Stewed Lentils Cooked In Your Crock Pot or Slow Cooker

Crockpot Lentils

This is a great dish for the colder weather. You toss everything in your slow cooker in the morning and at dinner time all that’s left to do is boil up some pasta (or rice) and eat.

Ingredients:

3 cups dried lentils
2 medium onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup chopped fresh carrots
1 cup frozen peas (canned will get too mushy)
2 cups diced tomatoes (fresh or canned)
4 1/2 cups water

1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

You may have noticed we eat a lot of lentils. They’re cheap. They’re filling. They are believed to help lower cholesterol and regulate blood sugar. And, they are a great source of iron in a vegetarian diet.

Directions:

Put all ingredients into your crock pot and mix well.

Cover and cook on the low setting for eight hours.

Check about halfway through and add up to another cup of water if too thick.

Serving:

This is delicious over either pasta or rice. Serve with a tossed salad, some good crusty bread and perhaps some grated cheese to sprinkle on top.

Variations:

feel free to add more seasonings to your personal taste (sage, thyme, marjoram, coriander, even curry)
if you’re not counting calories a few tablespoons of heavy cream (or coconut milk if you use curry) mixed in just prior to serving makes for a nice touch
feel free to substitute other vegetables if you like such as celery or cauliflower
add 1 cup of TVP and another 1/2 cup water for the feel of ground beef in this dish
if your budget and eating style allow feel free to add actual meat – browned and drained beef or sausage or even chopped ham (up to a cup and a half)

Adapted from:

Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook: Feasting with Your Slow Cooker

You might also enjoy:

Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker Cookbook

Biggest Book of Slow Cooker Recipes (Better Homes & Gardens)

Image: Simon Howden / FreeDigitalPhotos.net