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Curry Red Lentil Stew with Kale + Chickpeas

Curry Red Lentil Stew features tender lentils, tomatoes, onion, ginger and flavorful spices mixed with chickpeas and kale for a healthy weeknight meal that’s easy to make!

side angle view of curry red lentil stew in a pot with items surrounding.

Coming to the end of fall and I thought a nice lentil stew was in order.

I happen to have all the ingredients on hand for this vegan Red Lentil Stew and decided to put them all together. And I’m so glad I did because it was a delicious success!

This hearty lentil stew is packed with vegetables and spices for tons of flavor and will keep you warm and fully satisfied in the cold winter weather!

What I love so much about this recipe is that thanks to the quick cooking of red lentils, it also comes together relatively fast. And leftovers taste even better!

top down view of ingredients used to make healthy red curry lentil stew.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Brightened with lemon and infused with garlic, ginger, and spices, the red lentils cook down into a hearty puree, creating a quick and easy lunch or dinner.

Here’s everything you’ll need:

  • onion
  • garlic
  • fresh ginger
  • curry powder (yellow)
  • cumin
  • turmeric
  • red pepper flakes
  • fire roasted tomatoes
  • red lentils
  • garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
  • water or vegetable broth
  • kale
  • lemon

What If I Don’t Have All The Spices?

There are a few spices here, which include turmeric, curry, cumin, and red pepper flakes. Feel free to simplify by just using curry and maybe another spice or two. You can still pull off a flavorful lentil stew by simply using curry alone as well.

top down view showing the process of making curry red lentil stew with chickpeas and kale.

How To Make Curry Red Lentil Stew

This curry red lentil stew is easy to make and on the table in about 45 minutes!

  1. Rinse the lentils and remove any that are odd.
  2. Heat your oil over medium heat in a large pot or stock pot, and saute onion and garlic until the onion becomes transparent.
  3. Add spices, tomatoes, lentils, garbanzo beans, and 6 cups of liquids.
  4. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer for about 30 minutes.
  5. Add in the kale and lemon juice, and continue to cook for 10 minutes or until the kale softens and wilts.
top down view of adding kale to curry red lentil stew in a black pot.

How To Store Leftovers

Refrigerator: Leftovers will keep for 5 – 6 days in the refrigerator, stored in a covered container.

Freezer: This curry lentil stew is freezer-friendly and freezes well for 2 – 3 months. To freeze, let cool completely and store in freezer-safe containers (affiliate link), leaving 1/2 inch for expansion. Let thaw before reheating. You can also freeze larger portions in large ziplock bags or containers.

Reheat: Simply re-warm on the stovetop over low heat until warmed through. Alternately, reheat in the microwave using 30 – 45 second intervals, stirring after each, until warm. It makes a great meal prep for the week with homemade Naan on the side for soaking up the juices.

top down view of freshly made pot of curry red lentil stew with chickpea and kale.

Serving Suggestions

Serve alone or over white rice, brown rice, or quinoa. It would pair well with this flavorful Lime Cilantro Rice. And for soaking and swiping, this vegan naan bread is just what you need. Enjoy!

More Easy Curry Recipes!

top down view of a bowl with a serving of curry red lentil stew with items surrounding.

If you try this curry red lentil recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I love to hear what you think, or any changes you make.

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CURRY RED LENTIL STEW WITH KALE & CHICKPEAS

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

4.9 from 17 reviews

A flavorful Indian spiced curry red lentil stew with chickpeas and kale. Serve with rice or quinoa for a healthy lunch or dinner.

  • Author: Julie | The Simple Veganista
  • Prep Time: 10 min
  • Cook Time: 30 min
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: Serves 6
  • Category: Soup, Entree
  • Cuisine: Vegan

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil or 1/4 cup water/veg broth
  • 1 large yellow onion, diced
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 1/2 inch knob fresh ginger, minced
  • 12 tablespoons curry powder (yellow), to taste
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • himalayan salt to taste
  • 12 teaspoons red pepper flakes, optional
  • 1 can (15 oz) fire roasted tomatoes or 1 cup fresh tomatoes, diced
  • 2 cups dry red lentils, rinsed and picked over
  • 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas or 1 can (15 oz) garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
  • 6 cups water or vegetable broth, + more as needed
  • 4 cups kale, julienned
  • juice of one lemon, optional
  • cooked basmati rice (brown or jasmine ok too), to serve

Instructions

In large pot or stock pot, heat oil over medium heat, saute onion, garlic, and ginger until onion becomes transparent, about 5 minutes. Add spices, tomatoes, lentils, garbanzo beans and 6 cups of liquids, bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. Add in the kale and optional lemon juice, continue to cook for 10 minutes or until kale softens and wilts.

