Crockpot Lentil Soup

What are your thoughts on lentils? Love them? Hate them? Neutral? My husband and I are pretty big fans of them, but the boys….well, they could probably live without them. We are currently in the middle of track season, and those meets are REALLY long. I knew I was going to need to have a meal ready for us by the time we finally made it home. A crockpot meal was the simple solution. It’s is so amazing you can throw it in in the morning and have a perfectly cooked meal, ready to go, after a long day gone. I love that. I always feel grateful to have it. So, I generally like to cook lentil soup on the cooktop, but this day went for the easier route. Here’s how I made it.

1 pound lentils

9 cups water, maybe more

4 cups large dice red potatoes

1 cup onions, diced

1 cup celery, diced

1 cup carrots, diced

2 tablespoons minced garlic

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon (this is to taste, so you might need more) salt

2 teaspoon black pepper, again to taste

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Rinse lentils well, this is important as they aren’t always super clean when you buy them.

Add lentils, water, onions, garlic, salt, pepper and crushed red pepper to crockpot. Cook on low for about 4 hours, or high for 2.

Add potatoes and celery. Continue to cook another 4 hours on low, or 2 on high. I like to take the lid off for the last hour of cooking. It helps to reduce and intensify flavors.

If you like mushrooms, add 2 cups in when you add in potatoes and celery. If you like it a bit spicier, like my husband, add in 2 extra teaspoons crushed red pepper and 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper.