
I must confess something: lentils havent always been my thing. I know right? Like Melissa, why are you making a post about lentil soup if you hate lentils? Well my good friends, this soup is something that I absolutely ADORE.
I first started making this soup one day while I couldnt afford to buy any meat products. I looked in the corner of the kitchen that had the jar of lentils that my dad had told me to save for a rainy day, and I just said why not?
Now I must admit, this was not the first soup that I had made with lentils. My Vegetarian Lasagna soup is another one of my all time favourite (Canadian here) soups to make on a cool fall or winter night, but well get to that recipe another time. Now, with all aside, lets get to the recipe!
Slow Cooker Italian Lentil Soup
Servings: 6
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 4 hours on high, 8 hours on low
Ingredients:
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Cup sliced or diced carrots
- 1 Medium yellow onion
- 4 Cloves minced garlic (more or less depending on taste)
- 5 Cups vegetable stock
- 1 Diced tomato
- 1 Cup organic tomato sauce
- 1 1/4 Cup dried lentils
- 1 1/2 Tsp dried basil
- 1/2 Tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 Tsp dried thyme
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 1/2 cups diced zucchini
- 2 Cups chopped spinach or kale
Directions:
- Combine all ingredients, except the spinach or kale into a small (4 QRT) slow cooker.
- Cook on high for 4 hours, or on low for 8 hours. Individual slow cooker times may vary.
- Remove lid. Stir in the spinach or kale.
- Transfer soup to serving bowls. Store the remaining soup for another time.
- Optional: Sprinkle cheese over top of the soup. Serve with bread.