Red Lentil Dal with Spinach

If there’s one pantry dinner worth learning by heart, it’s this one. Red lentils are the fastest-cooking dried legume in the supermarket: no soaking, no pressure cooker, and in a little over 12 minutes of simmering they collapse into something thick, golden and creamy. Add a base of onion, garlic, ginger and a few spices, stir in a bag’s worth of baby spinach at the end, and you have a warm, filling bowl that costs very little to make for four.

This is a weeknight version of masoor dal, cooked in a single saucepan. Rather than finishing with a separate pan of sizzling spiced oil (the traditional tadka), the cumin seeds bloom in the oil first, and everything else is built on top. You lose a little drama but none of the flavor, and there’s one less pan to wash.

Before you start

Put the kettle on before anything else. Adding water that’s already hot means the lentils start simmering within a minute instead of five, and that’s what makes 20 minutes realistic. Have the onion, garlic and ginger prepped while the oil heats; once the cumin seeds go in, things move quickly.

Ingredient notes

Red lentils. Sold as red lentils, split red lentils or masoor dal. They look orange-pink in the bag and turn golden-yellow as they cook. Don’t substitute green or brown lentils here; they stay whole and need longer.

Cumin seeds. Whole seeds sizzled in oil give a toasty, nutty flavor that ground cumin can’t quite match. If you only have ground, add 3/4 teaspoon with the other spices instead.

Turmeric, coriander and chili. Turmeric gives the color and an earthy base. Kashmiri chili powder is mild and adds a warm red tint; cayenne is hotter, so start with 1/4 teaspoon.

Tomato. One chopped tomato adds a gentle tang and body. Canned diced tomatoes are fine, and in winter they often taste better than fresh.

Spinach. Four packed cups seems like a lot, but it wilts down to almost nothing. Baby spinach needs no chopping.

Garam masala and lemon. Both go in at the end, off the heat. Garam masala adds warm, sweet spice aroma that fades if it’s cooked too long; lemon wakes everything up. Don’t skip the lemon.

How to make it

Bloom the cumin. Heat the oil over medium-high until it shimmers, then add the cumin seeds. In 20 to 30 seconds they’ll sizzle, smell toasty and darken by a shade. That’s your signal to add the onion right away so they don’t burn.

Soften the aromatics. Cook the onion for about 3 minutes with a pinch of salt, until it’s soft and starting to color at the edges. Stir in the garlic, ginger and ground spices for 30 seconds, just until the raw smell of the garlic is gone.

Simmer the lentils. Add the tomato, rinsed lentils, hot water and salt. Bring it to a boil, then turn it down to a lively simmer with the lid slightly ajar. Stir every few minutes, scraping the bottom, because lentils like to settle and stick. After 12 to 14 minutes they’ll have lost their shape completely and the dal will look thick and creamy.

Finish. Fold in the spinach a handful at a time until it wilts, then take the pot off the heat. Stir in the garam masala and lemon juice and taste. Lentils are mild, so most dals need a little more salt at this point than you’d expect.

Getting the texture right

Dal can be anything from a pourable soup to a spoonable stew, and both are correct. This recipe lands in the middle: thick enough to sit on rice, loose enough to soak into it. If you like it smoother, whisk it vigorously for 20 seconds before adding the spinach to break up the last of the lentils. And remember that dal keeps thickening as it cools, so if it looks just right in the pot, it will be thicker on the plate. Aim slightly loose.

Variations

• Coconut dal: Replace 1 cup of the water with light coconut milk, added in the last 5 minutes, for a richer, rounder flavor.
• Proper tadka finish: Skip the cumin at the start. At the end, heat 2 tablespoons of ghee or oil in a small pan, sizzle the cumin seeds with a dried red chili and a few curry leaves, and pour it over the dal.
• More vegetables: Add a diced carrot with the onion, or a cup of frozen peas with the spinach.
• Spicier: Add a slit green chili (serrano or Thai) with the garlic, or finish with red pepper flakes.

What to serve with dal

Steamed basmati rice is the classic pairing, and a microwave pouch is perfectly fine on a weeknight. Warm naan, chapati or pita are good for scooping. A spoonful of plain yogurt and a sharp pickle or chutney on the side round out the bowl. If you like this kind of quick, spiced vegetarian dinner, try the chickpea spinach curry, which follows a similar method with canned chickpeas and coconut milk, the quick mujadara of lentils and rice with browned onions, or the quick egg curry for a dinner built around eggs. For more ideas, browse our bean, chickpea and lentil dinners and easy vegetarian dinner recipes.

Storage and reheating

Let the dal cool, then refrigerate it in a covered container for up to four days. It freezes well for up to three months, though the spinach darkens a little. It will be very thick straight from the fridge; reheat it in a saucepan over medium-low heat with a few tablespoons of hot water, stirring until it’s loose and bubbling, or microwave it covered, stirring halfway. A fresh squeeze of lemon brings it back to life.

Cooking for Ramadan? See our Ramadan 2027 quick iftar recipes. For more fast weeknight meals, see our quick dinner ideas for 2027.