Slow Cooker Winter Vegetable Soup with Split Red Lentils
Hearty slow cooker winter vegetable soup with split red lentils. This healthy slow cooker soup recipe is packed with vegetables, red split lentils, and finished with a drizzle of olive oil, chopped parsley, and parmigiano-reggiano cheese! Naturally gluten free (and vegetarian friendly: substitute vegetable broth in place of regular chicken broth).
Recipe by Laura / A Beautiful Plate on December 9, 2015
2-3 cups finely sliced savoy cabbage (reserved for later)
extra virgin olive oil (for drizzling)
freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley (or basil, for garnishing)
freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
Categories
Slow Cooker Soups
Cuisine
American
Steps
If you own a stovetop-safe slow cooker insert: Heat the olive oil in the insert over medium heat on the stove. Add the onion and celery and saute until tender, 5 to 7 minutes, before transferring to the slow cooker and continuing with the instructions below.
If you do not own a slow cooker with a stovetop-safe insert (or wish to skip step one): Place the insert on the slow-cooker base (this recipe will fit a 4-quart capacity slow cooker). Add the olive oil, onion, celery, carrot, zucchini, potatoes, split red lentils, chopped tomatoes, parmigiano rind, bay leaves, thyme, chicken stock, kosher salt, and black pepper. Stir together. Cook on the high heat setting for 4 to 6 hours, or until the red lentils are tender (or alternatively, cook on the low heat setting for 8-10 hours).
In the last hour of cook time (or 2 hours, if you are cooking over the low heat setting), add the thinly sliced cabbage. Remove and discard the dried bay leaves, parmesan rinds, and any tough thyme sprigs. Adjust the seasoning to taste salt and pepper – you will most likely need to be liberal on the salt for this soup.
Serve the soup and top each serving with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a sprinkling of freshly chopped parsley, and freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese.
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 308 kcal
Carbohydrates: 43 g
Protein: 14 g
Fat: 11 g
Saturated Fat: 2 g
Cholesterol: 8 mg
Sodium: 819 mg
Sugar: 9 g
Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
Reviews
Susannah on 2026-02-25 (5 stars): I love this soup! Thanks for the excellent recipe. Do you think it would freeze ok?
Kathleen Godwin on 2025-10-16 (5 stars): We love dinner in a bowl! We do vegetarian a couple of nights a week and this was outstanding. Especially great for me as a tube feeder. I'm 83 yo and have been on a feeding tube for 19 yrs due to major cancer surgery. I started blending "real" food within a couples of weeks of getting my PEG tube. I eat everything and especially something easy to make in my crockpot. I'm hoping that this post will reach someone either on a feeding tube or someone that knows someone that is. So many people struggle with the whole idea of never eating again. You can enjoy something like this wonderful and healthy soup by simply blending it. You will eventually enjoy foods again as your other senses take over. And, like me, you will being to taste the food you're "eating". Stay healthy, happy and active like me and enjoy your life!
Antonelia Catallozzi Lombardi on 2025-03-03 (5 stars): Works perfectly in the Instant Pot! Made this a few times. Thank you for the recipe!!
Rachel on 2024-02-06 (5 stars): Sooo good. Was thinking of adding chicken to it somehow
A C on 2022-12-09 (5 stars): I made this on the stovetop and it was excellent. I love the addition of lentils to a minestrone
Ashley on 2022-12-09 (5 stars): I love this soup - for all of you Instant Pot fans out there - I pressure cooked it for 12 minutes and it was great. I would say try 10 min if you want the veggies a little more firm.
Sally on 2022-11-29 (5 stars): Going to make soup and thank you for telling us about the lentils xx
Amanda on 2022-10-31 (5 stars): Fabulous soup! And so easy - just shoved it all in slow cooker! Great flavour, healthy and inexpensive, this is going to become a regular :-)