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–+ servings

Vadouvan Red Lentil Curry with Cherry Tomatoes and Butternut Squash

This creamy satisfying curry is layered with complex yet subtle aromatic flavors. Earthy pre-roasted slightly caramelized butternut squash cubes lead the all star cast of ingredients, grounding the palette while accentuating the sweet fruity goodness of fresh cherry tomatoes. A nourishing one-pot meal that's ideal for the cozy season and well worth a little extra effort.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Pre-Roasted Ingredients 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 35 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Anti Inflammatory Diet, Asian Fusion, Indian, Plant-Based, Vegan, Vegan Fusion, WFPB, WFPBNO, Whole Food Plant-Based
Servings 8

Equipment

  • 1 Medium or Large Soup Pot (6 to 7 quarts is ideal)
  • Baking Sheet
  • Parchment Paper

Ingredients
  

  • 2 to 3 red bell peppers (use 3 if they're small, 2 if they are medium or large)
  • 4 cups cubed butternut squash (peeled)* (about 1½ to 1¾ pounds)
  • 1 medium or large onion, chopped
  • 2 to 3 celery stalks finely chopped (no more than 1 cup once chopped)
  • 1 parsnip, peeled and chopped (or substitute with carrot, turnip, or sweet potato)
  • 4 to 10 garlic cloves, minced (or about 2 to 3 tablespoons minced)
  • 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
  • 6 cups vegetable broth** (divided/ a portion will be used for oil-free sautéing)
  • 4 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half (approximately 30 ounces)
  • 2 Tbsp vadouvan curry powder (or use any type of curry powder you like)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1½ cup red lentils
  • 2 cups leafy greens, chopped if using large leaves (optional)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 lime, cut in wedges for garnish (optional)
  • ¼ to ½ cup chopped cilantro, basil, or parsley (optional)

Instructions
 

  • Prepare Roasted Red Peppers Keeping Their Juice (separate post has step by step photos)
    (this step can be done well in advance)
    Preheat oven to 450 ℉ (230 ℃)
    Line a sturdy baking sheet with parchment paper.
    Place washed red bell peppers on a lined baking sheet or pan and roast for 25 to 40 minutes the preheated oven, or until the skin of the pepper is fully blackened. To ensure uniform blackening, it's best to turn peppers once or twice during roasting.
    Remove pepper/s from pan and place in a bowl and allow to cool until easy to handle. The bowl is there to capture the juices while you work with the pepper/s.
    While each pepper is still in the bowl, remove blackened peel, stem and seeds, allowing juice to drip into the bowl while discarding the seeds and peels.
    After each pepper is peeled and seeded, rub off excess juice and place on a cutting board, saving the juice in the bowl.
    Chop peppers into bite size pieces. Put chopped pieces back into the bowl with the juice and set aside.
  • Prepare Oven Roasted Butternut Squash Cubes (separate post has step by step photos)
    (this step can be done well in advance)
    Preheat oven to 350 ℉ (190 ℃)
    Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
    Peel the butternut squash and cut it into bite size cubes.
    Arrange cubes or slices in a single layer over parchment paper lined baking sheetPlace baking sheet in preheated 375 ℉ (190 ℃) oven and bake for 40 minutes turning pieces over once halfway through baking to ensure even browning.
    Remove the baking sheet from the oven and set it aside.
  • Oil-Free Sautéing Using Part of the Broth
    Pour 2 to 3 tablespoons of vegetable stock into a large pot and bring to a rolling boil over high heat, keeping more stock close at hand.
    Add onions to pot, lower heat to medium-high, and sauté for 6 to 10 minutes until onions become translucent, adding a little bit of stock at a time, as needed, to keep onions from burning and sticking.
    Now add celery, parsnip, garlic and ginger and sauté for another 10 to 12 minutes, adding vegetable stock as needed to prevent sticking.
  • Simmering Phase
    Add cherry tomatoes to the sautéd vegetables and cook stirring occasionally for at least another 15 minutes.
    Add remaining curry powder, remaining broth, bay leaves, red lentils, roasted butternut squash cubes and chopped roasted red peppers with juice.
    Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes or until lentils are fully cooked.
    Now add leafy greens, if using, and continue to simmer until greens are soft and wilted. For delicate baby greens this will take only a couple of minutes, but if you're using a dense chopped green like kale it could take up to 10 minutes.
    Add salt and pepper to taste.
  • Serving Suggestions
    Serve with lime wedges and garnish with chopped cilantro, parsley or basil (optional).
    For extra creaminess you can also top each bowl with a spoonful of simple lemon cashew cream or plain unsweetened plant based yogurt.

Notes

* After butternut squash cubes are roasted the amount shrinks down to 2½ to 3 cups.
** I usually use 2 to 3 bouillon cubes dissolved in water.
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