Slow Cooker

Slow-Cooker Indian-Spiced Lentils With Spinach

by:
November  6, 2018
4
26 Ratings
Photo by Meredith Corporation
  • Cook time 8 hours
  • Serves 6
Author Notes

Excerpted from Better Homes and Gardens Fast or Slow © 2018 by Meredith Corporation. Photography © 2018 by Meredith Corporation. Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved. —Food52

Test Kitchen Notes

Featured in: 7 Vegetarian Slow-Cooker Recipes So Everyone Can Netflix & Chill. —The Editors

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Ingredients
  • 5 cups vegetable broth
  • 3 cups uncooked brown lentils, rinsed and drained
  • 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 1 cup finely chopped carrots
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 2 serrano chile peppers, seeded and finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1 (14-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
  • 1 (5-ounce) package fresh baby spinach
  • Black pepper
  • Hot cooked basmati or brown rice
  • Orange wedges
Directions
  1. In a 5- to 6-qt. slow cooker combine the first 10 ingredients (through turmeric). Cover and cook on low 8 hours or high 4 hours. Stir in coconut milk and spinach. Season to taste with black pepper and additional salt. Serve over rice with orange wedges.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

16 Reviews

Linda D. June 26, 2023
Absolutely delicious! Definitely going into the rotation! I used chicken broth instead of the vegetable broth. Next time I will start with 6 cups.
monique V. April 28, 2020
Terrific recipe for a nourishing and flavorful main dish. I serve it with brown basmati rice and chutney. Sufficient quantity for 2+ meals for 2 hearty eaters. Can this dish be frozen after the coconut milk has been added?
peazer49 March 17, 2021
I can’t speak to this particular dish but I put coconut milk in smaller containers all the time and freeze with no problem. I never have use for a full can so it’s a shame to toss it.
Kristina G. April 26, 2020
I enjoyed this recipe and plan to try again. Notes: I didn’t have a Serrano pepper so it lacked flavor so I’d like to try again first to see if I want to add more spices or the Serrano is enough.
cindyryan October 3, 2019
This was excellent and filling. Served over jasmine rice. I left out the serranos but followed the recipe otherwise. It probably could be cooked 6 hours rather than 8, but I have no other changes. We will be making this regularly.
thom0893 August 27, 2019
delicious! the broth was completely gone with over 2 hours left, so i would recommend doing 6 hours on low. it turned out so well otherwise.
Emily G. August 26, 2019
Almost all the broth is gone and it has a few hours left. Should I add water
Nick July 25, 2019
Oops...added coconut milk first as well. And Garam masala, curry powder, garlic and ginger. And left seeds on peppers. We’ll see - going for more flavor.
Ben June 24, 2019
Made this tonight, and it was incredibly easy to get tasty results. I was imprecise with every ingredient, skimping a bit on the lentils, being generous with the curry powder ingredients, and using water instead of vegetable stock. That last bit makes the "salt to taste" step even more important, so I'm glad I needed that one.

It's flavorful without offending more sensitive tongues, and topping it with basil and tomato really sent it home. My wife declared it her new favorite lentils recipe.
Marika June 9, 2019
This recipe looks delicious. I have an abundance of split red lentils. How can I adapt them to this recipe?
Churchim808 August 25, 2019
You can’t. Red lentils completely disintegrate when cooked.
LittleMissMuffin December 5, 2019
Could you just do something similar on the stove with red lentils and less broth? And only cook for 30-45 minutes?
davegorf March 2, 2019
Came out good. Seems a little under seasoned. You know how in the slow cooker spices get muted from the long cooking without evaporation. I think another teaspoon of the curry powder or some Garam masala to finish as coconut milk and spinach go in. Next time!
Jenny K. December 30, 2018
Easy and delicious. It will be a regular in our family, too.
Gina H. December 28, 2018
This was really good. I accidentally added the coconut milk too early but it turned out okay.
AK November 21, 2018
This is delicious and will be part of my regular rotation. Goes well with brown rice or cauliflower rice, plus a salad.