Serve alone, or over white rice, brown rice or quinoa. It would pair well with this flavorful Lime Cilantro Rice. And for soaking and swiping this vegan naan bread is just what you need. Enjoy!

Serves 6

Notes

As with all recipes, adjust spices to taste adding anything more or less to your liking.

Store: 

  • Refrigerator: Leftovers will keep for 5 – 6 days in the refrigerator, stored in a covered container.
  • Freezer: This curry lentil stew is freezer friendly and freezes well for up to 2 – 3 months. To freeze, let cool completely and store in freezer safe containers (affiliate link). Let thaw before reheating. You can also freeze larger portions in large ziplock bags or containers.
  • Reheat: Simply re-warm on the stovetop or the microwave. It makes a great meal prep for the week with homemade Naan on the side for soaking up the juices.

Updated: This Curry Lentil Stew was originally published in March 2013. It has been retested and updated with new photos and helpful tips in January 2020. No changes were made to the recipe – I wouldn’t dare!

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59 Comments

  1. Just curious as to what curry you use? I have several in my cupboards/fridge but they all are quite different.

    1. Julie | The Simple Veganista says:

      Hi Bev, I used an everyday yellow curry by Simply Organics. I know they can all have a slightly different blend, but any yellow curry will do! Please let us know how it turns out for you!

  2. Very easy to make and very delicious! It does make a lot but I wanted to freeze it for future use anyway.






  3. I tried it out two days ago. It turned out a bit bitter even though I sticked to the recipe. Maybe next time I will reduce the amount of curry or kale (I think these two components could add to the bitterness). Nothing overly exciting but not bad either. Definitely a flavour different from what I usually cook. Worth to try it.

  4. Hello! This recipe sounds incredible! I wanted to make this into a curry not a stew though so how many cups would I need instead of 6?

    1. Julie | The Simple Veganista says:

      Hi Nidia, start with 4 cups and go up from there as needed. Let us know how it goes for you, so others can know too. Hope you enjoy! Cheers :)

  5. Mary Doyle says:

    This is one of our favorite recipes. We love the fresh ginger, add very few red pepper flakes (I don’t like much spice), but 2 Tbsp of curry, and some extra kale never hurts. We don’t use the rice because it’s perfect just as it is. Others that I’ve served it to love it, too. Thanks for a great recipe!






  6. Hi! I tried your recipe tonight and it turned out really well. I was able to separate it into two batches in the end, with one I added more water and some cream because the tablespoon of red pepper flakes was a little too spicy for my son. My husband and I thought the spices were just right. It’s getting colder here in Finland so this was just perfect ^_^ Thank you!!

  7. Diane Kukla says:

    I put in half of the optional red pepper flakes and found it to be too spicy. Other members of the family, men, who enjoy spicy foods thought it was fine.

  8. Anonymous says:

    I loved this recipe! In addition to the recipe ingredients I also added a can of full fat coconut milk, 4 cups of diced butternut squash and about 1/4 cup of cilantro. Can't wait to eat the leftovers! Thanks!

    1. julie@thesimpleveganista says:

      That sounds delicious! Thank you for the inspiration!

  9. My kale has some growing to do before I can harvest any, {can't wait!} but I had lots of cabbage, so I used it instead, and served it with brown rice. My family of six loved it; even my 2 1/2 yr. old had seconds! I also added some moroccan seasoning. It was wonderful. Next time I'm going to plan dinner further ahead and make some naan bread to eat with it. Thanks! Your blog looks amazing; I'll be back!

  10. Anonymous says:

    Kind of bland if you ask me.

    1. julie@thesimpleveganista says:

      You must love lots of spice! As always, my recipes are just templetes, add as much (or as little) of everything as you like. :)

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