Butternut Squash Red Lentil Curry

Name: Butternut Squash Red Lentil Curry
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 180 min
Ingredients: 2 tbsp olive oil; ½ yellow onion small ((small diced)); 1 clove garlic ((finely minced)); 1 small carrot ((small diced)); 1 tsp curry powder; 1 tsp cumin; 1 tsp turmeric; ½ tsp garam masala; ½ tsp Kashmiri chili powder; 4 cup butternut squash ((small cubes)); 1 cup red lentils ((rinsed)); 1 28oz can fire roasted tomatoes; ½ cup water; ½ tbsp salt ((to taste)); cracked pepper; 1 400ml coconut milk; 4 cups kale torn

And JUST LIKE THAT it’s officially October, SQUASH SEASON!

Pumpkins, squashes, and mums are everywhere and summer clothes are now packed away. Yes Fall is in full swing and that means cozy meals, Thanksgiving and shorter days. I am back with yet another EASY and delicious slow cooker recipe using my Crockpot™ 4 Quart Programmable Slow Cooker.

One of my favourite meals ever is curry. I love it for so many reasons but one of the main reasons is its versatility. Curry welcomes any vegetable, legume and spice combination, it gets created in one pot and gets better the longer it sits. It is the best for meal prepping, makes wonderful leftovers and freezes like a dream for those days you just don’t have the time to cook. Perfect for cold Fall and Winter nights; I can’t think of a cozier meal.

I used butternut squash for this curry but you could easily swap it out for your personal favourite. Same with the legume. My personal fave is red lentil but green, brown, a combination or an entirely different legume would work too. Hence the versatility I aforementioned!

This curry took me approximately 15 minutes to prep. There is a bit of peeling and chopping to do but once the ingredients are prepped the slow-cooker takes over. This is why I have fallen in love with my Crockpot. I love to cook but there are some days that I just don’t have enough hours in the day (can you relate?). I turn on the slow-cooker, pop the ingredients in, give it a good stir and then go about my day.

The curry cooked for about 3 hours and then I added a can of coconut milk and the greens. I let it bubble away for another 30 minutes and then served it with steamed rice. The rice here is optional!

If you want to serve with quinoa, polenta, millet or on its own, that works wonders too!