Crock Pot Lentil Soup with Kale and Potatoes

Lentils represent luck and prosperity in the New Year, so today is the perfect day to share this easy recipe!

Lentils are a great source of fiber, magnesium, iron, folate and protein. This is a warm, nutritious, hearty soup for a cold winter day!

You can add ground turkey, chicken, sirloin or vegetarian crumbles (I like Beyond Meat) to increase the protein of this meal.  I like to round it out with a salad as well.

Crock Pot Lentil Soup with Kale and Potatoes

Ingredients: 

2 cups carrots, chopped
2 cups celery, chopped
2 cups potatoes, chopped
1 onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup lentils
6 cups vegetable broth
salt and pepper to taste
Italian seasoning
3 tablespoons olive oil 
3 cups kale, roughly chopped
1 cup parsley, chopped


Directions:

1. Add carrots, celery, potatoes, onion, garlic, lentils, vegetable broth and spices in your Crock Pot. Cook on high for 5 hours.

2. Remove 4 cups of soup from the Crock Pot and place in a blender along with the oil. Blend, then add back to the Crock Pot. Turn off the heat. Stir in the kale and parsley. Wait until the kale has wilted then serve!

Serves 6

Nutrition Information (1/6 of the recipe): 199 Calories, 7 grams Fat, 27 g Carbs, 6 grams Protein

Slow Cooker Quinoa Lentil Soup

This is such a perfect comfort food for the winter. I modified the recipe from The Food Network by using lentils instead of a bean mix, quinoa instead of barley, increased the veggies, and used WAY less salt. This recipe is pretty flexible if you want use a different grain/bean combination.

Sprinkle with some parmesan and add a salad to make it complete meal.

Slow-Cooker Quinoa Lentil Soup

Ingredients:

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
1 cup uncooked lentils
4 carrots, roughly chopped
3 celery stalks, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, smashed
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
Fresh black pepper
1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, crumbled if large, optional
14-oz can stewed tomatoes
3 cups baby spinach

Directions:

1. Put 6 cups water, the lentils, beans, quinoa, garlic, carrots, celery, onions, bay leaf, salt, herb blend, some pepper and porcini mushrooms (if using) in a slow cooker. Squeeze the tomatoes through your hands over the pot to break them down, and add with their juices. Cover and cook on high until the beans are tender and the soup is thick, about 8 hours.

2. Add the spinach and stir until the spinach wilts, about 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper if needed. Sprinkle with cheese if desired!

Serves 8 

Nutrition: 170 Calories, 1 g Fat, 32 g Carbohydrates, 9 grams protein