This clean eating garam masala red lentil stew recipe is a hearty, tummy-warming bowl of deliciousness!
What do you do when you create a soup recipe from scratch, and in the end you realize you didn’t add enough liquid for it to actually qualify as soup? You serve it with a smile and call it stew!
This “stew” may not look like anything fantastic, but let me tell you… if you are partial to Indian food, this dish is WONDERFUL! I fell head over heals in love with it.
When I first made this recipe years ago, I made it with chicken broth. But now that I’m 100% plant based, I switched out the chicken broth for vegetable broth and it turned out just as tasty as the chicken broth version.
I also adjusted the spices. When I first made this Clean Eating Garam Masala Red Lentil Stew, I went heavy on the curry and some folks didn’t like it with such a strong flavor. So I backed off of the curry and it really did mellow things out a bit. But in a good way. I can’t stop eating it. So, so, so yummy!
YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY THESE CLEAN EATING RECIPES:
- Clean Eating Curry Chicken With Peas Recipe
- Clean Eating Curry Tofu Pasta Recipe
- Clean Eating Chickpea Flour Flatbread Recipe
CLEAN EATING GARAM MASALA RED LENTIL STEW RECIPE:
This wonderful bowl of comfort is perfect on a chilly, windy evening. Serve this with some flatbread and hummus for a well rounded meal. I used my chickpea flour flatbread recipe. You can find the link to that recipe listed above.
- 1 large yellow onion (chopped)
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 3 cups dry, red lentils (rinsed)
- 1 (14 oz.) can light coconut milk
- 6 cups vegetable broth (no sugar added)
- 2 cups water
- 2 tsp. curry powder (or to taste)
- 3 tsp. garam masala (or to taste)
- 1 tbsp. garlic powder
- 1 lb. baby carrots (sliced thin)
- 1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce (no sugar added)
- 1 (15 oz.) can garbanzo beans (rinsed and drained)
- salt and pepper (to taste after cooking)
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Roughly chop your onion and place into a large pot with the olive oil.
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Cook the onions until they are translucent. In fact, if you know how to caramelize onions, go for it.
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Add your red lentils to the pot and stir.
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Add the coconut milk to the pot and bring to a low boil.
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Add all other ingredients. Cook on medium heat, stirring frequently to keep the beans from burning on the bottom of the pot.
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Stew is finished when the lentils are soft and fully cooked.
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Add salt and pepper to taste.
Please note that the nutrition data below is a ballpark figure. Exact data is not possible.
This recipe from the Gracious Pantry archives, originally posted 4/9/2010.
I made this dish with the 1 tablespoon curry & 3 tablespoons garam marsala & OMG, it was horrible. Completely overspiced! I’m thinking this was a misprint & it should be teaspoons not tablespoons of both spices. I ended up straining the stew & dumping out 3/4 ths of the liquid. Then put it back in the crockpot with a new can of tomato sauce & cocount milk. Then it tasted very good like I thought it should : )
Sharon – I’m sorry you had that experience! I do tend to like strong spice. The measurements were correct, though I’ve altered the recipe now so that others won’t have the same experience you did. Thanks for letting me know!
I made this dish and it was AWESOME! I’ve had hit or miss situations with my crock pot. I did add a teaspoon of salt, 1 tsp Tumeric Powder, 1 tsp Chili Powder (for a kick but I thought it needed more) and I substituted the tomato sauce with a can of tomatoes. I also used Garlic Olive Oil to add a little something. I WILL MAKE THIS AGAIN!
Kat – that’s wonderful! Glad you enjoyed it!
Wonderful! I’m happy you both enjoyed it!
This recipe was absolutely delicious! I added a little ground turkey because my son thinks a main dish must include meat. I just discovered your blog a few weeks ago and have enjoyed every recipe I’ve tried. I hope you’ll keep this site up for years to come!!!
I plan on it! Thanks!
My slow cooker is a 5 quart if that helps. I wouldn’t go any smaller than a 4 quart or any larger than a 6. This meal will freeze just fine. Enjoy!
The red lentils did not expand like the brown lentils do. At least not for me. So yes, I did end up with 6 servings. The nutrition data I post is only a ballpark figure, and every calculator on the web will give you different numbers.
OH. MY. GOODNESS.
That was just delicious. I loved it so much. I had to make a few changes due to ingredients not being in my cupboard so I didn’t get to have the beans and I had to use green lentils and coriander seed powder instead of garam masala (tastes totally different but I had to be inventive!). Very excited to try it again with the correct ingredients.
I have made a few of your recipes since starting on my clean eating and then raw way of eating and your website is by FAR my favourite. I still eat a few cooked things because I love your recipes.
(p.s – your walnut chocolate fudge is UNBELIEVABLE!!)
Jess xoxox
Thanks so much! Glad you’re enjoying my recipes! 🙂
How long does it take for the lentils to become soft? Trying to decide if this is a weeknight meal or not 🙂 thanks for the amazing recipes!
It can take about 30 minutes, give or take. Depends on the lentils.
WOW!! Made this for dinner and it was AMAZING!! I added some fresh shrimp and chiles and it was out of this world good! I was in red lentil heaven 🙂 It made my house smell soooooo fantastic. So aromatic and exotic. I just LOVE your website!! Every recipe i make (and i make alot!! Lol) ALWAYS turn out amazing! You make eating clean so simple, interesting, and DELICIOUS!
Kaileigh – Awwww, thank you! 🙂
This recipe is delicious – and healthy… I wasn’t too sure that DH or teenage boys would like it, but they raved about it. I added 2 stalks of celery and an extra tspn of curry powder.
Definitely a winner for our family.
Tracey – Fantastic! So glad everyone liked it! 😀
This was not a bad recipe, but I would suggest adding the carrots with the coconut milk and maybe some water or chicken broth before I add the beans, to soften them. It takes longer to cook the carrots than the lentils.
Matt – Thanks for your feedback! I found the carrots cooked the same, but I guess that could depend on their thickness. Glad you liked it though!
I was wondering. Is the reason for adding the garbanzo beans to the recipe, to make it a complete protein meal?
Matt – No. I just thought they tasted good. You can leave them out if you prefer.
This recipe is delicious… I can’t stop eating it! Only modification I made was to use fresh garlic in with the onion as I didn’t have garlic powder and a tablespoon of coconut sugar for added sweetness. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe – it will definitely be a regular for me and I have already shared it around the office!
Ashleigh – Thanks! So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