Slow Cooker Creamy Lentil Soup

By Kath Dedon

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After returning from a ski trip to Whistler, we invited the out-of-town ski friends who were in Seattle on Tuesday night for a soup dinner at our house. I decided to make Instant Pot Chicken Soup, so I borrowed Laura and Byron’s Instant Pot so I could make 2 pots of soup. Our guests included 6 good friends from New York and Michigan. I knew that some local friends and Laura and Byron were coming, but I didn’t really know for sure how many to expect. I wanted to have plenty of soup.

I learned that another friend from Maine was in town and there was a possibility that she would be joining us. Mary Kate is a vegetarian so I made this Slow Cooker Creamy Lentil Soup to have available for her and anyone else who might show up and prefer a vegetarian option. We had plenty of soup! (As it turned out, Mary Kate couldn’t make it. We did get to see her the next night at Carrie and Rhett’s house.)

I ate the Slow Cooker Creamy Lentil Soup, and a few other people tried it as well. It was really a great lentil soup! It’s vegan and gluten free. It gets its “creamy” texture from a can of drained chickpeas blended with water and a bit of olive oil and lemon juice.

The recipe is from Cooking Light’s web site. Their recipe called for “green lentils”. Apparently, there are lentils known as “French green lentils” that look very similar to the common “regular” brown lentils sold at most grocery stores. I used French “lentilles du Puy” because I had just enough in my cupboard. They are darker than green or brown lentils. I like the way they hold their shape even after slow cooking for hours.

Slow Cooker Creamy Lentil Soup is a vegan soup that can be enjoyed by all. I don’t think anyone will miss the meat whenever I serve it. It’s a keeper that I’m glad to add to my repertoire.

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Slow Cooker Creamy Lentil Soup

(Adapted from a Cooking Light recipe)

(print the recipe)

My Vitamix worked really well when I blended the chickpeas. If you don’t have a powerful blender but do have a food processor, I’m sure you could use that. It probably won’t be quite as creamy, but it will still work and taste delicious.

Serves 5 (about 1½ cups each)

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A bit of oil for the slow cooker

4 cups reduced-sodium vegetable broth (I actually used 2 teaspoons of Better Than Bouillon Vegan Certified No Chicken Base and 4 cups of water.)

1 cup uncooked green lentils  (I used French “lentilles du Puy”)

1 cup chopped yellow onion

¾ cup chopped carrots

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon kosher salt (or ½ – ¾ teaspoon table salt)

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

5 thyme sprigs

4 garlic cloves, minced

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1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

¾ cup water

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

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2 cups thinly sliced lacinato kale

½ teaspoon sherry or red wine vinegar

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1. Put a small amount of oil in the slow cooker and rub it around the interior with a paper towel.
2. Put the broth, lentils, onion, carrots, cumin, salt, pepper, thyme, and garlic in the slow cooker. Cook on Low for 7 hours.
3. Put the chickpeas, water, olive oil, and lemon juice in a blender and blend until it is smooth.
4. Add the chickpea mixture and the kale to the slow cooker. Cook on Low for 30 additional minutes.
5. Stir in the vinegar and serve.

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