Total time: 7 hr 25 min • Prep: 20 min • Cook: 7 hr 5 min • Serves: 4 • Difficulty: Easy

The slow cooker work its magic on this soup, which takes just 20 minutes to pull together. We tame broccoli rabe's sophisticated, slightly bitter flavor with a long cooking time. For an even milder flavor, substitute regular broccoli for half the broccoli rabe and consider using a mild Italian sausage instead of a spicy one. For the lentils, they don’t require soaking like dried beans do, but you do need a good rinse. And you should pick through them to remove any shriveled lentils, debris, or rocks. As for which lentils to choose, green or brown lentils hold their shape well when cooked. Red, orange, or yellow lentils are tasty but they do tend to get mushy when cooked, which works well in sauces, soups, and stews.