This warming and delicious Slow Cooker Lentil Minestrone Soup recipe includes a hearty mix of vegetables, tomatoes, fresh herbs, tender lentils and pasta. Get the soup started in the crockpot in the morning before work or even the night before going to bed, then serve for an easy and cozy dinner on a chilly evening.
Why I Love this Recipe
I wanted to share a simple, yet satisfying and scrumptious winter soup. Here is one of my favorites, and I am sure you’ll love it, too! These are just a few reasons why you need to put this slow cooker lentil minestrone soup on your must-make list ASAP.
- I can throw it into a slow cooker before I go to bed and it will be hot and steamy when I finish a long, cold run in the morning.
- I can toss the ingredients into a slow cooker in the morning and let it do its magic all day for a quick supper.
- It’s brothy. I LOVE brothy soups.
- It’s loaded with healthy and nutritious ingredients. Low in calories high in nutrition.
- I love lentils.
- This recipe can be made in an Instant Pot in about 20 minutes. Great for the days I forget to think about what’s for dinner until it’s TIME for dinner!
Recipe Ingredients
- Olive oil
- Carrots
- Celery
- Onion
- Lentils
- Chicken stock
- Canned diced or hand-squeezed whole tomatoes
- Parmesan
- Salt and pepper
- Bay leaf
- Fresh thyme
- Fresh parsley
- Pasta
- Kale
What type of lentils are best for this recipe?
Green or brown lentils work best. My favorite lentils to use are French Green Lentils. They do take longer to cook than regular green lentils. It’s best to soak them in water overnight or bring them to a boil, cover, and let sit for an hour.
Regular green lentils cook quickly but can fall apart if overcooked in a pressure cooker.
Red or yellow lentils would NOT work well for this recipe. They may become too soft. They are great for Middle Eastern or Indian recipes.
Stock or broth?
There isn’t a lot of difference between the two. Chicken or beef stock is generally made from bones and cartilage along with vegetables and is cooked for several hours. Once chilled the stock will turn into a gelatin form. This makes it richer than a broth. Broth is made from boiling meat for a shorter period of time along with some aromatics. They can be used interchangeably for most soup recipes.
When purchasing stock or broth, look for a shorter ingredient list that contains vegetables with little additives or preservatives and low sodium. If you are vegetarian or Vegan, use a vegetable broth.
Best Tomatoes for Veggie Soup
I like using whole tomatoes; I think they are better quality than chopped. I like using home canned tomatoes more, but that’s not always possible. Buy the best quality whole tomatoes you can find. Squeeze the tomatoes through your hands to crush or light pulse in a food processor or use a hand blender.
How to make Slow Cooker Lentil Minestrone Soup
- Gather and measure ingredients. Peel carrots. Chop carrots, celery, and onions.
- If using an instant pot, set to sauté and add 2 tablespoons olive oil, carrots, celery, and onion. Sauté until beginning to soften. About 5-7 minutes.
- Add lentils, parmesan rind, salt, a few grinds of fresh pepper, bay leaf, 4 sprigs of thyme, and 2 sprigs of parsley.
- Add stock and tomatoes. Set slow cooker on low setting for 10 hours or high for 4-5 hours. Meanwhile cook pasta according to package directions and cook al denté, drain, rinse, and refrigerate until ready to use.
Pro Tip: Never add pasta to finished cooked soups. The pasta absorbs a lot of the liquid and becomes thick and gummy. It’s always a good idea to add pasta to each individual bowl. When storing leftover soup, store leftover pasta in a separate container. This will keep the soup brothy and keep the pasta from becoming overcooked and mushy.
Finishing Touches & Serving Suggestions
Before serving add chopped kale along with more fresh parsley and thyme to taste.
Pro Tip: I use curly leaf kale and chop it very finely so it looks like parsley. This seems to work with kids/husbands that are afraid of kale. I go through a lot of “parsley” garnishing foods. It’s a mental thing but it works.
Ladle soup into individual bowls. Add the desired amount of pasta shells to each bowl and garnish with ribbons of fresh parmesan cheese.
Recipe Variations
There are plenty of ways to tweak this recipe to your tastes! Here are a few swaps and additions you can make:
- Pasta – I like the texture of small pasta shells. Feel free to use other small noodles like elbow macaroni, pastini, ditalini, risoni, or other tiny types of pasta.
- Vegetarian and Vegan – Use veggie stock and skip the parmesan cheese.
- Veggies – Substitute and/or add other vegetables like sliced zucchini, green beans, peas,
- Without lentils – That’s right, you can completely skip the lentils if you aren’t a fan or they are not available. This will still be a filling and delicious slow cooker minestrone soup!
- Gluten-free – Use your favorite GF pasta or leave out altogether.
Frequently Asked Questions
In my humble opinion, yes – whenever you can use a slow cooker you should. Cooking food low and slow creates a deep, vibrant flavor. Using a crockpot in this minestrone soup helps the lentils cook perfectly tender, which can be a bit difficult with stovetop cooking.
Both recipes are easy to make with lots of veggies in a thin tomato broth. However, minestrone includes small pasta for an even heartier soup.
Leftover veggie lentil minestrone soup will keep well for up to 4-5 days in. Let it cool completely before transferring to a sealed container and storing in the refrigerator. But as noted before, keep the pasta separate from the broth if possible.
