Crock Pot Lentil Veggie Soup

By devogirl

Time once again to break out my crock pot! All I do is toss in some lentils, a few herbs and a mix of vegetables from the farmer’s market and serve it with a dollop of herbed goat cheese on top, which the kids love swirling in to their soup. This recipe makes enough so that I can freeze half for cold, lazy nights when I don’t have any time to cook — which I anticipate happening quite a bit once school starts up again!

healthy, autumn, winter, crock pot, vegetarian

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 Large Onion, chopped
• 2 Garlic Cloves, chopped
• 2 Leeks, chopped (use only the white and light green part of the leek)
• 2 Large Carrots, chopped
• 3 Celery Stalks, chopped
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 1 Tbsp Fresh OR 1 Tsp Dried Thyme
• 2 Tsp Kosher Salt
• 8 Cups Vegetable Stock (you could also use chicken stock)
• 1 32 Oz Can Chopped Tomatoes with juice
• 16 Oz Dried Lentils
• 2 Cups Kale or Swiss Chard, chopped

Preparation

Step 1

1. Heat the oil in a sauté pan over medium heat and cook the onions for 4 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and cook an additional minute.
3. Place the onion mixture with the remaining ingredients in a crock pot and stir.
4. Cover and cook the lentils on high heat for 4 hours or low heat for 8 hours or until lentils are tender.
5. Top with desired accompaniment and serve.

* You can also place all of the ingredients in a large pot over low to medium heat and cover for 90 minutes or until tender.