I know, I know, just what you’re craving in the middle of summer…a dish that brings the heat! Did I nail it on the head or what? Well, maybe you can entertain this as an idea for a rainy, cool-ish summer evening. We enjoyed it on a night like that just recently! We’ve had a lot of rain and clouds around these parts.
I’ve been trying to come up with the fastest of fast dinner recipes, since cooking with two kids underfoot is getting more and more challenging. If it takes me more than 10 minutes of prep during the witching hour, it’s usually not happening. (I don’t know, maybe I should try batch cooking and freezing meals on the weekends, but I haven’t yet come up with a plan for that.) Admittedly, I’ve also been feeling a bit defeated in the cooking department because Adriana is going through an “I’m not hungry” phase (after going through a really good eating phase in the spring that, in retrospect, could’ve been a growth spurt!). Most of the things we offer her get a few nibbles taken out of them. Or she just exclaims, “POPSICLE, PLEASE!” *facepalm* So, my mood lately has been basically PLEASE DON’T MAKE ME COOK ANOTHER REJECTED MEAL. The silver lining is that Arlo will eat anything that isn’t nailed down (for now!), as will Eric (lol), so my cooking confidence isn’t totally shattered. I’m like, “SEE, NORMAL PEOPLE LOVE MY FOOD!” (I may be losing it.)
One day I just started throwing things into a pot and didn’t actually expect this recipe to be a winner, but it turned out to be really tasty, especially after a couple more trials. I love that it’s extremely fast to prep. My goal was 10 minutes prep, and I usually clock in at around 7 or 8 minutes (when I have my cooking game face on!). I also wanted the dish to rely on pantry ingredients, such as dried spices rather than fresh aromatics. Don’t get me wrong, fresh garlic, onion, ginger, chillis, etc. are typically my first choice, but they aren’t always practical for those rushed nights. Another benefit of this recipe is that you can use whatever veggies you have on hand, so it can work for all the seasons. I, Eric, and Arlo are really enjoying it…and I’ve even convinced Adriana to eat a bit (it was a sweet potato version, and I ended up mashing her sweet potatoes into the dal and stirring in the rice).
8-Minute Pantry Dal
Yield
4 (with accompaniments)
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
This satisfying pantry dal is lightning fast and will only set you back around 8 minutes of prep time. While not an authentic dal, I created this version out of a desperate need to come up with more speedy pantry dinner options. You can change it up so many ways by simply varying the veggies you use, and in my tips I've provided an alternative spice option, too—I still can't decide which one I like better! Before you begin, I recommend setting out all the spices on the counter so they’re ready to go when you’re cooking. Also, if you have some on hand, this dish is great with baby spinach stirred in during the last couple minutes of cooking. In the photographed dish, I used 2 cups each of chopped zucchini and broccoli florets, but of course, feel free to use any veggies you prefer.
Ingredients
For the dal:
- 1 heaping tablespoon (20 mL) virgin coconut oil or olive oil
- 4 cups peeled (if necessary) and diced veggies*
- 1/2 cup (100 g) uncooked red lentils
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) water, plus more if needed
- 1 (14-ounce/398 mL) can diced tomatoes
- 1 (14-ounce/398 mL) can light coconut milk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (7.5 mL) garlic powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (7.5 mL) minced onion**
- 1 tablespoon (15 mL) good curry powder, or to taste***
- ¾ to 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Serving suggestions:
- Cooked basmati rice or grain of choice
- Fresh chopped cilantro leaves
- Fresh lime juice
Directions
- In a large pot, melt the coconut oil over low-medium heat.
- Peel (if necessary) and dice the veggies into 1/2-inch pieces. Add them into the pot and stir until combined. Increase heat to medium.
- Add in the rest of the ingredients (lentils, water, diced tomatoes [with juices], coconut milk, all the spices, salt, and pepper). Stir until combined.
- Increase heat to high and bring to a low boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook, uncovered, for 18 to 30 minutes, until the veggies and lentils are tender; the cook time will depend on the types of veggies you use, and their size. Stir the dal frequently while cooking, and reduce the heat if necessary to prevent it from sticking to the pot. (If you’re using potatoes, I suggest covering the pot while cooking since they don’t contain as much water to “cook off”. You may need to add more water to thin the mixture.)
- If desired, serve over rice, and garnish with cilantro and lime (it’s still great without these additions, though!).
Tip:
* You can use any veggies you like here! Whatever is lurking in your kitchen, feel free to try it out. A few ideas for combos include the following: carrot and zucchini, potato and peas, sweet potato and red pepper, broccoli and zucchini, cauliflower and/or broccoli.
** Minced (or flaked) onion is less concentrated than onion powder. Onion powder will work as a substitute if that's what you have on hand, but I would suggest starting with a small amount and adding it to taste in ¼-teaspoon increments to avoid it overpowering the dish.
