Slow Cooker Lentil Soup

Some people think slow cookers are mainly cooking for meat- not true! Our family doesn't eat much meat at all, and I love using our slow cooker. Mainly it's for soups, sauces, and stews, but there are even lasagnas and enchiladas you can do in the Slow Cooker.

This soup is one of my staples in the winter. It's hearty, healthy and flavorful. It's loosely inspired by this soup, but I adapted it for the slow cooker. I usually chop any vegetables the night before, so that day of I can just dump everything in the pot and go. Typically I add a sweet potato as well, but didn't have one on hand- if you like sweet potatoes definitely try it!

This cooks for 6-7 hours on low- if, like me, you're out at work for longer than that, you can use an Outlet Timerto set the slow cooker to turn on later.

Ingredients

1/2 yellow onion

2 celery sticks

3 medium carrots

14.5 oz can diced tomatoes

3 oz spinach

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 cup brown or green-gray lentils

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Steps

1. Dice the onion, celery, and carrots, add to the slow cooker

2. Add the can of tomatoes, lentils, and thyme

3. Add 3 cups of water (or if you have it, use vegetable broth, it adds a lot of flavor)

4. Cook on low for 6-7 hours

5. Add spinach and stir in along with salt. Cook for another 5 minutes just to wilt, and enjoy!