Spinach, Red Lentil, and Bean Curry

I am a vegetarian, and I also don't do much dairy, so I am always looking for recipes full of fresh, colorful foods. For this one, I used silken tofu instead of yogurt, added a little lime, and used dry beans (soaked and cooked). I left out the chopped tomatoes. I also thought that there was a little something missing, so I added a bit of cayenne and salt and here was the trick: brown sugar. I am not sure how much I added (around 2 tbsp) so I would just play with it until it tasted good. Another thought, instead of the brown sugar, might be golden raisins. Once I added the brown sugar, it was DELICIOUS.

This is a good recipe. I left out the beans as I thought the lentils were enough. I do agree with the other posters that it's a bit bland. That can be fixed by either adding more onions or more spices. The next time I'll double the onions and add some cumin seed to them while frying. Also, many years ago an Indian friend told me that the secret to Indian food is frying the onions until they are a deep, golden brown and THEN adding the garlic and ginger.

This recipe was good but could have been a little spicier. It seemed to lose some of its flavor when I added all the lentils. I used frozen spinach, brown lentils, chickpeas, and cherry tomatoes cut in half, which added a nice flavor. Despite the lack of meat, my husband did not complain and complimented me on the dish. Next time I think I will put in more of the spices and roast them in the pan with the onion and oil. That seems to bring out the flavor in Indian food.

Used fresh tomatoes and some red kidney beans and white navy beans. I kept adding spices as I was cooking this and still find the end result a bit bland. I added more cumin, garam masala, and also some curry powder. If I make this again I might add a jalapeno pepper too.

Great curry in a hurry! Had to add some extra hotness to suit our tastes, and it made much more than 4 servings. Will add to my recipe box; Thank you. Just a tip for you curry lovers...my Indian friend taught me to toast my whole cumin in a hot pan then grind it in a coffee grinder and save for yummy currys - try it and you will see the difference.

Oh my god, how good is this?! It came together in a jiffy, hardly had any time to taste it and adjust it along the way, then suddenly it was bang, there, so perfect. Even with the changes I had to make (frozen spinach, curry instead of garam masala, no cilantro) it is fabulous. Eating it over rice and with naan bread for lunch the next few days. But I'm going to have to make this again as a dinner for my vegetarian friends. So exciting!

I used chickpeas instead of mixed beans, since that's all I had on hand. I thought that this recipe was good, but missing *something*. Taking the advice of another reviewer, I added some more spice and a spoonful of brown sugar to the leftovers, and that was the key. I think I will make this again, and maybe add some dried cranberries to the mix.

This was a really good and healthy recipe. I didnt add the oil but it came out fine. I also added some corn into the mix that gave a nice sweetness in the background.

This is a wonderful recipe. I used swiss chard instead of spinach and changed the spices just a bit to compensate for what I had on hand - I didn't have turmeric so I used a mild curry powder that contained turmeric and I only had regular chili powder so I added a pinch of cayenne to it. I used pinto beans (2 cups that I had previously cooked from dry beans). I also lightly salted each addition as I added it to the pan. This curry looks so beautiful, smells great and tastes just fabulous! It's a keeper for sure.

We all enjoyed this recipe very much...even my toddler

Excellant!!Couldn't be better.My all family just loved it.Got a make it another time.

This is pretty good and very well seasoned. It doesn't touch my favorite Indian restaurant but it is a nice dish and worth trying.

I love curry and have tried dozens of different recipes. This was not one of the better ones. It also wasn't the worst. With some sort of hot sauce thrown on top, this improves dramatically. Since I often make chole saag and red lentil curry (both from this site) and like them better, I probably will not make this recipe again.

EXCELLENT recipe!! I cut down the red lentils to 1/3 cup, and hiked the spinach up to 7 cups (it really cooks down), also did 3 tomatoes instead of 2, and 1 1/2 onions instead of 1. Mushrooms are also an essential addition to this recipe. I used the spices recommended, just more of them, like other reviewers, and also a touch of red curry paste. I topped this with chopped jalapenos and served over basmati rice. DELICIOUS!