*** I use Simply Organic brand of curry powder. If you don’t have a favourite curry powder blend on hand, you can substitute the following: 1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric, 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (or more to taste), and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional). Don’t forget to use the 1 1/2 teaspoons of both garlic powder and minced onion, as well.
This is one of my favorite recipes–so delicious and so fast and love the flexibility of using any veggies. Would love to see an instant pot version.
Hey Jen, An IP version is a great idea! Thanks for your review…so glad you love this one.
I love this recipe and have made it multiple times! I want to try it with peas and carrots tonight, but I only have frozen peas. After thawing, would I add them to the pot at the same time as the carrots? Or should I add them toward the end of the cooking process?
Hey Kate, Thanks for your question! I would add any frozen veggies at the very end since they will only need a minute or two. I find frozen veggies can become too mushy if cooked at the beginning of soup recipes. I’d love to hear what you try out! Happy cooking
I made this tonight. It was delicious! Thank you!
Hey Laura, So glad to hear that! Thanks for letting me know :)
This has quickly become one of my go-to vegan recipes not only for its simplicity but delicoious flavour. Each time I make it I use different combinations and types of vegetables and it always comes out perfectly. This is a real keeper.
Delicious! I doubled the recipe, and used one bag of frozen broccoli and one bag of frozen broccoli Normandy mix. I may try cooking it in a slow cooker next time. (Maybe those with instant pots can make this in there too.) Basically, this was the best no-prep recipe I’ve ever made. Thanks!
So good! Didn’t use tomatoes instead added some V8 juice – cut recipe in half. For us non vegans some ground turkey is great addition!
Me too!
Great minds think alike ??
I made this recipe today, and it was my very first Oh She Glows recipe despite following your blog for a while. For some reason, I have always found plant-based food a little intimidating. This was really delicious and a total cinch. I especially loved not having to brown onions and garlic – great use of pantry ingredients and an awesome time saver.
I didn’t serve it on rice, just a big bowl with cilantro. Total yum!
Hey Sarah, So glad you loved your first OSG recipe! :) Thanks so much for letting us know how it went.
hi. this is one of my favorite recipes of all times – it is beyond delicious, easy to make and tastes better every day! I always make it with broccoli and zucchini, but today I made it with eggplant, scallions and shredded carrots. Yummy – looking forward to all my meals this week – thank you!!
Angela, this recipe has been a very popular stand-by in my weekday evening repertoire ever since you posted it. I also wanted to add that last night, my 14-year-old daughter, who has been fighting a nasty upper respiratory thing for a week now, specifically requested it. I started to make it, then realized I was out of curry and was really bummed, since I knew that it just wouldn’t be the same without it. Detail-oriented Angela to the rescue; I happened to glance below the recipe and saw your “back-up” in case of no curry. The ingredients were fantastic for someone with a cold, too: ginger, turmeric, etc. Daughter was happy, mom was happy – so five stars for the recipe all around!
This was a huge hit with both my 3 year old and my omnivorous husband. And so easy to make. Thank you!!
This is a weekly meal for us. Its SO good. We often make it without vegetables. Its flavorful and filling and I crave it all the time. Thanks for the recipe!
This recipe has been a joy to make and to share with family. Love the smell of it cooking. I double it (very easy to do) so I can have even more leftovers. Freezes well and makes the best reheated lunch at work!
Hi, this looks fantastic, but I’m allergic to coconut milk. Do you have any recommendations for subs that are still plant based?
This recipe is awesome; it’s in my regular rotation. I’ve brought it to potlucks and everyone loves it! I use soy milk and add coconut extract to cut down on the fat and calories. Thanks so much! : )
Does it come out soupy? I want to cut back on fat, so soy might just be the option to do it.
Well, it’s kind of a soupy dish. Thick soup.
Just made this. Delicious and a great way to use up spare veggies- mine had some red potatoes, cauliflower, celery and red bell pepper.
Tried my own take on this recipe based on the contents of my cupboard—used chickpeas instead of lentils and added zucchini and cauliflower for the veg. Turned out great, thanks for the recipe!
This is one of my absolute favorite easy vegan dinners! It’s so flavorful and I love the variety of veggies.
I have made this dish so many times with different combinations of veggies and it never disappoints. I recently froze a portion and enjoyed it last night with a russet potato that i quickly microwaved. Yum!!
This is the best recipe, ever! I made a double batch exactly as written using quality organic ingredients. I brought some frozen over to my daughter and she texted me, she was obsessed with it!
It freezes well and additional veggies can be added later to stretch it saving time and money!
Thanks for this great recipe! My grandson, 18 months old, was reluctant at first but when he actually tried it, ate it eagerly, veggies and all.