Yes, it is great for freezing! Cool completely, then transfer the soup to an airtight freezer-safe container. I suggest wrapping the container in a layer or two of aluminium foil for extra protection. Freeze for up to 3 months, and thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
More Recipes for You to Try
- Simply Vegetable Pho
- Coconut Quinoa Lentil Soup
- Vegetable Barley Soup
- How to make Beef Bone Stock
- Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup with Cheese Tortellini
- Simple French Lentil Soup (His and Hers)
Slow Cooker Lentil Minestrone Soup
This warming and delicious Slow Cooker Lentil Minestrone Soup recipe includes a hearty mix of vegetables, tomatoes, fresh herbs, tender lentils and pasta. Get the soup started in the crockpot in the morning before work or even the night before going to bed, then serve for an easy and cozy dinner on a chilly evening.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 carrots peeled and chopped
- 3 celery stalks sliced
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1/2 cup green lentils
- 6 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock low sodium preferred
- 1 28 oz canned or bottled tomatoes diced or hand squeeze whole tomatoes
- 2 inch parmesan rind
- 1-3 tsp salt depending on sodium level of stock and tomatoes
- fresh pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 sprigs fresh parsley
- 2 cups shell pasta, cooked can use macaroni
- 2 cups kale chopped
- fresh parsley chopped
- fresh thyme
- parmesan cheese shredded or sliced into ribbons
Instructions
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If using an instant pot, set to sauté and add olive oil, carrots, celery, and onion. Saute until beginning to soften. About 5-7 minutes.
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Add lentils, stock, tomatoes, parmesan rind, salt, a few grinds of fresh pepper, bay leaf, 4 sprigs of thyme, and 2 sprigs of parsley. Set slow cooker on low setting for 10 hours or high for 4-5 hours.
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Before serving, cook pasta according to package directions. Cook until al denté. Drain and set aside for serving.
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When lentils are soft remove parmesan cheese rind, parsley and, thyme sprigs. Chop kale and add to minestrone along with fresh chopped parsley and thyme. Season with additional salt and pepper, if needed.
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Add reserved cooked pasta to individual serving bowls and ladle hot soup over top. Top with fresh parmesan
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Leftover minestrone can be refrigerated for a few days. Do NOT add the cooked pasta to leftover soup. Store the pasta separately. If pasta is added, it will soak up more of the liquid and creates a thick gooey soup.
Recipe Notes
Notes from Janet:
What type of Lentils?
- Green or brown lentils work best.
- My favorite lentils to use are French Green Lentils. They do take longer to cook than regular green lentils. It’s best to soak them in water overnight or bring them to a boil, cover, and let sit for an hour.
- Regular green lentils cook quickly but can fall apart if overcooked in a pressure cooker.
- Red or yellow lentils would NOT work well for this recipe. They may become too soft. They are great for Middle Eastern or Indian recipes.
Tips:
- Stock or broth: When choosing a stock or broth, check the label and purchase the brand that has the least amount of ingredients and the most natural ingredients. I use homemade bone broth when I have a stash in my freezer.
- Tomatoes: I like using whole tomatoes. I think they are better quality than chopped. I like using home canned tomatoes more, but that’s not always possible. Buy the best quality whole tomatoes you can find. Squeeze the tomatoes through your hands to crush or light pulse in a food processor or use a hand blender.
- Never add pasta to finished cooked soups. The pasta absorbs a lot of the liquid and becomes thick and gummy. It’s always a good idea to add pasta to each individual bowl. When storing leftover soup, store leftover pasta in a separate container. This will keep the soup brothy and keep the pasta from becoming overcooked and mushy.
- For picky kale eaters: I use curly leaf kale and chop it very finely so it looks like parsley. This seems to work with kids/husbands that are afraid of kale. I go through a lot of “parsley” garnishing foods. It’s a mental thing but it works.
- Vegetarian? Vegan? Gluten-free? No problem. Vegetarian/Vegan use a good quality vegetable stock. Vegan can omit parmesan cheese. Gluten-free may omit pasta or use a GF brand of pasta.
Looking For Great Information on Bone Broth, Broths, and Stocks?
Nourished Kitchen has a plethora of information and recipes. Check it out.
I really want to make this soup, but I am concerned about the sodium content. What is the ingredient (s) that make this soup so high in sodium? Thank you for your help.
The sodium content is so high because I used purchased boxed broth. I suggested using low sodium broth. I generally make my own stock or broth which is very low sodium. Now salt broth is available in most grocery stores. Nutritional information is only an estimate the accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipes on my site is not guaranteed. I have a homemade bone broth recipe on my site which can definitely be made low or no sodium if you are interested.
I hope you have the opportunity to make this lentil soup is delicious.
Happy cooking!
Janet
1 gram = 222 calories.
I assume this was suppose to be one serving.
Can I cook the kale with the SOUp? Add it in the last 2 hours?
Hi Mary, Yes that should be 1 serving. I have corrected that error on the post. Thanks for bringing to my attention. Yes, you can absolutely add the kale while the soup cooks.
Hi Janet how are you..Greetings from Oz, we are in the middle of our summer here but I will keep this recipe for when the weather gets cooler. I have an instant pot fortunately and I love it, just wondering if you made this soup in the instant pot using the slow cooker function or did you use a slow cooker ? It looks so delicious & warming.
Yes, I did use an Instant Pot and I used the slow cooker function. But the recipe works equally as well in a regular slow cooker/crockpot. I’m sure wishing I was living in the land of Oz right now. It’s frigid cold in my neck of the woods. Enjoy your summer while it lasts. When it cools off I hope you enjoy this soup.
hI jANET I AM MAKING THIS SOUP TODAY, IT IS A GREY WET RAINY DAY SO PERFECT WEATHER FOR THIS SOUP, DO YOU PRE COOK THE LENTILS FIRST AS IN THE NOTES OR JUST ADD UNCOOKED TO THE RECIPE.