My husband and my 11-year-old liked this, as did I. I used brown lentils, a mixture of half-and-half and sour cream for the yogurt, double the garam masala, a 3rd garlic clove, the tablespoon of brown sugar mentioned by others, and about 5 cups of spinach. Next time I would decrease the lentils to 1/2 cup, add a tomato and more spinach in hopes of obtaining more sauce, and I'd throw in some golden raisins. Clearly, this recipes lends itself to plenty of tweaking, and I like that. Thanks for the suggestions!

This was beautiful looking and tasted pretty good. We thought it was kind of bland, so I would recommend adding more spices. So healthy, lots of fiber!

Great flavor! I used green lentils instead of the red ones, and instead of mixed beans, I cooked up some adzuki beans. By adding more spinach or cilantro this would be more colorful!

I followed this recipe faithfully with the exception of the onions, and it was barely edible. The yogurt and tomato combination is odd, and the lentils absorbed almost all the fluid, making a thick paste with bland beans scattered throughout. Never making this again.

This recipe is a good idea, but was definitely very bland and I had to add lots more spices and fresh chili. I am going to have to play with extensively to make a keeper out of it. It is also not at all saucy and my family likes saucy rich curries. I suggest a can of chopped peeled tomatoes and their juice instead of the puree and the fresh tomatoes for more flavour.

Delicious!

WOW! Surprisingly good. A very very mild, subtle curry more like a dahl (is that the term?) Great over rice (white or brown). My sons want a bit more 'kick' to it, so I may add a bit more regular curry spice to it next time.

Very tasty! I agree that adding a tablespoon or so of brown sugar balances the acidic tomatoes perfectly. Browned the onions before adding garlic and ginger. Added a dash of salt to onions. Used bottled tomatoes and omitted the cilantro (only because I didn't have it on hand). Good on its own, or served over rice/couscous. Next time I'll just use garbanzo beans.

Excellent dish! I suggest not overcooking this one so that the textures of the spinach and tomatoes are still present. I increased all the seasonings, added a an extra garlic clove or two and a 1/4 a tsp or so of red pepper. Will make often!

This is a good recipe but I didn't see any mention of salt in here. It was lacking a bit of flavor so i added a cube of chicken bouillon (maggi) and now its perfect! I used frozen whole spinach instead of chopped fresh and the outcome looks very appealing. I like to eat this on it's own but it would probably be good with roti or rice too.

I was concerned about this not being saucy or spicy enough so I doubled both the spices and sauce. I changed this alot but was satisfied with my changes. These were my changes: I used brown lentils, 1/2 cup tomato sauce, 8 oz sourcream instead of yogurt, 2 teaspoons curry powder instead of turmeric and cumin, 1 tsp chile powder, 4 cloves garlic, 14 oz can diced tomatoes instead of two fresh, no cilantro, ans 1 can pinto beans. Everything else stayed the same. It turned out great--anthough I made many changes. Served with rice and naan.

To me and my husband (who is a fan of curry), were really disappointed. It didn't have much flavour. I will try again and maybe double the spices??

Delicious - really liked this! I happened to us goat's milk natural yogurt as that was all they had in the supermarket and it has given the curry a really nice flavour - i'd recommend it!

This recipe is near perfect! I have made it 3 times already. The only change I made is I added salt and pepper after I mixed in the lentils. The recipe does not need more of the Indian spices as some other reviewers have said, it simply needs salt to bring those flavors out. Trust me, a little salt and it's perfect! Also, I recommend not skipping the fresh cilantro. That really adds a lot of flavor. This is my new favorite recipe!

i only cooked the lentils for 20 minutes, and used frozen spinach instead. quite good. needed a little salt

I loved this. I will add more spices next time. Teamed with some basmati rice and naan, this made a great meal!

This is pretty good but needs some work. I tripled the spices, doubled the garlic, and used tomato paste with about a cup or two of water instead of the tomato puree. When all the ingrediants were mixed, I added a bay leaf and let it simmer about 30 minutes to combine the flavors better. I also through in about a teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes and lots of salt to taste.

