This Crock Pot Madras Lentils recipe is super simple and even more delicious. My motivation at first was to find a recipe to replace the little microwave packs of madras lentils. I would keep them stocked up in the pantry. They were easy to grab and microwave and have a quick healthy addition to any meal. I can now make this whole crock pot full of this delicious lentil dish for about the same price as one of those little packets.
Another reason this is a keeper for your recipe books is you most likely have every ingredient in stock at any time. One potato, some onion and a cup of lentils and seasonings are just all about all you need to put this dish together. It takes no time at all especially if you prepare it with dried lentils which is what I do. I can see making them separate if you can just cook them in the crock pot with all the other ingredients.
Furthermore, it is really easy to swap some ingredient if you don’t have them. The first time I made it I followed the recipe verbatim. Then we were restricted to our homes and I ran out of coconut milk so I swapped it for almond milk and enjoyed it just as much. You can add beans or more seasonings or cut pepper just to name a few items that would be great to put in. Make it yours or make it just like the recipe says. You will enjoy every bite either way.
Crock-Pot Madras Lentils
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked lentils*
- 2 cups canned tomato sauce/puree
- 1/2 large onion approx. 1 + 1/2 cups finely diced
- 1 large russed potato approx. 2-3 cups peeled and cubed
- 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
- 3 TBSP butter or vegan equivalent
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- crushed red pepper flakes to taste
Instructions
- You're going to laugh at how easy this is: Use some the butter or Earth Balance to lightly grease the sides of your crock-pot then dump EVERYTHING into your slow cooker.
- Set to HIGH for 3.5-4 hours and go about your day/evening as per usual.
- Once time is up, taste and add any additional seasonings your taste buds prefer. This dish comes out super thick (LOVE IT) but you could also thin it a bit with some additional coconut milk or veggie broth as desired. Simply amp up the seasonings to compensate!
- Garnish with an optional sprinkle of parsley or basil and serve over a bed of fluffy rice, quinoa, or alongside a big green salad!
Recipe Notes
- Prefer to used dried lentils? Simply add 1 cup of raw dried lentils to your crock-pot and increase the amount of tomato sauce used to two 15 oz cans total of sauce, plus add 1/2 cup of veggie broth to the mix. The lentils will soak up the extra liquid as it cooks.
- You can use one extra large russet potato for this dish or go with two smaller russet potatoes. I've also made this with Yukon gold potatoes and it works great! You'll want to aim for 2-3 cups of diced potato total.
Your Notes
Nutrition
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