When the weather drops to freezing and its snowy and cold, what is more welcoming than a warm bowl of soup? Who says entertaining has to be fancy? Invite guests over to a huge pot of soup, loaves of warm, crusty bread and a great bottle of wine and just let the conversation flow!
The most work in this recipe is chopping the veggies – when I’m in a hurry, I just grab the pre-chopped carrot/celery/onion package at the grocery and call it a day. Tweak the veggies with whatever you have on hand – its not a strict recipe… that’s what’s so great about soup!
Ingredients
- 3 medium carrots, diced fairly small
- 2 celery stalks, diced fairly small
- 1 large yellow onion, diced fairly small
- 3 cloves garlic, diced or minced
- 1 large shallot, diced
- 2 cups dry green lentils (rinsed)
- 8 cups vegetable stock (I use Trader Joes usually)
- 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bag of baby spinach (or kale or swiss chard or green of your choice)
- 1½ teaspoons red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin (to taste*)
Instructions
- Place chopped carrots, celery, onion, garlic, shallot, lentils, vegetable stock, canned tomatoes, bay leaf and dried thyme in the crockpot. Cook on high for about 4 hours or low for about 8. (I think it tastes better cooked on low, but that's just me!) About 15-20 minutes before serving, add in the spinach, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper and cumin. Stir well and let cook until greens are wilted.
- Serve with crusty bread and (if desired) a bit of shaved Parmesan cheese. This earth soup pairs wonderfully with a good, hearty red wine - Cabernet or Merlot.
- This soup freezes beautifully! This is enough for two meals for my family of 5, I just defrost it in the fridge overnight and reheat on the stove for a super-quick dinner!
Notes
*Cumin adds smokiness and heat. The more you add, the more you'll turn up the soup. For our family, I usually add a full heaping tablespoon of cumin, but if you're more timid, stick to about 2 tsp.
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