As the days get cooler, nothing tastes (and smells) better than a hearty stew or soup simmering all day in my slow cooker. Lentil soup has long been one of my favorites, and I’m sharing a simple recipe that I’ve made since my teens. Lentils are inexpensive, nutritious, high in protein and fiber, and have been eaten for centuries by people all over the world. My cost-conscious mother used to call lentil soup “peasant food” – meaning that lentils would satisfy you and fill your belly while still being delicious and simple to make with whatever you had on hand.
This is an exceedingly flexible recipe and can even be used with veggies that are past their prime.
- Don’t have lacinato kale? Spinach or Swiss chard will be just as good.
- Have some aging tomatoes? Use them instead of opening a can of fire-roasted tomatoes.
- Missing the sausage I recommend? You can leave it out – or substitute kind another that you like.
- Short on time? You can skip sautéing the onions, garlic, celery and carrots and just put them in your slow cooker.
I used organic brown lentils, which are easy to find and not much more expensive than the Goya brand which is in almost every grocery store. But if you have regular brown lentils or want to use the pricier green lentils (known as French lentils) or black lentils (known as Beluga lentils), I’d say, go for it! The important thing is to make sure that you cook your lentils long enough so that they have a creamy texture inside, while still holding their round shape and not turning into mush!
I’ve used fresh sprigs of thyme, parsley, oregano, and Bay leaf in my recipe (since those are classic herbs associated with Mediterranean cooking), but if you’d prefer a Spanish flavor, use smoked paprika and cumin and substitute a vegan chorizo like El Capitan by No Evil Foods. Enjoy more of an Italian flavor? Increase the garlic, add rosemary or a teaspoon of fennel seeds during cooking and some fresh basil at the end, and use Field Roast’s Italian Garlic & Fennel Sausage or Beyond Sausage Sweet Italian.
The vegan sausage I chose for this recipe was Field Roast’s Smoked Apple Sage Sausage, because it was what I had in the fridge, and I thought it’s milder flavor would pair well with the fire roasted tomatoes and the assertive kale.
This recipe will freeze well, so if you’d like to double it for another chilly day, that will save you time as well as money!
- 1-2 tablespoons organic olive oil
- 1 medium onion, minced
- 2 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
- 2 stalks celery, minced
- 2-3 small carrots, minced
- 3 thyme sprigs
- 2 parsley sprigs
- 1 Bay leaf
- 2 oregano sprigs
- ⅓ cup vermouth or dry white wine
- 1 cup organic brown lentils, rinsed
- 1 14-ounce can diced organic fire roasted tomatoes
- 5-6 cups stock (or boiling water with 2 teaspoons of Better than Bouillon vegetable base), plus more if needed
- 1 bunch of lacinato kale, stemmed and chopped
- 2 Field Roast Smoked Apple Sage sausages, quartered lengthwise and chopped
- 1 tablespoon organic red wine vinegar
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. Sauté the onion, add a bit of salt, and cook until translucent (about 5-6 minutes). Add the garlic, celery, and carrots and sauté for a few more minutes. Add the herbs and then the wine, and let the wine cook down.
- Put the contents of the skillet in the slow cooker. (You’ll use the same skillet to sauté the sausages later.) Set the slow cooker on low. Add the lentils, fire roasted tomatoes, and the stock (or boiling water into which you have dissolved the Better than Bouillon). Cover and let cook for about 5 hours, adding additional stock if needed. (The lentils can absorb a lot of liquid!)
- Taste your lentils. Ideally, they should be still firm on the outside and hold their shape, but be soft and tender on the inside.
- Sauté the chopped Field Roast Smoked Apple Sage Sausages in the same skillet in which you sauteed the onions, garlic, celery and carrots (adding a little more olive oil, if needed). When the sausage is browned (5-6 minutes), add it to the slow cooker.
- Because my husband likes his kale well cooked, I steamed mine in the microwave for about 5 minutes before adding the chopped kale to the slow cooker, which I’ve now turned down to low.
- Cook for about another 30 minutes on low to make sure the kale is fully cooked to your liking. Remove and discard the Bay leaf and the sprigs of thyme, oregano and parsley. Stir in the red vinegar, and add a little more salt and pepper if needed.
- The soup will hold well on warm for several hours. Serve in warmed soup bowls with a crusty baguette to mop up all the delicious broth.
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