This Crock Pot Lentil Veggie Stew is a wholesome family favorite. As the temperature drops, this hearty stew becomes a go-to for my busy family. It’s delicious, nutritious and requires minimal effort!

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It’s been cold, rainy and — thankfully — really quiet here after the holidays, which means there’s plenty of time for me to make warm soup to fill everyone’s belly. Even though I’ve been in less of a rush than usual, that doesn’t mean I’m not looking for ways to make life easier for myself in the kitchen. 

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So, time once again to break out my crock pot! All I do is toss in some lentils, a few herbs and a mix of vegetables from the farmer’s market and serve it with a dollop of herbed goat cheese on top, which the kids love swirling in to their soup. 

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This recipe makes enough so that I can freeze half for cold, lazy nights when I don’t have any time to cook — which I anticipate happening quite a bit once school starts up again!

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Crock Pot Lentil Veggie Stew

4.65 from 14 votes
Course: Dinner
Servings: 6
Author: Catherine McCord
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 5 minutes

Equipment

  • slow cooker

Ingredients  

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 leeks, chopped (use only the white and light green part of the leek)
  • 2 large carrots, chopped
  • 3 celery stalks, diced
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 8 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 (32 ounce) can chopped tomatoes
  • 16 ounces dried lentils
  • 2 cups kale or swiss chard, chopped

Instructions 

  • Heat the oil in a sauté pan over medium heat and cook the onions for 4 minutes.
  • Add the garlic and cook an additional minute.
  • Place the onion mixture with the remaining ingredients in a crock pot and stir.
  • Cover and cook the lentils on high heat for 4 hours or low heat for 8 hours or until lentils are tender.
  • Top with desired accompaniment and serve.
  • * You can also place all of the ingredients in a large pot over low to medium heat and cover for 90 minutes or until tender.

Nutrition

Calories: 290kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 790mg | Fiber: 16g | Sugar: 9g
Did you make this recipe?Mention @Weelicious or tag #weelicious!

About the Author

Catherine is a mama of three. A Kentucky girl living in California. Here’s what I know: all kids can be great eaters and mealtime must be easy. I create simple, healthy recipes the whole family will love.

Comments

    1. Hi Deidre! I couldn’t agree more. I look forward to making this every year when it starts to get chilly too!

  1. 5 stars
    Delicious! Great for a crowd with good bread on a cold day…..filling and flavorful. Only change I made was I used fire-roasted tomatoes.

  2. 4 stars
    Jan 29, 2023 – made mostly as directed. Only chgs; 3 carrots instead of 2, 4 celery stalks instead of 3, didn’t have bay leaves, so added 1/2 tsp oregano & my canned diced tomatoes were seasoned. I cooked mine on the stovetop. It only took 60 minutes till the lentils were soft. Very easy, healthy & tasty.

  3. Our 2-yr-old LOVED this soup! She had never had soup before, but she gobbled up 3 bowls. She even figured out how to drink the leftover broth at the end! Mom and Dad enjoyed it too

  4. It also took my lentils longer than 4hrs on high. Too bad I was planning it for dinner time with no time to spare. Good news is they get better with every reheat.

  5. I couldn’t get kale or Swiss chard in the supermarket today, so I substituted with finely sliced sweetheart cabbage. I made in on top of the stove in about 90 minutes and it turned out perfectly. I don’t have kids, so I can’t vouch for how kid friendly it is. I did, however, film it bubbling away on the stove and sent it to my food-loving chum. Very impressed, he was! A lovely stew, and the leftovers are now packed away ready for the freezer. I’ve recently decided to overhaul my eating habits so this will be an ideal “ready meal” when I’m too exhausted to cook. Thank you so much for sharing this. I’ll be trying out more from your site!

  6. My 3 year old daughter absolutely loved this soup! We had it for dinner and she asked for the leftovers for lunch everyday for a week. It was a big hit at our house. My one year old son and husband also devoured it. I made it exactly as described in the recipe except used extra celery and multi-colored carrots in place of the leeks. Definitely putting it into the regular rotation!!

  7. Wow this was great! I made it using a regular pot and still cooked it for around 4 hrs. The flavors came together near the end, so the extra time was worth it. Amazing with a little parmigiana sprinkled on top.

  8. These were great. I skipped the onions and garlic on the stove and skipped the leeks and kale since I didn’t have them and it still turned out great. I do beans and rice every Sunday night and this is getting made again tonight.

  9. […] Crockpot Lentil Stew  Perfect, comforting lentil stew, and sometimes I add good quality andouille sausage. […]

  10. The lentils are better after another hour of cooking them on high in my crock pot. The taste is awesome but I think I’ll add some potatoes tomorrow and some sausages 🙂 Thanks Catherine!

  11. I am making this right now 🙂 The taste is awesome!! I got 38 min left (high in crock pot, cooked for 4 hours then) and the lentils are still tough. I upped the time by another hour. Hopefully they will be softer then 🙂

  12. I have to cook mine extra time as well. I learned a while back my crock pot is weak. I add some extra liquid and have to stir occasionally through out the day so the lentils on top don’t dry out.

