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4.79 from 14 votes

Slow Cooker Curried Lentil Soup

This Slow Cooker Curried Lentil Soup only takes about 10 minutes to prep, then let the crock-pot do the rest of the work to make this delicious, healthier vegetarian comfort food.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time4 hours
Total Time4 hours 10 minutes
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: dairy free, gluten free, slow cooker, vegan, vegetarian
Servings: 6 -8 servings

Ingredients

  • 4 cloves garlic peeled and minced
  • 2 large carrots peeled and diced
  • 1 medium white onion peeled and diced
  • 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock*
  • 1 1/2 cups uncooked green or brown lentils rinsed and picked over
  • 1 tablespoon Madras curry powder**
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 cups roughly-chopped baby spinach
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice plus extra lemon slices for serving
  • salt and pepper
  • chopped fresh cilantro leaves for topping

Instructions

  • Add the garlic, carrots, onion, stock, lentils, curry powder, cumin, and bay leaves to the bowl of a 4-quart or 6-quart slow cooker, and stir to combine.
  • Cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 6-8 hours, until the lentils are tender.
  • Stir in the baby spinach and lemon juice until combined.
  • Taste, and season with salt and pepper to taste.  (I used about 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, but the saltiness of the soup will vary based on your type of stock.)
  • Serve warm, garnished with lots of chopped cilantro and extra lemon slices, if desired.

Notes

*If you’re making this soup vegetarian or vegan, go with vegetable stock.  ;)  Also, if you want to make this gluten-free, double-check and be sure that all of the labels on your ingredients are certified gluten-free.
**I highly recommend using Madras-style curry powder for this recipe.  It adds a little extra heat, which I love.  (I used this brand, which I recommend.)  Also, if you’re new to making curried dishes and aren’t familiar with these spices, feel free to wait and add them in at the very end, and just add a teaspoon or so at a time until it tastes good to you.