Happy Monday! It's about to be a great Monday for three reasons: 1. it's crockpot Monday 2. it's going to be 64 degrees!!! and 3. one of my classes was cancelled. For those three reasons I consider it to a fantastic way to start the week! I cannot wait for the warm weather to come and stay, but for the mean time I will take what I can get!
One of my goals for this year was to experiment with foods I had never tried before, until now I had never had lentils. Some of my vegetarian friends eat lentils all the time and seemed to like them so I decided to give them a go. I figured pairing them with vegetables in a soup would be the safest bet, because if I didn't like them at least they would be semi disguised. LENTILS ARE AMAZING! Seriously I cannot wait to put them in salads, lettuce wraps and use them a zillion other ways!
This soup turned out really good and the best thing is it's totally customizable. You can use whatever vegetables you want. This soup is really great spring soup- it's not a heavy like chili, but it's still packed with protein to keep you full. Another bonus I've found is it tastes equally good cold as it does hot- a perk for those who have to pack meals! However you eat it this soup is delicious and packed with all things nutritious!
Crockpot Lentil Vegetable Soup
- 2 9oz steamed or ready to eat lentils (about 2.5 cups)
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 8 oz baby bella sliced mushrooms
- 1 small sweet onion, diced
- 1 yellow summer squash, sliced
- 1 medium carrot, sliced
- 3 on the vine tomatoes, diced
- 28 oz organic diced tomatoes
- 32 oz organic low sodium chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- fresh ground pepper, to taste
- thyme, to taste
- dried basil, to taste
- oregano, to taste
Layer half of the diced onion, red bell pepper, mushrooms, summer squash, carrot and on the vine tomatoes into the crockpot.
Dump the first package (9 oz or 1.25 cups) of lentils on top of the vegetables in the crockpot.
Layer the other half of the diced vegetables on top of the lentils in the crockpot.
Dump the second package (9 oz or 1.25 cups) of lentils on top of the second layer of vegetables in the crockpot.
Place minced garlic and all seasonings on top of everything in the crockpot.
Cover the crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4 hours.
Stir the soup to mix everything together before serving. The soup pairs well with gluten free cornbread. Place leftovers in airtight container and keep in the refrigerator for a week or in the freezer for up to six months.
Nutrition Information (1 cup= 1 serving):
MACROS: 20C/1F/8P
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings 9.0 | |
| Amount Per Serving | |
| calories 111 | |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Total Fat 1 g | 1 % |
| Saturated Fat 0 g | 0 % |
| Monounsaturated Fat 0 g | |
| Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g | |
| Trans Fat 0 g | |
| Cholesterol 0 mg | 0 % |
| Sodium 257 mg | 11 % |
| Potassium 260 mg | 7 % |
| Total Carbohydrate 20 g | 7 % |
| Dietary Fiber 5 g | 19 % |
| Sugars 4 g | |
| Protein 8 g | 17 % |
| Vitamin A | 33 % |
| Vitamin C | 35 % |
| Calcium | 6 % |
| Iron | 3 % |
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