Slow Cooker Vegetable Lentil Soup (Oil Free and Easy!)

Which brings me to my final product - yummy, flavorful, healthy Lentil Vegetable Soup.

Ingredients:

• 1 - 16oz bag of brown or green lentils (I used brown) *dried
• 8 cups (64 oz) Vegetable stock
• 1 - 28 oz can diced tomato's *fire roasted (Fire roasted brings life to this soup - can use 15.5 oz can as well, I wanted added flavor so went with more)
• 2 medium white potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped 
• 2 celery stalks, sliced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper
• 2 shakes of garlic salt (optional)
• 2 cups fresh kale, chopped (set aside until last 15 minutes)

What you do:

• Combine all ingredients in your crock pot (will be very full! mine was) *LEAVE KALE IN FRIDGE
• Stir well
• Cook on high for 6-8 hours or low for 7-9
• Add Kale for the last 15-30 minutes, until it reaches desired texture

*If you do not want to use the slow cooker method to cook - here is what you do:

• In a large pot - add (1 tsp olive oil or 1 tbsp vegetable broth) 
• Turn to Medium/high heat - add onion, garlic, potato, carrot, celery, salt and pepper
• Once onions look translucent in color (4-6 minutes) add can of fire roasted tomatoes, lentils and vegetable broth
• Bring mixture to a rolling boil
• Turn down to a medium simmer (bubbles present) cook for 1 hour (until lentils reach desired texture)
• Add kale for the last 10-15 minutes, until it reaches desired texure

This soup is very budget friendly - this fed 4 people, two of which had seconds, and we will get 4 lunches out of it. Price breaks down as shown (this is based on my local prices, which are generally higher).

Lentils: $1.28

Veggie Stock: $3.00 (you can make your own very easily!)

Tomatoes: $2.23

Potatoes: $0.50

Carrots: $0.30

Celery: $0.30

Onion: $0.50

Kale: $0.35

Total: $8.46

XOXO ENJOY! Leave some feedback if you try it please.