4.5 actually. I had to add more of the spices but it was very good. I used chickpeas instead of mixed beans. The best curry I have made at home

My daughter really liked this but next time wants it a bit spicier so I will add some cayenne pepper. I used a can of white kidney beans as that's what I had in the cupboard. It was really quick to make and easy too. Thanks

I got hooked on Indian food while living in the UK, but it's impossible to find where we live now. This was a great recipe, but very mild. Next time I'll add some extra chili powder to spice it up for me. Mine wasn't pretty, but very tasty. Be careful with your garam masala - the one I used (store-bought) had WAY too much cinnamon and that threw off the flavor.

Delicious! I left out the beans, and I think it turns out great anyway.

This is among the best curries I've ever made! I lacked a few ingredients, so used green lentils instead of red, creme fraiche instead of yoghurt, chick peas instead of beans, and red curry paste instead of garam masala. I used frozen spinach and cherry tomatoes. Still, it was absolutely delicious and even my non-vegetarian boyfriend loved it. Can't wait to cook this again!

I wasn't sure I'd like this, but it was delicious with some nan!

YU-um!

Very nice curry. Mine ended up a little dry and the lentils still chewy after cooking them for 25 min. So after mixing everything together at the end I added 1 cup of water, another couple handfuls of spinach (because I had so much on hand), covered it and let it cook for about 15 more minutes. I added about 1/2t. sea salt and 1t. red pepper flakes before serving. We added raisins, chopped peanuts and cilantro at the table. Thanks for a recipe I know I'll make often!

It's really delicious if you double all the spices and then some, added red chili pepper and salt. As the recipe is, it's bland.

I really enjoyed this recipe. I ended up having to substitute peas for spinach (thought I had some, but didn't) and I used chickpeas (all I had). I did take others advice and added about 2 T of brown sugar. I made an amazing difference.

I've been making this recipe almost every other week since I discovered it 5 months ago. Fantastic! I actually use ~7 cups of baby spinach, 3 or 4 tomatoes (and extra tomato puree), a whole bunch of cilantro, LOTS of fresh ginger, and cannelini beans. The result - when combined with naan - makes plenty for 2 nights for my husband and me. Thanks so much for this one!

I really enjoyed this recipe. It was really easy to make and tastes like what I order from my local INdian restaurant. Made some changes because I was too lazy to go to the store...I didn't have any fresh tomatoes but substituted a 15 oz canned of diced. I pureed a portion for the 1/4 c. Used 1/4 c of heavy instead of yogurt. Also substituted curry powder for the cumin and powdered ginger for the fresh. Only . Still came out great! Will be one of my staples!

We really enjoyed this meal. After I started cooking, I realized I didn't have any yogurt, so I just used some sour cream instead. Also after reading some of the other reviews and seeing some people thought it could do with more flavor, I added A bouillon cube to the mix while it was cooking. Overall it tasted really healthy and good.

The recipe is really, REALLY good. Dh loved it and asked me to make it again. The reason for the 4 is because it is a bit bland as written. I ended up doubling the garam masala, adding red pepper flakes and salting to taste. After the changes it was AWESOME!

this recipe was unbelievably incredible and easy to make! I couldn't find a can of mixed beans so I just used chickpeas. I can't wait to make this again!

I found that this recipe isn't saucy enough for me, so I double the sauce. Otherwise, it's absolutely delicious.

This was really tasty but I felt the sauce was missing something and I couldn't put my finger on it. It definitely needed a bit of salt adding but that could be personal taste. It was so easy to make and healthy too. I'll definitely be making again but will try to figure out what the missing something is. Thanks for submitting.

awsome. i added curry powder and cayenne. looked and tasted beautiful.

We love Indian food but I haven't attempted too many recipes at home. This was easy and it came out great after I doubled the garam masala, used dried cilantro and skipped the mixed beans. Served it over brown rice for a complete meal. Everyone loved it!

Looks great, but lacking in flavor. Maybe more spices would help.

Loved this soup. Perfect with fresh bread in the fall.

This was really excellent and definitely way more than 4 servings. I couldn't find "canned mixed beans," so I made my own mixture of black, pinto, dark red kidney and garbanzo beans. I also substituted fat free yogurt. I will definitely be making this again!

This was pretty good, definately healthy. I also added 2 tbsp brown sugar which really made it taste good and I put some soy sauce on top for a little more salt. I will make it again.

