Warming and healthy Slow Cooker Lentil Minestrone. A mix of vegetables, tomatoes, chicken or veggie stock, parmesan, herbs, pasta and, lentils, simmered slowly while you sleep or work.
I wanted to share a simple, yet healthy and warming winter soup.
Why I love this recipe
- 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!
What type of lentils is 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.
Let’s make Slow Cooker Lentil Minestrone
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4- 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. 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
Before serving add chopped kale along with more fresh parsley and thyme to taste.
Tip 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.
Ladle soup into individual bowls. Add the desired amount of pasta shells to each bowl and garnish with ribbons of fresh parmesan cheese.
Slow Cooker Lentil Minestrone
This is a brothy lentil minestrone soup loaded with carrots, celery, onions, and fresh herbs. Served over hot pasta and topped with parmesan and more fresh herbs.
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
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.
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.
Before serving, cook pasta according to package directions. Cook until al denté. Drain and set aside for serving.
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.
Add reserved cooked pasta to individual serving bowls and ladle hot soup over top. Top with fresh parmesan
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 every 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.
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Looking For Great Information on Bone Broth, Broths, and Stocks?
Nourished Kitchen has a plethora of information and recipes. Check it out.
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.