Soups

December 2, 2021

Warming Lentil Soup

Warming Lentil Soup is an easy soup to throw in the slow cooker on a rainy Sunday, and have a simple supper that evening plus leftovers for lunches during the week.

The first soup in my second annual holiday soup and cookie series is keeping with the easy theme. It doesn’t get much easier than one pot, and a slow cooker at that! This Warming Lentil Soup is packed with lots of spices and lots of vegetables. They all come together to develop rich flavor in this simple soup. The spices make this soup very cozy and comforting, perfect to warm you up this winter!

The spinach and lemon added at the end of cooking brighten the soup up after several hours of slow cooking. Before adding the spinach and lemon, I like to use an immersion blender to puree the soup just a bit to help thicken it up. This makes the soup creamy, without any dairy or thickeners. Keep this soup easy, and serve it with fresh sliced bread or some crackers for a comforting winter meal. 

Ingredients assembled for Warming Lentil Soup
Assemble your ingredients.

Stages of assembling the lentil soup in a slow cooker
Place everything (except spinach and lemon) in a slow cooker for 4-6 hours on high. Blend about half of the soup, and then finish with chopped baby spinach and lemon juice.

A bowl with two handles, filled with Warming Lentil Soup
Warming Lentil Soup is perfect for chilly fall and winter nights!

Two bowls of Warming Lentil Soup served next to a small wooden board with crackers on it
Keep your meal simple, and serve the Warming Lentil Soup with bread or crackers.

Warming Lentil Soup

Warming Lentil Soup is an easy soup to throw in the slow cooker on a rainy Sunday, and have a simple supper that evening plus leftovers for lunches during the week.

Author:

Kira Freed - The Joyful Plateful

Prep:

10

min

cook:

240

min

total:

250

min

Ingredients

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed into small pieces

1 large carrot, diced

1 small onion, diced

3 stalks celery, diced

1 red bell pepper, stem and seeds removed, diced

6 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

1 ½ cups green or brown lentils, rinsed and picked over

2 tsp. EACH ground coriander, ground cumin AND yellow curry powder

½ tsp. EACH smoked paprika, ground cinnamon, AND ground turmeric

1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

3 generous handfuls of baby spinach, roughly chopped

Juice of one lemon 

Instructions

  1. Place sweet potatoes, carrots, onions, celery, red bell pepper, garlic, lentils, spices, and broth into a slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-6 hours. Lentils should be tender when done. 
  2. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup briefly, leaving some pieces of vegetables for texture. (Alternatively, if you do not have an immersion blender, carefully blend half of the soup in a blender, and return it to the pot.)
  3. Stir in the chopped spinach and lemon juice. Cook on low until the spinach wilts down (about 15 minutes). 
  4. Taste to adjust salt and pepper as desired. Serve hot! 
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