My Easy Vegetable curry is just that: super easy and packed full of vegetables for the whole family to enjoy. I serve this nutritious curry up for my two- and four-year-old, so perfect for fussy eaters.
Serve it with or without my delicious yoghurt dip and get in some of their five a day.
I also use a plate separator like the one in the photo as my son doesn’t like the vegetable curry to touch the rice. Do you have that problem too? If you have a picky easter my post on picky eaters with some tips and recipes might be a great next read.
The curry is mild and the butternut squash makes it quite a sweet main course and appeals to little tastebuds. Mine always seem to enjoy any where I add coconut as it tends to make the consistency creamier and richer.
What I particularly like about this Easy Vegetable Curry is that everything can be made from bits in your freezer and cupboards. Believe me, the ingredients change every time I make it. I sometimes mix fresh and frozen to use up what’s leftover from the previous week. I find the spinach and butternut squash just work better when frozen.
This curry is made for two hungry adults, two small children and lots left over for the next day’s lunch.
Ingredients
For the Curry
- 1 bag of frozen butternut squash (I use the 500g bag from Tesco)
- 5 pieces of frozen spinach
- a small handful of dried split red lentils
- half a carton of passata (approx 250g)
- half a kallo vegetable stockcube
- 1 small handful of frozen onion (I weigh with my eyes on this one)
- 1 teaspoon approx of garlic granuals
- 1 red pepper (use any leftover veg, sweetcorn, green beans, anything works well here!)
- 1 carton of chickpeas, drained.
- 1 small pot of tikka paste pots (70g) but use less or use a milder curry paste if your children are new to curries
- 1 can of creamed coconut (160ml)
- 1 lime
- rice and/or naan bread to serve
For the Mint Yoghurt
- 1 small pot of Greek yoghurt
- 1 teaspoon of mint sauce
- a small shake of garlic granules
Method
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Roast the butternut squash separately to start. I put it in an air fryer for approx 2o mins or until it starts to brown on the corners, or it would be fine in an oven. Use a little spray oil to make it golden. I keep this cooking whilst I make the rest of the curry.
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In preparation, I also microwave the frozen spinach until soft and it no longer resembles frozen balls. Drain and press out as there is a lot of excess water.
- At this point, I usually put my rice on to cook but don’t worry about this step if just doing naans or microwave rice.
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Heat the oil in a large, non-stick frying pan or wide-based saucepan. Add the onion and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes or until well softened and lightly browned, stirring regularly. Add the spinach, peppers, chickpeas and lentils along with the passata, curry paste, coconut, stock cube and garlic granules. You want the maximum time for it to all simmer together and for the lentils to soak up some of those delicious spices. I usually stir this frequently for about 3o minutes until its looking nice and thick and the butternut squash is roasted.
- When the butternut squash is soft and looking slightly charred, add to the curry and stir through.
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To make the yoghurt, mix all the components in a small bowl and taste just to make sure its to your liking.
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Serve the curry immediately with a squeeze of lime, the mint yoghurt and rice. Sometimes we add crushed nuts to the top too for some extra crunch.
Let me know if your little ones are a fan of a curry and if you give this a go. If you enjoy this meal and would like more family recipes, why not try my Sticky Salmon Noodles.
Please let me know if you give it go xx
