Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Dal
Happy Meatless Monday! I thought it was about time that I partake in the tradition. Let me talk to you about meatless meals. They're cheap, they're flavourful, they're hearty and most of the time, they're wholesome. The thing with meatless dinners is that you really need to get creative and make whatever fruits and veg you're using shine. For dinner these days, I'm all about what veggies I'm having and what kind of protein I'm going to pair with them, as opposed to the other way around.
This Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Dal fits my definition of a magnificent, meatless masterpiece (see what I did there?). Made with hearty red lentils, chunks of butternut squash, loads of garlic and some baby spinach, you really can't go wrong with this dish. Oh and did I mention…the whole process is hands off thanks to a handy dandy slow cooker?
This is a delicious, wonderfully simple recipe that you can cook throughout the day while you're at work so you come home to a fast, tasty meal. Or, you can chop up the ingredients and dump in the slow cooker on Sunday while you lounge around relaxing, watching TV, reading books or exploring outside. Really, it's up to you what you do with the glorious, extra hours you'll have while waiting for this to cook.
What I especially love about this meal is that it reheats well, so you'll have leftovers for the whole week. The veggies you choose to include in this meal are also up for debate. I prefer the squash as it cooks slowly and adds a lovely, nutty and sweet flavour to the curry and turmeric, but I could also see any sort of pepper or potato working well here.
Garnish your meatless masterpiece with some sesame seeds and cilantro, and serve alongside some basmati rice. Pro tip: herbs are not just for garnishing. I absolutely love eating generous amounts of them alongside curries, salads, sandwiches and one pot meals, and herbs like cilantro and parsley have killer health benefits and are nutritionally dense. Consider giving a giant handful a try next time you cook up a big meal!
All of the ingredients in this recipe except for the spinach can be dumped into the slow cooker at the same time. Just be sure to rinse your lentils and finely chop your squash. I mean seriously, how easy is this recipe?
Will you be trying these Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Dal Bowls? If you try any of my recipes be sure to let me know on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook – I’d love to hear from you!
This is the brand of basmati rice that I use.
I also use red lentils like these ones here.
| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | 180 minutes |
| Servings | -8 servings |
- 2 small yellow onions diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 small butternut squash, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 2 cups dried red lentils well rinsed
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 can coconut milk
- 1/2 of a 796mL jar of passata (or crushed tomatoes)
- 1 tbsp turmeric
- 1 tbsp curry
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 2 cups Baby spinach
- 4 cups cooked basmati rice or red quinoa
- Cilantro and sesame seeds for garnishing
Ingredients
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- Turn 6 quart slow cooker on to high heat.
- Rinse lentils with cold water in a mesh sieve until water runs clear.
- Chop onions, garlic and squash, then dump with lentils, olive oil, coconut milk, passata, turmeric, curry, garam masala, salt and pepper. Stir and cover.
- Cook for 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, cook basmati rice according to package directions and set aside to plate later.
- After mixture has finished cooking, mix in spinach and then plate with rice, garnishing with sesame seeds and cilantro.
- Enjoy!
When does the spinach get added in? Do you let it cook with the rice, or just throw it in with the finished dish?
Hey Beth! Toss it in at the end right before serving – sorry about that, I’m updating the recipe now to reflect that 🙂
Thank you! Another thing–in the instructions you said chop onions, but they are not in the ingredients. One whole onion, half?
2 small yellow onions! So sorry – this has been updated!
I’m thinking about making this, but one can of coconut milk doesn’t seem to be enough liquid to cook 2 cups of lentils. Am I missing something? Thanks!
Hi Alie! This is a very thick dal – there’s also a half jar of strained tomatoes which adds a bit more liquid to the mix. Let me know if you try it 🙂
Thanks! Also, what setting is it cooked on?
No worries! It says at the beginning of the recipe to put it on high – takes a bit faster to cook that way if you’re cooking after work. If you’d like it to cook during the day while you’re at work however, you can put it on the lowest setting and cook it for 6-7 hours!
It turned out great! My family loved it! Thank you 🙂
Awesome, I’m so happy to hear that!! 🙂
This looks delicious and easy! What type and how much onion do you use? It’s listed in the instructions but not in the ingredient list. Also, can you substitute canned diced tomatoes? Thanks…can’t wait to try this one!
Hi Bethany! So sorry about this – it’s 2 small yellow onions, diced. This has been updated in the recipe 🙂 And yes, you could definitely sub in canned diced tomatoes but if you are using a large can (e.g. 796mL) then cut that amount in half. If you choose to sub in canned tomatoes I would recommend you blend them in a food processor or blender to make the mixture smooth and watery – you need the liquid to help cook the lentils! Hope this helps!