Pretty good. I used silken tofu instead of yogurt as suggested by another reviewer and I didn't notice any difference. I did have to add extra spices and salt. Otherwise it would have been bland for me. And some pepper flakes. Served over rice for a tasty Black Friday meal!

Perfectly yummy and ingredients are easily substitutable with whatever you have available. Used tomato paste instead of puree, crushed tomatoes instead of chopped and regular chile powder. Also added more spinach and garlic- absolutely delicious! One thing I recommend is starting the skillet as soon as you put on the lentils otherwise they get mushy while waiting around. Picky husband loved it!

This was a really brilliant, mild curry. I had to cook for thirty people at my workplace and they absolutely loved it. I have been filling requests for the recipe ever since! Thank you very much!

Finally, a curry I can be proud of! My neighbor is Indian and the most wonderful smells come from her apartment while she is cooking. After making this recipe, my kitchen smells the same and I love it! I used tomato paste and Greek-style yogurt. I also increased the spices by at least double. Instead of garam masala I used curry powder and tossed in some cayenne because I like my curry spicy. Instead of fresh tomatoes I used diced, fire-roasted canned tomatoes. They are sweet and the juice adds to the sauce nicely. For the beans I used half a can chick peas and half a can dark red kidney beans. I also took the advice of another cook and added some brown sugar. Really seemed to add something special. Also, use plenty of salt..there isn't any in the recipe and it does need it! Had this over rice with baked chicken. Wonderful!

Like the other users, I didn't include the extra beans...turned out awesome

This is an excellent recipe. My husband made this twice and the first time it was great, the second, not so good. He used a different yogurt the second time(Nancy's), and it didn't end up as creamy. The first time, we used Greek style yogurt (Cascade Fresh), which we noticed had cream in it, as well as milk. I think it made it all blend together much better.

This is very tasty. I added some curry. Makes a great non meat meal.

i really enjoyed this. very simple to make and tasty. i used yellow lentils and pizza sauce since i didn't have red lentils or tomato puree. i also skipped the beans since i didn't have any on hand. kids didn't like it but i thought it was yummy!

This was sooooo good. For all of you who like it spicy, add spice...for the rest of us it is amazing!!!! I did not have the ancho chili powder so used regular and it seemed to do the trick. YUM!

Made this again. It's a healthy quick dinner option. I'm not head over heals with it anymore though. It needs some more punch. 5/27/2009 I liked this recipe and so did my boyfriend, it was a good use of leftover ingredients at the house. It just made soooooo much.

I liked this a lot because I am pregnant and too much spice gives me heartburn. My husband gave it a "B+" because he loved that it was a healthy dish, but that it lacked flavor....he likes his Indian food spicy. Also, I would reccomend soaking the lentils before cooking them (as someone previously mentioned).

Man, best curry dish I've ever had - it was deeeeelicious! Only mod was to use yellow lentils out of a can and Garam Tikka instead of Garam Marsala, (all I could find in store). Served on white rice...nice....

a bit bland too thick for me

I loved this dish very much although I've cooked it without curry and tomato paste. It was still delicious and my boyfriend was happy with it too.

sooo excellent!!! Could not be any easier to whip up but the taste is incredible. Nice blend of spices; one not overpowering of the other. I did add more spices but kept them in the same proportions. Used tunisian chili powder in lieu of the ancho. Had masoor dal (split red lentils) so that made the cooking time even quicker!! A definite keeper and nice complimentary side dish to an Indian dinner.

Needed more masala in the end!

For those here who say the recipe was dry or bland, the trick is to reduce the added carbs. I used only about 1/3 c lentils and 1/2 can of garbanzo beans, then served the curry over brown rice, and it was exquisite! The tanginess of the tomatoes together with the yogurt really made it delicious!

texture's a bit weird, but it tastes very good. and it's healthy!

This is exactly the recipe I was looking for! Simple, delicious and healthy. I only used 1 tablespoon of oil, and it was perfect. Thanks!

this is really good - i didn't know you could make a curry with yoghurt! i didn't have half the spices but curry powder, cumin and chili works fine, really tasty and dead easy to make! :)

I followed a few of the changes that other people suggested. I added coconut milk and a teaspoon of brown sugar. I only had frozen spinach but it turned out better than anticipated.

