Spiced Red Lentils with Sweet Potatoes and Yams: A vegan slow cooker meal

Lentil dishes are some of my favorite in the cold months, and there is nothing more warming than sweet potatoes and yams. It's like being wrapped in a warm blanket. Recently I made a meal in the slow cooker made with green lentils, and wanted to make a similarly spiced dish with the softer red lentils. While the spices are similar, this one tastes quite a bit different due to the texture and sweet potatoes.

Red lentils blend perfectly with sweet potatoes in both texture and flavor. All of the ingredients in this recipe are inexpensive yet packed with nutrition, and this recipe makes a huge pot for a large family or bunch of leftovers.

Making this dish is incredibly simple: throw everything in the crockpot and wait. All you have to do is prep a few simple ingredients, and get out the spices. After the hours simmering in the slow cooker, you will have a fragrant house and flavorful dish.

The finishing touch of plant-based milk makes this dish creamy, and the perfect end to a chilly day. Serve with rice, vegetables, or naan bread.

Spiced red lentils with sweet potato and yam

A simple hearty, filling, yet inexpensive plant-based dish that can be made in the slow cooker.

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Comfort Food, Indian

Keyword: red lentils, sweet potatoes, yam

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 4 hours 30 minutes

Total Time: 5 hours

Servings: 12 Servings

Calories: 156kcal

Author: Jen deHaan

Ingredients

• 6 cups sweet potatoes or yams, cubed
• 3 cups low sodium vegetable broth
• 1 white onion cut into chunks
• 2 Tbsp garlic minced
• 1 Tbsp ginger minced
• 3 tsp coriander seeds
• 2 tsp garam masala
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp ground cardamom
• 1.5 cups red lentils uncooked and rinsed thoroughly
• 15 oz plant-based milk thickened, see notes
• 1/2 cup water

Instructions

• Mix the vegetable broth with all of your spices, and then place the mixture in your slow cooker.
• Add the cubed sweet potatoes/yams and onion and cook on high for 3-3.5 hours. The vegetables should be soft for the next step.
• Mix in the (rinsed) red lentils and then cook (still at high) for another 1.5 hours - 2 hours.
• Before serving, add the thickened plant-based milk* (see notes) and mix thoroughly. Then slowly mix in some water until you reach the desired consistency.
• Serve hot, seasoned with sea salt to taste.

Notes

Thickened non-dairy milk: Combine your favorite low-fat plant-based milk (such as soy, almond, cashew, or hemp milk) with 2-3 Tbsp of corn starch, arrowroot powder, or potato starch and whisk well. Or, combine 1/4 cup of cashews with about 12oz of water and blend in a high-speed blender until creamy and smooth.

Nutrition Facts

Spiced red lentils with sweet potato and yam

Amount Per Serving

Calories 156

% Daily Value*

Fat 0g0%

Saturated Fat 0g0%

Trans Fat 0g

Polyunsaturated Fat 0g

Monounsaturated Fat 0g

Cholesterol 0mg0%

Sodium 130mg6%

Potassium 504mg14%

Carbohydrates 30g10%

Fiber 9g38%

Sugar 4g4%

Protein 7g14%

Vitamin A 11450IU229%

Vitamin C 5mg6%

Calcium 89mg9%

Iron 2.4mg13%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Jen deHaan

Owner at Plant Based Recipe

Jen is a dance fitness instructor and plant-based nutrition enthusiast living in British Columbia, Canada. She has over 19 years experience in software, graphics, and art, including many years in Silicon Valley corporations. Jen completed the Developing Healthy Communities graduate program at Tufts University's Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy.

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Last Updated on December 10, 2018