  13. Hmm very strange that they didn’t cook through! I think it would be okay to cook it again, add more liquid if necessary, as long as the other veggies aren’t too soft!

  14. The flavor on this was fantastic, but the lentils were very tough. Can I put it on high again tomorrow to soften them up? I don’t think the soup will get eaten this way.

  15. Yummmm! I’m going to cook this for tonight but using low sodium stock & “no salt added” tomatoes. Cooking in a cast iron pot. I can always tell if food was cooked in a crock pot because it has this indescribable “off” taste to me. Is that weird? Anyways, it’s a rainy day here & this recipe is just what we need. Thank you. P.S. I cooked your Asian chicken soup recipe last night & your easy chicken nuggets the day before that. <3 1 happy mama & 1 happy toddler.

  16. PS – Don’t use Trader Joes lentils…they disintegrate! Had the same problem with another recipe.

  17. Has anyone skipped cooking the onions and garlic on the stove and just thrown them in the crock pot instead? If so, how did it turn out? Would love to have one less dish to wash.

  18. I made this today. My only alterations would be more garlic ( we really like garlic here! ) and maybe a few potatoes. I will add them to the leftovers tomorrow and see how it tastes. Also, a bit of sausage might be good as well.

  19. […] Get this yummy recipe on Weelicious […]

  20. I just made this today and it is absolutely delicious. I followed the recipe to the tee. I will be making this again and again. It is only myself. I have plenty to freeze for future meals. Again, this was an outstanding recipe. Thank you.

  21. […] ~ Crockpot Lentil Veggie Stew (from several weeks ago that still hasn’t been […]

  22. […] green beans and homemade mashed Sweet Potatoes (love!) Wednesday – Beef Bourguignon Thursday – Lentil Veggie Stew (perfect crockpot recipe!) Friday – Chicken with Orange Relish with rice or pasta Saturday – […]

  23. To Diana: I also had the same issue with my crock pot. After 6 hours in the lentils were still inedible. Mine was also on high, I just think that lentils take a long time to cook, and if you want to speed up the process you could soak and even boil the lentils before adding them to the crock pot…. The best and fastest way to cook lentils is a pressure cooker.

  24. 20 Cozy Crock-Pot Soup Recipes That Cook Themselves – Huffington Post (blog) | LibraryOfCooking.com says:

    […] Lentil Stew […]

  25. […] Recipe: http://b12.ba4.myftpupload.com/2011/01/02/crock-pot-lentil-veggie-stew/ […]

  26. I love this recipe. I am not a fan of leeks, so i added more carrot and celery and cayenne pepper for a kick. SO YUM. Highly recommended. I also diluted the veggie broth a bit so it wasnt as potent. Would make a million times over, and is WAY quicker on the stove.

  27. I recently bought your cookbook and I love it! This was on the menu tonight along with your banana bread cake for dessert. This stew was DELICIOUS! I substituted fresh spinach for kale and also added some chopped cilantro and parsley and the result was outstanding. All the adults gobbled it up. Unfortunately the kids were not in an adventurous culinary spirit (grrr…) and there were no leftovers for me to offer them tomorrow. Thank you!

  28. Hey Lady!

    I made with half green and half red lentils, and it was delish, Either way im sure it will be yummy!

  29. I made this before with green lentils but recently bought red. Does this alter the flavor much? Any tips!?

  30. The flavor will not be drastically different! The red lentils have a nuttier flavor than the green. They also cook faster, so the final result will be a softer consistency.

  31. Is it okay to use Red Lentils? I picked those up at the store and wanted to give them a try. However, I have made this before with Green lentils and loved it; I don’t want the flavor to drastically change with red. Any tips?

  32. Lentil soup is the ONLY soup I can get my husband to eat. This was super yummy! Husband & daughters gobbled up every bite!

  33. roasted potatoes…

    […]Lentil Veggie Stew in the Slow Cooker | Weelicious ™ – Fast, Easy & Fresh Homemade Home Made Baby Food Babyfood Recipes, Toddler Food and recipes for the entire family![…]…

  34. Made this tonight and it was great! My 18-month-old and 4-year-old gobbled it right up and my husband even said, “Mmm, I bet this is like what people used to make all the time before processed foods were invented.”
    Also, I filled two large mason jars with the leftovers – we’ll be taking this in our lunches!
    Thank you so much!

  35. Dante 515 Solved…

    […]Crock Pot Lentil Veggie Stew | Weelicious ??? – Fast, Easy & Fresh Homemade Home Made Baby Food Babyfood Recipes, Toddler Food and recipes for the entire family![…]…

  36. I have a really large slow cooker and I still can’t fit the 8 cups of stock!! What size did you use?????

  37. Tomatoes add body and flavor, so you’ll see them in almost all stew and soup recipes. You can omit the tomatoes, but you’ll need to increase the stock by about anther cup or two (or you can dilute it with water). Omitting the tomatoes will alter the flavor, but there are still so many other flavors in this stew it should be okay. If you still want the red you can add a diced red bell pepper. That’ll give a different flavor. I hope this helps!