This is fantastic and very yummy, goes well with hot buttered roti or rice>

Great, but I had to add a lot more Cumin, Chili Powder, and Red Peppers. I also followed someone else's suggestion and added a little bit of brown sugar.

Very good! Doesn't need extra spices at all if you make the garam masala on this site - it is a mix of 7 or so spices. I did add 2 TB brown sugar and 1 1/2 cups corn. My mother, husband, 14 year old daughter, her 12 year old friend and my 18 month old all loved it.

i added a bit extra of every spice. and also the garlic and ginger ( in my book, you can double and triple the garlic and ginger in every recipe, i love it! big chunks too!) and i only had cans of kidney beans around, and i thought that didnt sound that good, so i added cans of corn. it was flipping delicious! fast and easy too. i also topped it with some feta cheese. that always makes it better!

This was my first attempt at curry and I like this a lot. After reading some of the other reviews, I added a lot more of each spice, and i think it came out really well. I'll be making it again!

This was incredibly easy. I work late & it was convenient for me to make. Like one of the other reviewers, I used frozen spinach(because I'm trying to clean out my freezer a little) and instead of brown sugar, like another person suggested, I used a small piece of jaggery.

I took one person's advice and added brown sugar to the tomato/yogurt sauce. I also added quite a few shakes of salt. The end result was delicious, and light, and tasted perfect with some warm naan. Yum!

This was tasty! My husband especially liked it. The texture and flavor were lovely, lively but not super hot. I didn't have spinach though so I used frozen peas instead. I look forward to making it again!

Very good. I misread the recipe and used 1 TABLESPOON of garam masala. Also used 1/2 tsp more cumin and a little cayenne. Used coconut milk instead of yogurt, as we have a dairy and soy allergy.

Very spicy but not enough flavor and not very creamy. More yogurt or more authentic yogurt? maybe would have helped.

Very good! Although I doubled the spices since I prefer a spicier dish.

This was really good. I did add more of the spices because the lentils seemed to steal all of the flavor. I also put in more yogurt and tomato puree because we like more sauce. The most shocking part was that my 3 year old (chicken-nugget loving) daughter loved it, and said, "Make this again!"

A real timesaver. Thanks, you curry-lover, from another curry lover!

I made this recipe exactly as written, and was really disappointed in how bland it was. Adding curry powder and some salt didn't help much. I think the seasoning was overpowered by the quantity of beans.

This is very good. We put it over brown rice. It just needs some additional sea salt.

Really a great dish..made it the first time for a party and it was a big hit...next time I added more chili flakes and that was even better...the flavours needed a bit of a boost.

I also found this bland the first time I made it, so added 1 tsp each of the spices, a larger piece of ginger, and 4 cloves of garlic. For heat I added some chipotle pepper (soaked in boiling water). I used canned tomatoes and 1/2 pkg of frozen spinach so it was really fast and easy.

This was fabulous. I prefer a spicier curry, but my husband lvoed this one. Next time, I will add a bit of cayenne pepper, salt, and cook the lentils a shorter time.

This was good! I added brown sugar and soy sauce, and served it over white rice. And whoa, cut the chili down to 1/4 t.

I loved this recipe but did modify it as some of the comments suggested. The more spices the better! I sautéed the spices with the onions and added some extra into the yogurt. I also used eggplant instead of tomatoes and might use more vegetables next time. I added a tablespoon of brown sugar which did help the flavor.

This is so tasty! I made a few changes based on what I had on hand and what I read in other reviews. I used green lentils and cannellini beans. I upped the amount of spices (kind of on the fly) and also added crushed red pepper. Didn't use cilantro and didn't really miss it. I also made a bit more sauce because we like extra. It was great!

My husband and I didn't care for this at all. The cumin flavor is overpowering and there wasn't enough complexity in the overall flavor.

This is a really good hearty vegetarian meal. I cut down the lentils to about 3/4 cup, used vanilla yogurt because it was all I had, double garlic, double spice, a little salt and added water to thin out the consistency. It's quite thick. I ate it on top of a piece of garlic naan and it was delicious.

I LOVE this recipe!! Such a tasty and healthy alternative to many of the fatty curries out there.