When I'm in a hurry, my go-to is a curry. It's simple to make, packed full of vegetables, extremely versatile, and when combined with protein and rice creates a delicious, satisfying meal that keeps me going through the rest of the day. There are millions of variations on curry from many different ethnic groups; some the most famous include Indian and Thai style curries. Typically, Indian style curries are thicker with savory sauces and are often tomato-based. Thais style curries on the other hand are more soup-like, made with coconut milk or other creamy ingredients. Both are delicious and it can be really fun to try new recipes or just make your own! The recipe below is based off of the Indian Masala curry but you can easily mix it up based on what you have in your fridge! Ready to whip up a delicious meal? Here's what you need to do:
Easy 20-Minute Curry
- Prep Time:5 mins
- Cook Time:15 mins
- Total Time:20 mins
- Servings:1
- Easy
- 1/2 can chickpeas about 1 cup
- 3 stalks asparagus
- 1/4 onion
- 2 mushrooms
- 1/2 pepper
- 1/2 zucchini
- 3 mini tomatoes
- 3 tbsp Trader Joes or Maya Kaimal Masala Curry Sauce
- 2-3 tsp olive oil
- 1-2 tsp salt
- 1 cup rice
- Opt: nutritional yeast
Ingredients
Note: for an even faster version, meal prep before hand and have all the veggies and protein roasted and rice cooked. No time to prep? Use frozen vegetables and instant rice for a still nutritious delicious meal.
To make:
Place the chickpeas a pan and coat lightly in a tsp of olive oil and salt. Roast for 20 minutes at 375˚F. Meanwhile, slice and sauté the various vegetables in the remaining olive oil and salt. Wait to cook the tomatoes and mushrooms until the last 5 minutes or so. Cook everything on medium-high for a total of 15 minutes. If you're using leftovers or frozen vegetables, simply reheat in a pan or microwave. You can use whatever you want for vegetables, the recipe above is from what I had in my fridge at the time. Some other great options are tofu, broccoli, carrots, green beans, and eggplant!
Tip for the time crunched: it's good to know your veggies and how long everything takes to cook. Thicker vegetable slices take longer to sauté and some types take a bit longer to cook. In this case, I started with the onion, then asparagus, zucchini, and pepper. You can also put these in the oven with the chickpeas to get them nice and roasted! Just place them on the same pan and bake for the same time and temperature. After the vegetables cook for about 10 minutes, add in the tomatoes and mushrooms to the pan since they take much less time to cook. I've also make this recipe with kale and spinach a lot and this is when I'd add those as well.
While everything is roasting, heat up your rice (leftover or instant), make a quick batch of quinoa (15-20 mins) or pour some couscous (ready in 5 min). Noodles are also a great option! Try rice noodles for a more authentic Thai curry or use whatever else you have in your pantry, from lo mein to farfalle.
Take the chickpeas out of the oven and combine with the veggies. Add about 3 tablespoons of your curry sauce of choice. In this case I used the tikka masala sauce but I also love their vegan curry as well. If you have leftover sauce from a different night, feel free to use that or check out this homemade curry sauce recipe. Cook for about a minute until the sauce warms up and then you're done!
Assemble everything and top with nutritional yeast and a dash more salt if needed! Enjoy.