Summary
This was one of those proper everyday cooking dishes where you look at what you’ve got, throw a few good things together, and end up with something warm, filling, and full of flavour.
The base is very simple: onion cooked in ghee, curry spices, tomatoes, lentils, and greens. Then I added a little twist with raisins and dried cranberries, which gives the dish a nice sweet-and-savoury balance. The feta at the end brings saltiness and creaminess without making the dish heavy.
It’s not a restaurant curry. It’s not trying to be clever. It’s just a simple, colourful, no-chef meal that works.
Ingredients
- 1 onion, roughly chopped
- 1–2 tablespoons ghee
- 1 jar cooked lentils, drained
- 1 tin whole peeled tomatoes
- 1 bunch fresh spinach or leafy greens
- Feta cheese, crumbled or cubed
- Curry powder
- Ground cumin or curry-style spice mix
- Whole cumin seeds
- A few cardamom pods
- A small handful of raisins
- A small handful of dried cranberries
- Salt and pepper
- A splash of water if needed
What I Did (Step-by-Step)
1. Chopped the onion
I started by peeling and roughly chopping the onion. Nothing fancy here. Just enough to get it ready for the pot.
2. Melted the ghee
I warmed a spoonful or two of ghee in the pot over a medium heat.
Ghee gives the dish a lovely buttery flavour and works really well with curry spices.
3. Cooked the onion
I added the onion to the ghee and let it soften gently.
This is worth taking a bit of time over. If the onion softens properly, the whole dish tastes better.
4. Added the spices
Next I added the curry powder, cumin, cumin seeds, and cardamom pods.
I stirred them into the onion and ghee for about a minute so the spices could wake up.
A simple tip here: don’t let the spices burn. You just want them warmed through and fragrant.
5. Added the tomatoes
I poured in the tin of whole peeled tomatoes and broke them up with the spoon.
The tomatoes make the sauce and give the dish that lovely rich base.
6. Added the lentils
Then I added the cooked lentils from the jar.
Because they were already cooked, this made the whole dish much quicker. You’re really just warming them through and letting them soak up the flavour.
7. Added raisins and cranberries
I added a small handful of raisins and dried cranberries.
This gives the dish little bursts of sweetness, which works really nicely with the curry spices and salty feta.
8. Added the spinach
I chopped the spinach and added it to the pot.
It looks like a lot at first, but spinach always cooks down quickly.
9. Finished with feta
At the end, I added feta.
You can stir some through the lentils or crumble it over the top when serving. I prefer adding it near the end so you still get little salty pieces rather than it disappearing completely into the sauce.
Key Takeaways
This is a really flexible dish. You don’t have to follow it perfectly.
If it gets too thick, add a splash of water.
If it tastes too sharp from the tomatoes, add a few more raisins or a tiny pinch of sugar.
If you want more heat, add chilli flakes or a bit more curry powder.
If you want it creamier, add a spoon of yoghurt at the end.
It’s also a great way to use cupboard ingredients. Jarred lentils, tinned tomatoes, spices, and a bit of cheese can turn into a proper meal without much effort.
Health & Environmental Notes
Lentils are a great everyday ingredient. They bring fibre, plant protein, and make the dish filling without needing meat.
Spinach adds greens and freshness, while tomatoes give the sauce body and brightness. Feta adds flavour, so you don’t need loads of it.
From an environmental point of view, this is a good low-meat or meat-free meal. Lentils are practical, affordable, and store well. Tinned tomatoes and jarred lentils also help reduce waste because they sit in the cupboard until you need them.
The only thing to watch is the dried fruit and feta. Both are lovely, but a little goes a long way.
Final Thoughts
This was simple, warming, and full of flavour. The ghee and spices gave it that curry-style comfort, the lentils made it filling, the spinach brought freshness, and the feta finished it off nicely.
It’s exactly the kind of recipe I like for Cook Off No Chefs: easy ingredients, no complicated technique, and a tasty result at the end.
No chef required. Just a pot, a spoon, and a bit of confidence.
