Hearty Slow Cooker Red Lentil Stew with Spinach

Slow cooker Red Lentil Stew is a healthy, hearty dish that’s packed with delicious nutrients! It features spinach and a rich aromatic broth with a medley of savory spices.

This comforting and satisfying vegan dish is great for feeding a hungry family, but also works as a meal prep option. The leftovers last all week and provide multiple tasty meals!

Jump to:

• 💚 About This Recipe
• 🧂 Ingredients Needed
• 🔪 Instructions
• ❔ FAQs
• 💭 Expert Tips and Tricks
• 💡 Substitutions and Variations
• 🔊 What readers are saying...
• 🥫 Storage and Reheating
• 🍴 What To Serve With This Dish
• ✔️ More Slow Cooker Recipes You'll Love
• 📋 Recipe Card
• 💬 Reviews and Comments

💚 About This Recipe

With a variety of filling and nutritious ingredients, this hearty slow cooker red lentil vegan recipe is ideal for a fantastic and healthy meal on a budget!

Majorly customizable, this hearty stew slowly cooks throughout the day and results in a comforting dish with lots of warm flavors. Lentils provide an affordable base for this dish and help the stew fill you up on cool evenings or any chilly day.

Similar to my Brazilian Fish Stew or Easy Shrimp Stew, this is a nice healthy recipe, and it's also great for vegetarian or vegan diets!

If you like this vegan stew, you might also enjoy this Mushroom Curry, which is another vegan dish with a similar flavor profile.

🧂 Ingredients Needed

• red lentils - a little sweet and slightly nutty, these hearty legumes are perfect to add a nice rich and comforting quality to your stew with lots of plant-based protein.
• diced tomatoes - the tomatoes and their juices help create the broth for slow cooker lentils.
• onion
• curry paste - I used red curry paste to provide some robust flavor base.
• seasonings - in addition to the curry paste, gather some ground ginger, coriander, cumin, cayenne pepper, sugar, and salt.
• vegetable broth - you can use another kind of broth like chicken stock if you prefer, but vegetable broth keeps this red lentil stew in vegan territory.
• frozen cauliflower - a nice convenient ingredient that adds some nice veggie goodness.
• spinach - I've found fresh spinach works best, but you could also buy frozen spinach and let it thaw first.
• fresh lime juice - balances out all of the savory richness with a bit of acidity. Fresh lemon juice also works fine!
• fresh cilantro - for an optional garnish, fresh chopped cilantro is a great way to add a pop of color and herbal flavor.

🔪 Instructions

❔ FAQs

💭 Expert Tips and Tricks

• For the spinach, I bought a 10 ounce bag and used about half of it. Spinach cooks down quite a bit, so don't be afraid to get a lot in there!
• If you can't find or don't have curry paste, you can also use curry powder. Use 1 teaspoon of the curry powder for every tablespoon of curry paste the recipe calls for (which is 2 in the base recipe).
• Top with a drizzle of hot sauce, some sour cream (or a vegan substitute), and serve red lentil stew with a nice side of crusty bread.

📌 With a bold warm flavor and hearty, filling ingredients, these slow cooker red lentils are the perfect way to stretch a buck and make a quick and easy meal the whole family will love!

💡 Substitutions and Variations

• Instead of red lentils, you could use yellow lentils. Green lentils and brown lentils aren't well suited for this dish texture-wise.
• Add dried pinto beans in with the lentils, or even use them instead of the lentils!
• Substitute fresh ginger for the ground ginger if you prefer the fresh flavor.
• Feel free to add or subtract whatever you like to the mixture of warming spices.
• Use chicken broth or beef broth for a little kick of extra flavor.
• Mix in additional cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes or chili powder if you prefer your hearty red lentil stew on the spicy side.
• Mix in other frozen vegetables like green beans, corn, carrots, asparagus, broccoli, or squash. Potatoes and sweet potatoes are also great options.

🥫 Storage and Reheating

Allow your leftover red lentils to cool to room temperature, then transfer to an airtight container. In the fridge, your leftovers will be good for 3 to 4 days. You can also freeze these lentils for several months, though the texture may not be quite the same after you thaw and reheat.

To reheat, you can microwave individual portions in microwave-safe bowls, or transfer all of your red lentil stew to a pot over medium heat and stir occasionally until heated through.

🍴 What To Serve With This Dish

I love this dish because it contains everything you need for a well-rounded meal, but if you're feeding a larger crowd, serve it alongside a Chickpea Pasta Salad, some Garlic Herb Roasted Potatoes, or this crowd pleasing Cornbread Casserole. You can also make Copycat Jiffy Cornbread Mix for a quick and easy batch of classic cornbread!

📋 Recipe Card

Update Notes: This post was originally published in March 2014, and was republished with tips, step by step photos, and a recipe change in April 2024.