is, you’re really in for a treat!!!!) I’ve tried numerous before and can certainly say I’ve had some good dals, but I’d never tried one that I could say was so perfect that there wasn’t something I wanted to change about it. In my brain, I had a very specific vision of what I wanted a red lentil dal to taste like, built around the combo of red lentils + carrots + ginger. This red lentil dal is the culmination of that vision, plus it’s loaded with extra veg and greens, not too thick or thin, and very generously spiced. Give it a shot - I hope it becomes one of your favorites too!
Why You’ll Love this Red Lentil Dal
Super flavorful and delicious! This dal is loaded with delicious earthy, fragrant, and warm spices (including turmeric, garam masala, curry powder, coriander, cumin, and even mustard seed!), along with an allium base of yellow onion and zippy garlic, plus some pungent fresh ginger and jalapeños for heat. Paired with the lentils, carrots, spinach, tomatoes, and coconut milk, everything comes together to create a dal that’s insanely flavorful and has lots of depth. In particular, the combo of red lentils and carrots with ginger is what really does it for me. And when serving it, I love finishing it off with a dollop of coconut yogurt for some extra tang and creaminess - it easily takes the dal from a 10/10 to an 11/10!
Plant diversity. There are 8 (!) unique whole plants in this dish (not counting any spices), and you can actually bump it up to 10 (!!) if you serve this dal with some whole grain brown rice and coconut yogurt! If you’re wondering if/why this matters (glad you asked!), it’s because the diversity of plants in our diet is the single greatest predictor of a healthy gut microbiome, and a healthy gut microbiome is essential for overall health and wellbeing! So to fuel those good gut bugs, medical experts recommend that we aim to eat 30-40+ unique plant foods weekly, which isn’t limited to veg/greens but rather includes all whole plants like legumes, whole grains, fruit, vegetables, herbs, nuts, seeds, etc. 10 in a single meal is a solid start toward hitting that weekly goal!
Super nutritious. Not only does the dal have loads of plant diversity, but those plants are actually whole foods, meaning they’re insanely nutrient-dense, fiber-rich, and great for you! This dal covers numerous powerhouse staple food groups, including legumes (red lentils!), vegetables, dark leafy greens (spinach!), and whole grains (assuming you serve it with whole grain brown rice or whole grain roti/vegan naan).
Easy and simple to make. Aside from prepping all the ingredients (chopping the veg, measuring the spices, etc.), this isn’t a time-consuming dish to make. In fact, the total actual cooking time is roughly 30 minutes, and, aside from combining a few ingredients, most of that is hands-off stove watching.
Ingredient Overview
Aromatics - onion, garlic, ginger, jalapeños. The base of so many great stews! On top of the yellow and garlic base, fresh ginger is essential for adding in some fresh pungency that pairs wonderfully with the lentils and carrots in this stew. And for some heat, the dal calls for two whole jalapeños, with their seeds. But if you’re sensitive to heat, start with just ½-1 jalapeño with the seeds removed, and work your way upward from there for additional heat, to taste.
Spices. Where lots of the flavor comes in! There’s a mix of turmeric, garam masala, curry powder, coriander, cumin, and even mustard seed.
Red lentils. The stars of the dish! Red lentils are mighty little legumes that are full of protein and particularly rich in fiber, as well as B vitamins, iron, potassium, and zinc (among other micronutrients). They also cook very quickly, in roughly 20 minutes, helping to make this dal a pretty speedy dish to cook.
Carrots. For a dose of extra veg that complements the flavors of ginger and red lentils beautifully!
Crushed tomatoes. I recommend using the “fire-roasted” variety to incorporate some extra depth!
Coconut milk (full-fat). There isn’t a ton of fat in this dal, so full-fat coconut milk is essential in adding richness and creaminess here. I don’t recommend substituting the “light” variety of coconut milk as the dal will turn out tasting watery!
Veggie broth. Any vegetable broth (or high-quality bouillon/paste + water) works! My go-to is Better than Bouillon’s “No Chicken” vegetable base - its flavor is delicious, and it’s extremely convenient to have around when you need small quantities of broth, like here.
Spinach. To further amp up the nutrition with a dose of dark leafy greens! Greens are some of the most nutritious foods out there, and dark leafy greens are most strongly associated with reduced cardiovascular risk. Not only does spinach make the perfect pairing in this dal, it’s also loaded with vitamins K, A, C, and potassium.
Lemon juice. To brighten and balance out the finished dal with a bit of acidity!
To serve: brown rice, coconut yogurt, and cilantro. I recommend serving this dal alongside your favorite whole grain rice (I love brown Basmati!) to incorporate some super nutritious whole grains, but white rice varieties will also work. And don’t forget to finish it off with a dollop of coconut yogurt for extra creaminess and tang (it’s absolutely delicious!), and some cilantro for freshness!
Enough talk about why you should give this super delicious and nutrient dense dal a shot, though. Time to make it!
Red Lentil Dal with Carrots & Spinach
Vegan
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
1-1 ½ tablespoon(s) olive oil or neutral oil such as avocado, sunflower, etc.
1 large yellow onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger (from ~2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled first)
1-2 jalapeños, very finely diced (use only ½-1 jalapeño, ribs and seeds removed first, if sensitive to heat; use 2 whole jalapeños if prefer more heat)
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground mustard seed (optional)
4 medium-large carrots, diced
1 cup red lentils, rinsed thoroughly and drained of any excess water
1 13.5-ounce can full-fat coconut milk
1 14.5-ounce can or half a 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes, preferably the fire-roasted variety
1 cup vegetable broth
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt OR ½ teaspoon sea salt (or more to taste)
5-8 ounces baby spinach or regular spinach, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice
To serve:
Coconut yogurt (I recommend a thick variety such as Cocojune or Siggy’s plant-based plain coconut blend)
Cooked rice of choice (I like brown Basmati!)
Fresh cilantro
Directions
Heat a large Dutch oven or other large soup pot over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon oil, or enough to coat. Once hot, add the onion and a small pinch of salt and sauté until softened, about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the garlic, ginger, and jalapeños and continue cooking until fragrant, stirring occasionally, for 1 more minute.
Add in the ground spices (curry powder, garam masala, cumin, coriander, turmeric, ground mustard) and cook until fragrant, stirring frequently, about 30-60 more seconds.
Add the carrots and stir them to coat. Add the crushed tomatoes, coconut milk, and vegetable broth and use a spatula to scrape off any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the red lentils, salt, and some freshly ground black pepper and stir everything to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the pot partially. Cook until the lentils have fully softened, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent any sticking to the bottom of the pot. Cover the pot all the way in the last 5-10 minutes of cooking if the dal is getting too thick.
Stir in the spinach and cook until slightly wilted, about 1-2 minutes. Add in the lemon juice and stir once more. Turn off the heat.
Serve warm with your choice of rice, a dollop of coconut yogurt, and some fresh cilantro. Enjoy!
If you loved this dal, please take a moment to leave a review in the comments below and tag me on Instagram if you show it off. I put a lot of time and effort into perfecting my recipes, so I very much appreciate your support in helping to share them!