The best Crockpot Lentil Soup on the Internet! Hundreds of amazing reviews for good reason. Set it, forget it, and enjoy this Vegan Lentil Soup for days!
Crockpots are a busy mom’s best friend. No Joke. If you don’t have kids, you may or may not appreciate what a relief a great crockpot recipe can be. But when you have little ones, especially if you work, sometimes throwing dinner together is just such a hassle.
The aroma of a delicious dinner already prepared, a glass of wine, and ten quiet minutes alone are rare and coveted treats for many of us. Here I am giving you one of them, a nutritious and easy crockpot recipe. Only you have to promise to take ten minutes alone and have a glass of vino (if you partake) while it’s cooking. 😉
Lentil soup is one of those things that is such a great staple; it is simultaneously hearty, nutritious, and relatively easy to make. I think my mom taught me how to make simple lentil soup when I was in High School. I have made countless variations of her recipe since and finally re-worked it to be crockpot friendly!
NOTES:
- A note about Vegetable Stock – every brand has a unique flavor. For instance, Trader Joe’s Organic Low Sodium (which is what I used here) is on the sweeter side and very “carroty”. My absolute favorite is Pacific Natural Foods Organic Vegetable Broth but I was out of it and keep the Trader Joe’s on hand for sauteing. When it comes to sauteing and you are just using a splash here or there, its’ not as big of a deal. There are many options out there and I recommend taste-testing a few brands before picking one to use when you are using it as a base for soup.
- I used Green Swiss Chard (stems and leaves) but you could easily substitute Spinach, Kale (without stems), or even Escarole.
- I used a 6.5 Quart Slow Cooker for this soup. I think a 5.5 or 6 would also work but I wouldn’t go much smaller. Or you could halve the recipe.
- Cook Time:
If you want to have this cook all day while you are at work, set Crockpot to LOW with a cook time of 8 Hours.
Alternately, set Crockpot to HIGH with a cook time of 4 Hours (what I did).
Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below!
The best Slow Cooker Lentil Soup on the Internet! Hundreds of amazing reviews for good reason. Set it, forget it, and enjoy this Vegan Lentil Soup for days!
- 3 medium carrots chopped (or 4 small or 2 large)
- 2 celery stalks chopped
- 1 large yellow onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 large clove shallot chopped
- 2 cups dry green lentils rinsed
- 8 cups vegetable stock
- 14 ounce can of diced tomatoes
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 head of Swiss Chard cleaned and cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
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I used the food processor to do my chopping. Most of the veggies only need a couple of pulses. Toss in carrots, then celery, onion, garlic and finally shallot.
- Place chopped carrots, celery, onion, garlic, and shallot into crockpot along with lentils, vegetable stock, canned tomatoes, bay leaf and dried thyme.
- Cover with lid and set cooking time (4 Hours on HIGH OR 8 Hours on LOW).
- Next, prep your swiss chard into bite-size pieces (I usually cut it both lengthwise and crosswise to achieve this), put in a bowl or ziploc bag and place in refrigerator for later.
- When cooking time is up, add in swiss chard, red wine vinegar, Kosher salt, black pepper, and ground cumin.
- Place lid back on and let sit covered for fifteen additional minutes before serving. This freezes great and makes 8 huge (1.5 cup) servings. Excellent served with a crusty bread and side salad. Enjoy!
Did you make this recipe? Tag @EverydayMaven on Instagram with the hashtag #EveryDayMaven and please give a star rating below.
Just made this and it turned out amazing! Such simple ingredients and it is so delicious, the whole family loved it including the toddler
Thank you so much Lindsay!! Nothing better than the toddler LOVING what you made <3
You add the Swiss chard stems there in the last 15 minute; do they soften than time?
Hey Michelle, If they are cut small enough, then yes!
I love this recipe. If I add potatoes, will it change measurements of anything or cooking time? Any potato suggestions?
Thanks so much Emilia!! I recommend adding diced (1/2″ cubes), peeled potatoes at the beginning with the dry lentils and they should cook in the allotted time!
Hi can you use brown lentils instead.
Which type of brown lentils Sylviane?
Can you replace the vinegar with apple cider vinegar?
Hi Katrina! Yes, I would just use a little bit less as it is more acidic!