Preconception · Lunch

Turmeric Red Lentil & Spinach Stew

Name: Turmeric Red Lentil & Spinach Stew
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients: 200 g red lentils, rinsed; 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 onion, diced; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger; 1 tsp ground turmeric; 1 tsp ground cumin; 400 g canned chopped tomatoes; 500 ml vegetable stock; 150 g baby spinach

A one-pot red lentil stew with turmeric, ginger and spinach that thickens as it simmers - the deliberately legume-heavy meal of the week.

A golden, gently spiced stew for the trying-to-conceive table, and one that feeds both of you - eating patterns are a shared project. Warm, plant-forward meals like this are the kind observational fertility research keeps circling, and it cooks from the cupboard, so the habit is easy to keep.

Turmeric Red Lentil & Spinach Stew - A one-pot red lentil stew with turmeric, ginger and spinach that thickens as it simmers

Easy

Vegan FolateIronFiber

Ingredients

for 2 people

200 gred lentils, rinsed
2 tbspolive oil
1onion, diced
2garlic cloves, minced
1 tbspgrated fresh ginger
1 tspground turmeric
1 tspground cumin
400 gcanned chopped tomatoes
500 mlvegetable stock
150 gbaby spinach

Open this recipe in the interactive app to scale servings, switch to oz and cups, and tick ingredients off as you cook.

Per serving (approx.): 380 calories · 20 g protein · 45 g carbs · 12 g fat · 12 g fiber

Method

Base. Warm the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook the onion for about 5 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft and translucent but not browned.
Spices. Add the garlic, ginger, turmeric and cumin and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly, until the pan smells fragrant and the spices darken slightly. Keep them moving so they do not catch.
Simmer. Stir in the rinsed red lentils, chopped tomatoes and stock. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, partly covered, for 20 to 25 minutes, until the lentils have collapsed into a thick stew.
Spinach. Stir the baby spinach through the hot stew a handful at a time and cook for about 2 minutes, until it wilts down completely and turns dark green. Add a splash of water if the stew is too thick.

Worth knowingThe vitamin C in the tomatoes meaningfully helps iron absorption from the lentils. It freezes beautifully - make double.

Is this safe when trying to conceive?

Yes - there is nothing here to avoid while trying to conceive, for either partner. The teaspoon of turmeric is a normal culinary amount, not a concentrated supplement dose, and everything is cooked through. One thing food cannot do: the folate in lentils and spinach supports the folic acid supplement but does not replace it - NHS advice is 400 ug daily from before conception through week 12.

Substitutions & allergens

Frozen spinach stands in for fresh, stirred through until piping hot.
Kale or chard work too - give them a few extra minutes to soften.
Ground ginger covers for fresh at about a third of the amount.
Tomatoes can be fresh or canned, but keep them - the note's vitamin C point depends on them.
Green lentils can replace red, but simmer longer and expect a chunkier stew.

Storage & reheating

If you take the note's make-double advice, freeze the second batch on the day of cooking. Otherwise: cool and refrigerate within 1-2 hours, eat within 48 hours, and reheat once until steaming hot throughout, per FSA chilling guidance. Defrost frozen portions in the fridge, never on the counter, and use them within 24 hours.

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