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Horizontal overhead photo of a bowl of Butternut Red Lentil Dal with Gingered Tomatoes on a wood table.

Butternut Red Lentil Dal with Gingered Tomatoes

If you love adding healthy veggies to your diet this amazingly delicious Butternut Red Lentil Dal with Gingered Tomatoes is perfect, but meat lovers also go crazy over it as it's bursting with fabulous flavor!

Course Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine Indian, South East Asian
Keyword Butternut Red Lentil Dal, Easy Red Lentil Dal, Indian Dal, Red Lentil Dal
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 258 kcal
Author Chris Scheuer

Ingredients

For the dal:

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons mustard seeds black or yellow
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seed
  • 4 medium cloves garlic finely minced
  • 1 ½ tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger
  • 1 tablespoon garam masala
  • 1 ½ teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 large sweet yellow onion coarsely chopped
  • 1 large yellow bell pepper coarsely chopped
  • cups diced butternut squash (I used pre-cut purchased butternut squash to make things easy)
  • 14.5 ounces fire-roasted diced tomatoes 1 can
  • 3-4 cups low sodium vegetable broth you could also use low sodium chicken broth
  • 13.5 ounces light coconut milk I I've used both light and full fat coconut milk with delicious results
  • 1 ½ cups dried red lentils
  • 1 large bay leaf (or 2 medium)
  • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • fresh cilantro mint, basil leaves, for serving
  • lime wedges for serving

For the gingered tomatoes:

  • 1 ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
  • 1 medium clove garlic finely minced
  • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 1 ½ cups cherry or grape tomatoes
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

For the dal:

  1. In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds and cook until the mustard seeds start to sizzle a bit (I call it dancing).
  2. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for another 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add the diced onion, bell pepper, butternut squash, garam masala and ground coriander and sauté for 3-4 minutes until the onion begins to soften.

  3. Add the fire-roasted tomatoes, 3 cups of the broth, coconut milk, red lentils, turmeric, kosher salt and bay leaf. Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce to a steady simmer. Cook for 20 minutes or until the butternut squash is nice and tender and the lentils are broken down. If the mixture seems to be getting too thick before things are finished cooking, add a bit more broth.

  4. Remove the bay leaf then use an immersion blender or a regular blender, to pulse the dal until veggies are chunky-smooth. If you'd like this dal a little thinner, you can add a bit more broth at this point then stir well to combine.

  5. Serve with rice and Gingered Tomatoes (see below). Garnish with fresh herb leaves and lime wedges. A drizzle of creamy yogurt is also delicious.

For the Gingered Tomatoes:

  1. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and lay them out on top of several thicknesses of paper toweling to drain off any excess liquid.
  2. Heat 1½ tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a medium-size, non-stick sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add the grated ginger, garlic and mustard seeds. Sauté for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant.

  3. Add the halved cherry tomatoes and sprinkle with the salt. Stir gently until the tomatoes are warmed.
Nutrition Facts
Butternut Red Lentil Dal with Gingered Tomatoes
Amount Per Serving
Calories 258 Calories from Fat 81
% Daily Value*
Fat 9g14%
Saturated Fat 4g25%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 4g
Sodium 853mg37%
Potassium 559mg16%
Carbohydrates 33g11%
Fiber 13g54%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 11g22%
Vitamin A 3276IU66%
Vitamin C 41mg50%
Calcium 62mg6%
Iron 4mg22%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.