Pumpkin Lentil Curry For Sharing

This pumpkin lentil curry makes a huge batch and is perfect for sharing. It is creamy, comforting, and everything fall.

Hello my friends. It feels so good to be back!!! It’s been a while. Actually, it’s been 15 months since I last posted a recipe . Holy freaking smokes!

If you follow along on my Instagram then you know why. And you’re probably totally excited about and in love with that reason. Sweet baby Rose.

A Short Update

If you are new here, first welcome. Also, here is a quick little summary of what the past 15 months had in store for our family.

• I had a baby. Her name is Rose. You can read my birth store here .

• Rose surprised us! We didn’t know she had Down Syndrome. And while that in no way affected how much we loved and were excited about her, it did affect her health. She spent 4 weeks in the NICU and was admitted to the children’s hospital 3 times following. One visit lasting 32 days and required Rose to be intubated and sedated.

• A ton of other stuff. Like buying a house, going to multiple therapies every week, working a ton, starting at a new school, working at it for 6 months before taking to breastfeeding, and like other hard, time-consuming, everyday life stuff.

And so here we are 15 months later. Rose is 13 months and just about crawling. And I am finally ready to start rocking this blogging thing again. So it seems really appropriate that the first recipe I share here be the first recipe I created after Rose was born.

The Story Behind This Pumpkin Lentil Curry

It was almost exactly a year ago. We bought a house in August but weren’t ready to move in until October (see reasons above). Everything with the exception of the kitchen was in boxes and stayed that way until the spring.

This is the first thing I really remember cooking in our new home. My mom had given me a can of pumpkin puree, which I was planning on using to make something more sweet and indulgent than dinner, but was in a pinch and needed to throw something together pronto.

That and a can of tomatoes, red lentils, eggplant, and coconut milk were the foundation. It made a really huge batch. And it was really good. So, I decided to share the love.

Pass the Pumpkin

We made some friends while Rose was in the NICU. Their boys were born three days after Rose. The mom had just spent all summer on bed rest. One of the twin’s sack had ruptured leaving him with little to no amniotic fluid. The boys were born 9 weeks early.

They had every reason to ignore us. To focus on their new little family and fight for their boys who needed breathing intervention. But they just kept showing up with gifts and little notes of encouragement. Like, who the heck are these people and why are they so amazing? I had to ask myself a couple times if they were actually angels tricking us to believe they were also in the NICU. How can anyone be so nice and selfless when everything is difficult and in chaos?

When we left they were still in the NICU. For another month! And so I decided to bring the pumpkin lentil curry over one night. A very, passably small gesture. I didn’t want them to worry about dinner for just one night while they juggled one twin at home while the other was still in the hospital.

And I think that is why this recipe means so much to me. Or even stayed in my consciousness enough to even write it down. Because it was a gift to friends who I dearly cherished and were having a go at it.

A Recipe Meant For Sharing

And for this reason, I kept this pumpkin lentil curry recipe massive. Because, in the spirit of it’s origin, I wanted to encourage you to share it with someone else. Whether you are having a dinner party, a friends-giving, are having a vegan over and are freaking out because you don’t know what to make, or know someone who may or may not need a meal but who you just want to show love. This. Is. The. Recipe.

It’s easy, rich and comforting. Pumpkin lentil curry is everything an evening surrounded with loved ones is meant to be.

Next week, I’ll show you what I made with the other half of my roasted pumpkin from this recipe (by the way, you can use both canned or fresh pumpkin here). And trust me, you aren’t going to want to share that one!

Recipe

Pumpkin Lentil Curry For Sharing

Ingredients

• 2 cups pumpkin from one whole roasted pumpkin or canned pumpkin
• 3 Tbsp avocado oil
• 1 large eggplant
• 1 tsp kosher salt plus more to taste
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1½ inch piece of ginger, finely grated
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1 tsp turmeric
• ½ tsp chili flake
• 2 cups uncooked red lentils
• 2 14.5oz cans diced tomatoes
• 2 14.5 oz cans full fat coconut milk
• Lime, rice, and yogurt for garnish

Instructions

1. (If you are using a whole pumpkin) Heat the oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with tin foil or parchment paper. Cut the pumpkin in half by first cutting off the stem, splitting in half, and then scooping out the seeds. Drizzle with some oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and place facedown on the lined baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes- 1 hour. Until the pumpkin is nice and soft.
2. Dice your eggplant into half inch cubes. Place them in a colander and place the colander in the sink. Sprinkle with 1 tsp of kosher salt, tossing to coat. Allow to sit for 10 minutes while you bring a pot of water to boil and cut your onion, grate your ginger, and mince the garlic.
3. Once the water is boiling, add a generous pinch of salt and your red lentils. Cook for 15 minutes and drain. Set aside to add to the curry later.
4. Squeeze handfuls of the eggplant until some liquid comes off them. Place the oil in a large pot or dutch oven. Heat over medium high. Once the oil is shiny and swirly add the eggplant. You don’t want to stir them too often because you want them to get some color. Cook until the eggplant is soft and golden, about 10 minutes.
5. Next add the onion, garlic and ginger stirring until the onion gets soft and translucent. Add the cumin, coriander, and turmeric and stir, allowing to cook one more minute.
6. Add the precooked or canned pumpkin, cooked lentils, diced tomatoes, and coconut milk. Bring the curry up to a simmer and then cook on low for 20 minutes. Taste to see if it needs more salt.
7. Serve with rice, squeezes of fresh lime juice, cilantro and yogurt if you prefer. Share with someone you love.