This recipe was amazing – thanks! My husband kept commenting that he would pay to eat it at a restaurant. I used 1 can of diced tomatoes instead of the strained tomatoes and added 1/2 cup of water. After 3 hours, my red lentils were a bit al dente. I don’t know if this was because I don’t have a real slow cooker (I have a rice cooker with a slow cooker function) or because I didn’t have enough liquid, but either way the flavor was so amazing we didn’t notice it. Next time I’ll make this on a stove top and simmer on low for about an hour.
Hi Jennifer – SO glad to hear this turned out well for you!! I find that the brand of red lentils I buy cook so fast so not sure why the lentils were still al dente but you could always add more liquid (broth maybe?) Thanks so much for letting me know you made this recipe, so happy you like it! 🙂
Just wondering, how much is half a jar of the tomatoes? They come in different sizes here 🙂 and I don’t want to put in either too much or too little. Thank you!
Sorry about that Jennifer! Usually about half a jar of crushed tomatoes is about 350mL or 1.5 cups – so you would be looking for a 700mL jar at the store!
Hi there,
This looks lovely, thank you! I’m keen to make this for my family. Please can you let me know how hot it is? I may need to adjust the spices a little for my toddler (who loves spices, but understandably can’t yet cope with heat).
Thanks so much for stopping by! This recipe is not spicy at all – the closest thing I can say that may be a tiny bit spicy is the garam masala but there isn’t a lot in there and it’s not too spicy to begin with. You should be fine without adjusting anything 🙂
What size slow-cooker did you use for this recipe? It’s always good to know the size of the crockpot so we know how to size-up or down the recipe for our own. Thanks1
I used a 6 quart slow cooker!
I’m making this tomorrow for when I get in from work, just hoping it won’t dry outnas I leave for work at 7am and don’t get home until 6pm!
Jay 😄😄😄
Hey Jay! Wondering if you can set to cook on low heat for 6 hours and then have it go on the keep warm setting? That might help it not dry out! So happy you’re going to try it!
Can you freeze this recipe ?
Hey Brenda – I haven’t tried it myself but I assume you could! Let me know how it turns out if you do!
Hi Taylor. Really looking forward to cooking this dish for dinner tomorrow! I’m not clear on the amount of squash I need though. “1 inch small butternut squash cut into 1/2cubes”. While I’ve got your attention, I googled passata and came up with tomato paste. Is that incorrect? Thanks so much for the killer looking recipe!
Hey Paige! Yay, so happy you’re going to try it! 🙂 This is one of my older recipes and looks like it didn’t all get inputted by my new recipe plugin properly. If you buy a small butternut squash and cut it into 1/2 inch cubes that should work (I have updated the recipe to reflect that). And passata is strained or crushed tomatoes, not tomato paste. Hope that helps!
Thank you! I did make it! The flavor profiles where all there. Yum! Since My family detests when squash gets mushy in my slow cooker, I simply roasted it prior. Also, sautéed my onions. The only bummer is my lentils didn’t get mushy. But for some reason they never do for me. Otherwise the taste was great! Thank you!
What entails one can of coconut milk?
Hey Andrew – typically a can of coconut milk is 400mL. Hope that answers your question!
Can I make this in an instant pot?
Hey Erin! I’m sure you could – I just can’t give alternative directions because I haven’t tried it myself. I imagine it would be as simple as dumping everything in and then pressure cooking for 5 minutes though!
Thank you! Just got my instant pot but may just use the slow cooker function on it for this recipe.
This was so yummy!! I did cook the onions and garlic in oil and blended the spices into the garlic/onion mixture before placing in the slow cooker. I also added 1.5 cups of broth as I was nervous about the amount of liquid. It turned out perfectly. After many slow cooker recipes turning out “so-so”, I’ve decided not to put raw onions in anymore. Much improved flavour to take the extra 5-10 minutes to pan cook first.
This sounds like a great idea Bridget! Glad it turned out so well for you 🙂
I made this tonight. I was worried about the lentils coming out a little too al dente, so I added a quarter cup of water. Otherwise I followed the recipe as written, though I admit I only stirred it once before it was time to stir in the spinach. It came out 100% perfect and delicious.
I’ve never cooked with lentils before so I tried this recipe as it was just ridiculously easy to make. The dal came out fantastic. I halved the recipe and cooked on low for 4 hrs. It’s so delicious and will definitely become a regular meal for me. Thanks you
I’m so happy to hear that Astell!!! Lentils are SUPER easy to cook and full of protein. So glad you loved this recipe 🙂
I ADORED this recipe!
Just one note: Like all alliums, the onions & garlic should be sauteed first before going in. mellower, more balanced aroma and a slightly sweeter flavor. The flavors in the dish will be more integrated & will taste better. There will also be a more balanced aroma. If they are just dumped in & cooked directly in the slow cooker, they’ll add a raw pungency & a stronger sulfurous aroma.
Great recipe. Will definitely make again. Next time I might use a little bit more moisture. I used frozen spinach, it was perfect!
So happy you liked it Emma!!!