Make a big pot of this delicious vegan madras curry with eggplant, red lentils, and fire roasted tomatoes in about 30 minutes – tastes just like take-out but easy enough to make at home!
Growing up in a rural town in Pennsylvania, I had relatively little exposure to ethnic foods like sushi, curry, pho, and more. After moving around so much after college and living in the city now, I have had the opportunity to try all kinds of dishes.
One that I often come back to when cooking at home is curry. It is one of those dishes that you can make when you need to clean out the fridge. Almost any vegetable and protein pairing works well.
With the help of a pre-made Madras curry sauce, this meal came together in about 30 minutes. Perfect for a busy weeknight! We always try to keep a few of the ingredients like lentils, coconut milk, and stewed tomatoes on hand so we can whip up a curry dish like this on a weeknight without having to make a trip to the grocery store after work.
I served it over a bit of brown rice, but feel free to experiment with other grains as well – quinoa or buckwheat might be fun!
More Curry Recipes You’ll Love
- Vegan Chickpea Chana Masala
- Red Pepper Chickpea Curry
- Vegan Curry Soba Noodles w/Tofu
- Six Ingredient Red Lentil Curry
- Chickpea and Butternut Squash Curry
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Vegan Madras Curry
Ingredients
- 2 small eggplants ~1 1/2 lbs, sliced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup chopped yellow onion ~1/2 onion
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 (12.5 oz) jar Madras curry simmer sauce
- 1 (15oz) can coconut milk (lite or full fat)
- 1 (28 oz) can diced fire roasted tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cups split red lentils
- 3 cups fresh spinach
To Serve:
- cooked rice, cilantro
Instructions
- Place sliced eggplant into a colander and sprinkle generously with salt. Set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a large stock pot. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another 1-2 minutes or until fragrant.
- Add the sauce, coconut milk, tomatoes, and lentils. Stir to combine.
- Pat dry the eggplant with a towel, brushing off extra salt. Chop into 1/3″ cubes and add to the pot. Bring to a simmer, cover with lid and cook for 25-30 minutes or until lentils are tender. Stir occasionally.
- Stir in the fresh spinach and cook another 2-3 minutes or until the spinach is wilted.
- Serve over cooked brown rice or whole grain of your choice.
Nutrition
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Comments & Reviews
Thanks for the inspiration!
I used courgette instead of spinach( hard to get fresh this time of the year) and served pilaw rice with it. Delicious 🙂
the recipe is delicious but for some reason my lentils never became soft and i simmered it for 1 hour and 15 minutes total.
Hi Marlo,
That’s so strange! Usually red lentils cook up relatively quickly (just 5-7 minutes for split red lentils like you normally find in the store). Did you use red lentils or brown/black lentils? Those varieties can take a little while to cook which may explain the longer cooking time! Glad it turned out yummy either way. 🙂
That’s look so delicious! Thank you so much for cooking with Spicemode. I’m glad that you enjoyed the flavors. Cheers!
I didn’t grow up eating curried foods either but when I discovered it a few years ago, I just LOVE every time i get to eat it!