What’s so awesome about lentils?
Lentils are cheap.
Lentils can be stored a long time because they are dried.
Lentils are a great source of potassium, calcium, niacin, zinc and Vitamin K.
Lentils are rich in fiber and lean protein.
Lentils are a super food! We love our super foods here on Whisk Together! 🙂
Lentils are like chicken… they take on the flavor of whatever ingredients they are cooked with.
This soup is great for those of you trying to lose weight! Lots of protein, fiber and veggies. Or trying to maintain weight. Or just need a nice warm bowl of soup. It is a nice blank canvas for anything you would like to add to it. Parmesan cheese, lemon zest, lemon infused grapeseed or olive oil, red wine vinegar, etc. all taste great as a finishing touch. If you are trying to add a “Meatless Monday” to the dinner menu, this soup would definitely fit the bill! Simply add a side salad or whole grain bread.
To keep the week going smoothly, I try to get a few things done on Sunday. One of those is making a big batch of soup and one large bowl of salad. That way I always have something to grab for lunch or a back up for dinner. Especially since these soups and most of my salads don’t contain meat or dairy mixed in, then I don’t feel like it is going to turn bad in 6-7 days.
- 2 cups chopped butternut squash (peeled and cut into ½" cubes)
- 2 cups chopped carrots (peeled and cut into ½" silces)
- 2 cups chopped potatoes (Yukon Gold works well) or sweet potatoes (peel if you prefer and chop into ½" cubes)
- 2 cups chopped celery
- 1 onion, roughly chopped
- 5-7 cloves of garlic, pressed or minced (more garlic for more garlic flavor)
- 1 and ¾ cup dried green lentils
- 8 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- 1 tsp. dried basil
- 1 tsp. dried rosemary
- ½ tsp. dried oregano
- 1 tsp. salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground pepper
- 1-2 handfuls baby spinach or kale chopped into 1" pieces, optional
- 1 lemon, squeeze the juice into the soup
- Optional garnishes: fresh parsley, dried parsley, Parmesan cheese
- Into a large slow cooker, add all of the ingredients from butternut squash through ground pepper.
- Cook on high 4-5 hours or low for 6-7 hours.
- Add baby spinach and squeeze lemon juice into soup. Allow to wilt about 5 minutes.
- Salt and pepper to taste! I added quite a bit of salt and pepper. I also added Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute because it tastes great on everything.
- Add 1-2 cups of additional broth for a thinner soup. I like my soups on the thick side.
- Serve warm and enjoy.
http://graceandsalt.net/lentil-vegetable-crockpot-soup/
