Lentil pumpkin curry quinoa bowls are my go-to fall plant based dinner when I’m craving something hearty and comforting. The entire pumpkin curry comes together in under an hour and makes enough for 6 servings.
My lentil pumpkin curry quinoa bowls are perfect for a hearty and comforting vegetarian dinner. I’m all about pumpkin and this pumpkin curry is almost stew like. It’s hearty, filling, and pretty healthy. Even the biggest meat eaters will not miss it in this mild curry.
These lentil pumpkin curry quinoa bowls are going to be one of your go-to fall recipes for this year and many years to come! The entire meal comes together in under an hour and makes a lot of food. Enough for you to have a few lunches with during the week or even dinner and maybe a lunch or two the next day.
Table of contents
Directions
For the Quinoa:
- Bring four cups of water to a boil in a saucepan. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt and tri-color quinoa to the pot. Reduce heat to low, cover loosely with a lid. Cook for 15 minutes or until tender and water is absorbed.
- Turn off heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Set to the side until ready to serve. Before serving fluff with a fork.
If you don’t want to make the quinoa on the stove top. Try my Instant Pot method.
For the Lentil Pumpkin Curry:
- While the quinoa is cooking, start the pumpkin lentil curry. Melt the coconut oil in a large pot (fitted with a lid) over medium-high heat. Add the onion, red bell pepper, carrots, calabasa squash and butternut squash as well as ¼ cup of the vegetable stock. Place the lid on the pot and cook for 5 minutes (reduce the heat to medium half way through), until soft.
- Stir in the minced garlic and curry powder. Mix well and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant. Add the lentils and cook 1 additional minute.
- Next, add in the vegetable stock. Stir well, place a lid on top of the pot and simmer on low for 10 minutes. Remove the lid, mix well, add in the coconut milk and pumpkin puree simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Divide quinoa evenly among bowls, ladle lentil pumpkin curry on top of each bed of quinoa. Garnish each bowl with minced cilantro, a lime wedge and chopped Sriracha peanuts.
FAQs
Here are a few of the frequently asked questions when making a pumpkin curry.
This recipe makes six hearty servings of curry.
Yes, you can add chicken or even shrimp to this pumpkin curry.
Yes, you can; however, when defrosting you may need to add a little bit of water to the curry since it will be very thick.
Tips & Tricks
Here are a few of my favorite tips and tricks when making pumpkin lentil curry.
- Quinoa – You can use your Instant Pot to cook quinoa for a more hands free option.
- Spice – Want more spice to your curry? Add some red pepper flakes to it while you are cooking. Or top with spicy sriracha sauce.
- Seasoning – I didn’t even add salt or pepper to this curry. It’s perfect the way it is.
- Nuts – No curry is complete without chopped peanuts on top. It’s the only way I eat curry. I added an extra layer of spice and used Sriracha Peanuts. It gives a little crunch plus extra heat to the dish. Of course if you don’t like spicy you can always go with dry roasted peanuts or my favorite the honey roasted
- Storage – Store the leftover in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Shop this Recipe
Here are a few of the ingredients I used to create this recipe.
- Chaokoh Coconut Milk
- Natco Madras Curry Powder
- Pereg Autumn Blend Lentils
- Pereg Tri-Color Quinoa
- Sriracha Peanuts
- Aqua Nantucket Dinnerware
Curry Recipes
If you are still craving curry, I invite you to try a few more of my favorite curry recipes.
If you make this Lentil pumpkin curry recipe, I would be honored and love for you to take the time to leave a star rating and comment! I spend hours developing and testing these recipes, and always love to hear feedback and user experience!
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Lentil Pumpkin Curry Quinoa Bowls
Equipment
- Stove Top
Ingredients
For the Quinoa:
- 4 cups water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cups Pereg Tri-Color Qunioa
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the Lentil Pumpkin Curry:
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 onion diced
- ½ red bell pepper diced
- 2 carrots peeled and diced
- 1 cup calabasa squash diced
- 1 cup Butternut squash
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons Madras Curry Powder
- 1 cup Pereg Autumn Blend Heirloom Lentils
- 2-½ cups Vegetable Stock divided
- 1 cup Coconut Milk
- 1 15 oz. can of pumpkin puree
- salt and pepper to taste
- ¼ cup cilantro minced and divided
- 1 lime quartered
- ½ cup Sriracha Peanuts divided
Instructions
For the Quinoa:
- Bring four cups of water to a boil in a saucepan. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt and tri-color quinoa to the pot. Reduce heat to low, cover loosely with a lid. Cook for 15 minutes or until tender and water is absorbed.
- Turn off heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Set to the side until ready to serve. Before serving fluff with a fork.
For the Lentil Pumpkin Curry:
- While the quinoa is cooking, start the pumpkin lentil curry. Melt the coconut oil in a large pot (fitted with a lid) over medium-high heat. Add the onion, red bell pepper, carrots, calabasa squash and butternut squash as well as ¼ cup of the vegetable stock. Place the lid on the pot and cook for 5 minutes (reduce the heat to medium half way through), until soft.
- Stir in the minced garlic and curry powder. Mix well and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant. Add the lentils and cook 1 additional minute.
- Next, add in the vegetable stock. Stir well, place a lid on top of the pot and simmer on low for 10 minutes. Remove the lid, mix well, add in the coconut milk and pumpkin puree simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Divide quinoa evenly among bowls, ladle lentil pumpkin curry on top of each bed of quinoa. Garnish each bowl with minced cilantro, a lime wedge and chopped Sriracha peanuts.
Notes
- Quinoa – You can use your Instant Pot to cook quinoa for a more hands free option.
- Spice – Want more spice to your curry? Add some red pepper flakes to it while you are cooking. Or top with spicy sriracha sauce.
- Storage – Store the leftover in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
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Ashley
I’ll definitely be trying this out soon!
Megan @ Megunprocessed
These sound amazing! Love lentils!!
Katie
Thanks! It’s such a hearty and filling meal!
Luna
This looks so good! Do you think it will turn out ok if I tried making one without the quinoa?
Katie
Hi Luna! Oh for sure–you can always use rice instead of quinoa or any other grain you and your family prefer. My husband isn’t a fan of quinoa and he ate it with rice! Enjoy!
Jocelyn (Grandbaby Cakes)
I love lentils! Looks great!!
Katie
Thanks Jocelyn! I love lentils too! Can’t get enough of them!
Sam Smith
Nice recipe kate! I will definitely try it this sunday.