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Slow Cooker Lentil Soup

Slow cooker lentil soup

1
Points® value
Total Time
8 hr 12 min
Prep
12 min
Cook
8 hr
Serves
8
Difficulty
Easy
Maximum comfort and minimal effort make this the ideal soup for any cold weather day. Only 12 minutes of preparation and the slow cooker does the heavy lifting. Lean Canadian bacon infuses a smoky layer into the broth and adds depth to the broth. A quick puree of a cup of lentils adds body. With a hearty eight servings, this dish tackles a crowd of hungry sledders or makes a sock pile of lunches for the week. For additional flavor, top each serving with a splash of white wine vinegar or sub in 1 tablespoons fresh thyme for the dried thyme to kick up the fresh herb flavor.

Ingredients

Carrots

2 medium, peeled, cut into large chunks

Celery

2 rib(s), medium, cut into large chunks, reserve celery leaves for garnish, if desired

Onion

1 medium, cut into large chunks

Garlic

2 clove(s), minced

Dried lentils

2 cup(s), picked over

Bay leaf

3 leaf/leaves

Dried thyme

½ tsp, crushed

Table salt

½ tsp, or to taste

Black pepper

¼ tsp, or to taste

Chicken broth

8 cup(s)

Uncooked Canadian bacon

4 oz, diced (4 or 5 slices)

Instructions

  1. Place all the ingredients in a 4- to 5-quart slow cooker in the following order: carrots, celery, onion, garlic, lentils, bay leaves, thyme, salt, pepper, and broth. Cover the slow cooker; cook on the low setting for 6 hours. Uncover, stir in the bacon and heat for 30 minutes more; remove bay leaves, and garnish with celery leaves, if using, before serving.
  2. Serving size: about 1 1/2 cups

Notes

To thicken the soup, remove 1 cup of cooked lentils and puree them in a food processor; stir the pureed lentils back into the soup. For a lighter flavor, replace 4 cups of chicken broth with 4 cups of water. To make this vegetarian, substitute a cup of sliced shiitake mushroom caps for the Canadian bacon and use vegetable broth.

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