Instant Pot Cauliflower and Butternut Thai Curry

In my recent podcast interview with Janeen Alley, she reminded me of this amazing recipe I hadn’t made in a while with some awesome tips for making it super fast and easy.

This recipe is a pretty magical combination of flavors–butternut squash, cauliflower and red curry paste meld together in a really fantastic way. Add to that the fact that you can dump everything in your Instant Pot and let it cook while you do whatever you want, and it’s a fantastic recipe to have on hand.

It can also be easily made on the stovetop, which is great if you want to use your Instant Pot for brown rice or another whole grain to host this yummy curry.

[confession: last month I found such a good deal on an 8 qt Instant Pot that I bought a SECOND one, and the first thing I used it for was this meal. Rice in one of the pots, curry in the other. When you are feeding five boys and one is almost 2 and LOVES helping in the kitchen a little too much, having as much food locked in the pot as possible is a definite plus. Especially when it hasn’t been that long since you found a rusted nut cracker in your week-old tomato soup leftovers]

The hack Janeen shared that is BRILLIANT is to use frozen cauliflower rice and butternut squash. This takes out the chopping, which is definitely the hardest step.

My Costco had both of these in the freezer section just today, and for a great price. Frozen vegetables often retain more nutrients than fresh, are frequently less expensive and who is going to complain about having things already chopped for you?

Make sure you don’t miss this podcast episode with Janeen, she is a master at the ins and outs of behavior change and shared so many good insights in our interview.

This recipe comes from pioneer plant-based blogger Angela Liddon of OhSheGlows.com. Angela’s blog was the first plant-based blog I ever followed! A friend told me about her back in 2011, and while it would be another 4 years before we jumped into plant-based eating, I loved incorporating plant-based dinners into our regular menus.

Print Recipe

Instant Pot Cauliflower and Butternut Thai Curry

A delicious combo of butternut squash, cauliflower and red lentils in a thai curry sauce that tastes like you slaved all day. No one needs to know it only takes 10 minutes to dump everything together!

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

25 minutes

Passive Time

25 minutes

Servings

Ingredients

• 1 14 oz can light coconut milk
• 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes with juices
• 2 cups chopped cauliflower florets or 1 lb frozen cauliflower rice
• 2 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash or 1 lb frozen butternut squash cubes
• 2 tablespoons red curry paste start with less if sensitive to spice
• 1 teaspoon dried flaked onion or 1/2 tsp dry onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Lots of freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup uncooked red lentils
• 2 cups packed stemmed and finely chopped kale or chard
• lime, cilantro optional garnish

Prep Time 10 minutes Cook Time 25 minutes Passive Time 25 minutes Servings Ingredients 1 14 oz can light coconut milk 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes with juices 2 cups chopped cauliflower florets or 1 lb frozen cauliflower rice 2 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash or 1 lb frozen butternut squash cubes 2 tablespoons red curry paste start with less if sensitive to spice 1 teaspoon dried flaked onion or 1/2 tsp dry onion powder 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt or to taste 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper Lots of freshly ground black pepper to taste 1/2 cup uncooked red lentils 2 cups packed stemmed and finely chopped kale or chard lime, cilantro optional garnish

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients except Kale to pot, adding lentils last and gently stirring the mixture. On some machines, lentils stuck to the bottom will cause a burn warning.
2. For an Instant Pot, secure the lid and make sure it is set to sealing. Cook on high pressure for 2 minutes and allow pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes after cooking. Release remaining pressure and remove lid.
3. Stir in kale and replace lid. Make sure pot is set to keep warm and allow kale to wilt for about five minutes.
4. If you are cooking on the stove top, simply bring the mixture to boil, then simmer until lentils and vegetables are soft, about 20 minutes. Stir in kale near the end of cooking time and allow to wilt.
5. Serve with lime, cilantro and salt and pepper if desired.