  38. How do you think this would turn out without the tomatoes? My son has a tomato allergy and it seems like almost every crock pot recipe calls for tomatoes.

  39. Crab Dip…

    […]Crock Pot Lentil Veggie Stew | Weelicious ??? – Fast, Easy & Fresh Homemade Home Made Baby Food Babyfood Recipes, Toddler Food and recipes for the entire family![…]…

  40. Thanks for all of the easy crock pot recipes. I have a Crock Pot brand crockpot that has a recurring problem – veggies are still firm and recipes are generally not cooked after 4 to 5 hours on high. It seems that the food does not even start to simmer until more than 3 hours in. Is this normal? Anyone else have this problem? I’m wondering if there is a defect in my particular model….like it has the “keep warm” and “high” settings mixed up?

  41. I put this together this morning and am excited to try! However, there was not enough room in my “standard” sized crock pot for all of the ingredients (had to cut back on the broth), so I’m assuming you used a large crockpot?? I will have to invest! I’m still hoping it will turn out okay. Thanks for the healthy recipes, this should be perfect after our chilly, snowy Colorado day today!

  42. this was great!! my 2 year old kept saying “mmm” and finished every last veggie and drop of soup

  43. Has anyone done this with ham? If so, did you add it before so the flavor would be added to the soup, or stirred in after? Suppposed to “rain” in SoCal this weekend (ahem, yeah right) so this is officially on the menu!

  44. […] a rainy, cold Friday, this recipe seems just right. It comes from Weelicious, which is a great endorsement for it being kid-friendly! If you must have meat in it, try tossing […]

  45. TRADITIONAL November 2011 OAMM Menu (OAMC, Once A Month Cooking, Freezer Cooking) | OAMC from Once A Month Mom says:

    […] Lentil Veggie Soup** […]

  46. Just got everything in the crock pot minus 4 cups of stock and my crock pot is about to overflow! Dang, oh well, what better reason to buy a new kitchen gadget!!!

  47. I made this last week, and it was delicious! I will be making this on a regular basis. Thank you for sharing all of your wonderful recipes!

  48. Just had this for dinner with some delicious homemade bread. Everyone (even my fussy 6 yr old) loved it!

  49. I use fire roasted tomatoes and if I want meat I add lean stew meat. It has got rave reviews from my guys.

  50. Delicious! I’ve made this twice, and it’s absolutely delicious. This is going to be one of my favorite winter recipes.

  51. Good idea with quinoa! I cook with lentils more often than beans because they don’t need to be soaked (and I always forget to soak). Green lentils can usually cook in 30 min and red in 20 or less. I might add a little bit of chopped ham to this tonight.

  52. This is a fabulous recipe. I did not have time to cook in a crock pot but got a good one hour simmer. I did add ground turkey to the recipe and it has fabulous! My husband and four years olds devoured it. I think I’ll make it again tonight! Thanks for the wonderfully healthy recipe.

  53. My favorite site. I have been making my second son baby fold and bow he’s one so I need ideas. This is amazing hope he likes it!

  54. I made this tonight, and it was delicious! I don’t have a crock pot – made it in a large pot, brought to a boil uncovered, and then covered and heated over medium heat for about 70-80 minutes. Just wanted to say that it does turn out great without the crock pot too! My two year old even took big spoonfuls, saying ‘yum’! (after I mixed in a little shredded cheddar with hers :))

  55. I think that most crock pots/slow cookers function pretty much the same. They all seem to work really well, and the main difference is that when you pay more, you get more features, like programmable timers, more temperature settings, etc. I think that Rival is the brand that started it all, so it’s the one that a lot of people grew up with, but Cuisinart now has one that you can use to brown food before slow cooking it, which is so cool. I would start with a simple one and if you fall in love with it, as I have with mine, then you can always upgrade. : )

  56. Hi
    In Spain we always soak the lentils the night before and then reduce cooking time considerably. I’ve never used a crock pot but I keep seeing it over an over and considering my busy daily schedule it nay be a good gadget. Could you give me some tips into what to look for? Any brands? Budget should not be a problem within reason
    Thanks a lot

  57. I made the exact same soup just before I saw this but will definitely be getting some garbed goat cheese for tonight. Great idea!

  58. This looks amazing – I got all the ingredients I didn’t already have on hand yesterday and am going to make it this week for my family. I just re-joined Weight Watchers and figured each serving is only 6 points. Plus, just about every ingredient is a “power food.” Thanks for another wonderful, healthy recipe!

  59. New subscriber to the site, and I love your healthy crock pot concoctions. Thank you thank you thank you!

  60. Do you need to soak the lentils first? Would love to make this but want to be sure whether to soak first and for how long if necessary. Thanks.

  61. I had 6 people over for dinner last night and everyone lopped it up. I served it on top of quinoa with a scoop of herbed goat cheese on top!

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