Slow Cooker Lentil and Butternut Squash Soup

Slow Cooker Lentil and Butternut Squash Soup

30 mins of prep time, 6 hours of cooking time

Makes 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

• 5 carrots, roughly chopped

• 1 small butternut squash, chopped into 1-inch cubes

• 1 large yellow onion, chopped

• 3 potatoes, chopped

• 1 cup red lentils

• 2 quarts vegetable broth

• 1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for serving

• large handful of fresh thyme springs

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 1 tsp curry powder

• 1 tsp Italian seasoning

• 1/2 tsp cayenne

• 1/2 tsp red chili pepper flakes

• salt and pepper to taste

• parmesan cheese (or plant-based parmesan if you want to keep this recipe vegan)

• optional garnish: lemon juice, extra olive oil, red pepper flakes, parsley

To make:

1. Chop all your veggies. Add all ingredients except the parmesan and garnish to a slow cooker. (Make sure you’re using the right size slow cooker—I used a 6-quart for this and it was perfect.)

2. Cook the soup on the low heat setting for 6-8 hours.

3. Remove the thyme twigs and bay leaves from your soup.

4. Blend it up: you can either use an immersion blender to blend directly in the crock, or spoon the soup into a blender in batches. The soup doesn’t have to be blended to a perfectly smooth texture—in fact, I actually prefer it a little chunky, but feel free to make it as smooth or thick as you like.

5. Serve with a lot of parmesan cheese. Garnish with a squeeze of lemon juice, drizzle of olive oil, sprinkle of red pepper flakes, or whatever other toppings you want.