Sweet potato and spinach dahl with red lentils
Sometimes you come across something and you just know, I want to make this. I saw this recipe for sweet potatoes and spinach dahl on @gigi_goes_vegan’s Instagram. I have to admit that I made it a little less vegan by adding yogurt, but if you want to keep it vegan, you can of course just leave it out. Be sure to check out Gigi’s feed too. She has many more delicious recipes!
Sweet Potato and Spinach Dahl
This recipe is super easy to make, although it does have a long ingredients list with a lot of spices, so you will need to have them on hand. Or use a ready-made mix of Middle Eastern spices. Garam masala (it’s in there anyway) or curry powder would work, I think. But I haven’t tried it. So just a little disclaimer. And I would rather go with garam masala. It fits the dish better.
Table of Contents
Most of the spices used are pretty common, so hopefully you have them in your cupboard. Other than that, it’s just a matter of sautéing the ingredients in a large skillet or frying pan. A large saucepan would work too. It’s a one-pot dish, so keep that in mind when you get started. Everything has to go in there, and it’s a lot.
How to make the sweet potato dahl
As soon as you have your pan on medium heat you add a bit of oil. You can add coconut oil or olive oil. Both will work fine. First you add the onions (use red onion if you want. I want with brown onion) and once the are translucent you add the garlic cloves and the fresh ginger. As soon as those are in you add the tomato past and all the spices (cumin powder, turmeric powder, chili flakes ( or use cayenne pepper) and ground coriander) Cook the spices for about a minute so the flavors can develop. Once it becomes fragrant you can move onto the next step.
Now you add the sweet potato cubes and a little bit of the vegetable stock to prevent it sticking to the bottom. Add the red split lentils as well. Stir it all together and add the rest of the vegetable broth as well as the coconut milk and the tomato cubes. Let it simmer for about 12-15 minutes and check to see if the sweet potato is cooked and the lentils are done as well. as a last step you add about 100 g spinach to the pan and let it wilt into the sweet potato curry.
All in one pot
I’m a fan of one-pot meals anyway, and this sweet potato and spinach dahl is so delicious! Charlotte – who made it during a cooking session – was eagerly waiting because I hadn’t posted the recipe yet. No pressure. But honestly, this is an ideal meal, and even though it takes about 45 minutes, it’s still an easy dish.
Serving
It’s also delicious served with some flatbread or whole wheat tortillas, chopped cilantro, yogurt and a drizzle of olive oil. You can serve rice (cauliflower rice, brown rice or white basmati rice ) with it if you like, but I personally found it tasty enough without it. If you want you can add some spring onions on top.
Also useful for meal prep
Do you like to prepare some of your meals ahead of time for the week? This is an ideal meal prep dish. You can prepare it completely and it will keep for at least 2-3 days in airtight containers in the refrigerator. It also freezes well. Make sure you use freezable containers if you do.
This sweet potato and spinach dahl has a delicious flavor and is perfect for this time of year where the weather is a bit uncertain most of the times (depending on where you live obviously)
Do I need to soak the lentils beforehand?
No, unlike most other legumes, you don’t need to soak the lentils beforehand. The red lentils (don’t use any others!) will cook just fine while they’re in the pan.
How do I make this vegan?
It’s very easy. The sweet potato and spinach dahl is basically already vegan, only the yogurt I added is not, but you can omit that or substitute coconut yogurt. Of course, it has a completely different flavor, but since it already has coconut milk in it, it works just fine.
Fan of lentils?
Also check out this roasted carrot and lentil dish or the Mediterranean couscous salad
Sweet potato and spinach dahl
Ingredients
- 300 g red lentils
- 1 large sweet potato or two small ones
- 100 g baby spinach
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 4-5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tsp ginger grated
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp chili flakes
- 400 g diced tomatoes 1 can
- 250 ml coconut milk
- 500 ml stock
- 1 lemon juice
- Salt to taste
- Olive oil
How to make the sweet potato and spinach dahl
- Heat a large frying pan with a little oil. Sauté the onion until translucent, then add the garlic and ginger. Add the tomato paste and spices. Stir to combine and cook for 1 minute to release the flavors.
- Add the chopped sweet potatoes and a little broth to keep them from sticking to the pan. Add the lentils and stir for 1 minute.
- Add the vegetable broth, diced tomatoes and coconut milk. Stir to combine and simmer gently for 10-12 minutes.
- Add salt, yeast and spinach to taste.
- It is ready when the spinach has shrunk and the sauce has thickened.
- Serve with pita bread, chopped fresh cilantro, rice and yogurt.
Nutrition Information per portion
Disclaimer
The nutritional values above are calculated per portion. The details are based on standard nutritional tables and do not constitute a professional nutritional advice.
