Slow Cooker Brown Lentil Soup

Easy slow cooker lentil soup recipe, homemade with simple ingredients with 5 minutes of prep time. Healthy, hearty, inspired by Indian curry flavors. Also known as "daal" or "dal soup."

Making soups in crockpots is as simple as can be, just like this Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup. I am hopeful that you will enjoy today's recipe too. You just dump all the ingredients, cover and let it cook. It's great to enjoy when you return from a long day of work to a delicious dinner.

How to make curry lentil soup in slow cooker?

1. Add vegetables, broth, and spices in crockpot - This includes onions, carrots, garlic, chicken or vegetable broth,  tomato paste, dry lentils, garam marsala, red chili flakes, salt, pepper, bay leaves. Mix.
2. Cover and cook- Until lentils are soft and cooked through.
3. Mix in remaining ingredients – Add lemon juice and mix.
4. Enjoy – Discard the bay leaves, garnish with freshly chopped cilantro, and dig in!

What sides to serve with brown lentil soup recipe?

It can often be served as a meal all on its own, simply because it's so hearty and contains wonderful, healthy ingredients. However, it's common to serve soup with a few sides to make it a more filling meal:

Bread- Such as pita bread, naan, garlic bread, breadsticks, crusty bread.

Vegetables- Such as green salad or just freshly sliced veggies. Roasted or grilled vegetables are awesome too.

Rice- Try boiled jasmine or basmati rice or a simple pilaf.

Variations

Sausage lentil soup - Fry up one pound of ground pork or turkey sausage, drain, and add to your soup to add a varying flavor.

Lentil bacon soup- Top it off with lots of cooked crumbled bacon, prior to serving.

Chicken lentil soup - Shred about one pound of rotisserie chicken and add it in the final 10 minutes.

Lentil vegetable soup- Add veggies such as tomatoes, spinach, diced tomatoes, kale, collard greens, celery, russet potatoes, zucchini, cucumber, turnips, and carrots to make a vegetarian or vegan-friendly version. This is also a great way to use up veggies that are about to go bad.

Add ham - Mix in leftover shredded or diced ham pieces.

Add other herbs and spices - Such as Italian spice blend, Mexican taco seasoning, Cajun seasoning, ranch seasoning, jerk spice blend, Mediterranean spice blend, or your favorite spice mixture of your own.

Add more lemon - Add some extra lemon zest or fresh juice to enhance the citrus flavor.

Add coconut - Replace some of the broth with coconut water or coconut milk for a little tropical flavor to your soup. To make it creamy, add coconut cream.

Make it spicy – Add some red chili flakes or a couple freshly sliced jalapenos.

Add other seasonings- Replace Indian curry seasoning with other spice blends such as Italian seasoning, taco seasoning, Cajun seasoning e.t.c.

Storage

Refrigerate- In a sealed container for 2-3 days.

Freeze- In a sealed container for up to 1 month.

Reheat- In the microwave or stovetop with a splash of water or broth to thin it out slightly.

Tips and Techniques

How to make soup thicker? – Let it cook a bit longer without the lid. You can do this on stovetop to speed it up. This allows excess liquid to evaporate. You can also use a hand-held immersion blender to blend a small portion of the soup to make it thicker.

How to make leftover soup thinner? - Lentils are notorious for soaking up as much liquid as possible, which means you'll want to add broth or a little bit of liquid to the portion you're heating up, in order to thin it out again. This will restore its original consistency.

Rinse and drain Lentils - Be sure to rinse and drain your lentils thoroughly before using them to remove debris.

Other lentil options - If you're unable to get your hands on brown lentils, you can try your hand at green lentils or red lentils. However, it's important to point out that red lentils dissolve when cooked. Thus, it makes a thicker soup. Green lentils are similar to brown ones and will hold their shape much better. Basically, taste and even overall color will vary, depending on the type of lentils you use.

The importance of fully cooking lentils - Be sure your lentils are soft and tender. All slow cookers will vary on how well they cook at each setting. If your lentils are not tender, allow them to cook for longer until they are soft. Eating under-cooked lentils can make your tummy hurt.

Broth substitute – If you don’t have broth and need a substitute in a pinch, you can use the same amount of water. However, there will be a flavor component missing without the broth.

Use low sodium broth- Because that prevents this meal from becoming too salty.

Adjust amount of seasonings- Use more or less, based on your preference.

More Slow Cooker Vegetarian Recipes

• Slow Cooker Creamed Corn
• Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes
• Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese

Recipe