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This Crock Pot Lentil Veggie Stew is a wholesome family favorite. As the temperature drops, this hearty stew becomes a go-to for my busy family. It’s delicious, nutritious and requires minimal effort!
It’s been cold, rainy and — thankfully — really quiet here after the holidays, which means there’s plenty of time for me to make warm cozy soups to fill everyone’s belly. Even though I’ve been in less of a rush than usual, that doesn’t mean I’m not looking for ways to make life easier for myself in the kitchen. We love using lentils for an easy source of plant-based protein. When we’re not making this soup, we’re making Baked Farro with Lentils, Tomato and Mozzarella, Lentil Mushroom Bolognese or Smoky Red Lentil Stew!
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So, 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!
Crock Pot Lentil Veggie Stew
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 leeks, chopped (use only the white and light green part of the leek)
- 2 large carrots, chopped
- 3 celery stalks, diced
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 8 cups vegetable broth
- 1 (32 ounce) can chopped tomatoes
- 16 ounces dried lentils
- 2 cups kale or swiss chard, chopped
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a sauté pan over medium heat and cook the onions for 4 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook an additional minute.
- Place the onion mixture with the remaining ingredients in a crock pot and stir.
- Cover and cook the lentils on high heat for 4 hours or low heat for 8 hours or until lentils are tender.
- Top with desired accompaniment and serve.
Notes
- * 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.
[…] Thursday – Leek Vegetable Stew […]
The lentils are better after another hour of cooking them on high in my crock pot. The taste is awesome but I think I’ll add some potatoes tomorrow and some sausages 🙂 Thanks Catherine!
I am making this right now 🙂 The taste is awesome!! I got 38 min left (high in crock pot, cooked for 4 hours then) and the lentils are still tough. I upped the time by another hour. Hopefully they will be softer then 🙂
I have to cook mine extra time as well. I learned a while back my crock pot is weak. I add some extra liquid and have to stir occasionally through out the day so the lentils on top don’t dry out.
Hmm very strange that they didn’t cook through! I think it would be okay to cook it again, add more liquid if necessary, as long as the other veggies aren’t too soft!
The flavor on this was fantastic, but the lentils were very tough. Can I put it on high again tomorrow to soften them up? I don’t think the soup will get eaten this way.
Yummmm! I’m going to cook this for tonight but using low sodium stock & “no salt added” tomatoes. Cooking in a cast iron pot. I can always tell if food was cooked in a crock pot because it has this indescribable “off” taste to me. Is that weird? Anyways, it’s a rainy day here & this recipe is just what we need. Thank you. P.S. I cooked your Asian chicken soup recipe last night & your easy chicken nuggets the day before that. <3 1 happy mama & 1 happy toddler.
PS – Don’t use Trader Joes lentils…they disintegrate! Had the same problem with another recipe.
Has anyone skipped cooking the onions and garlic on the stove and just thrown them in the crock pot instead? If so, how did it turn out? Would love to have one less dish to wash.
Yumm
I made this today. My only alterations would be more garlic ( we really like garlic here! ) and maybe a few potatoes. I will add them to the leftovers tomorrow and see how it tastes. Also, a bit of sausage might be good as well.
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[…] Lentil Veggie Stew […]
Low sodium!
Do you use low sodium vegetable broth — or regular?
I just made this today and it is absolutely delicious. I followed the recipe to the tee. I will be making this again and again. It is only myself. I have plenty to freeze for future meals. Again, this was an outstanding recipe. Thank you.