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Fast Slow Cooker Lentils

Inexpensive, hearty, flavorful, and fast cooking meal or side that is packed with nutrients and can easily be made vegan. The end product yields multiple ways to use fast slow cooker lentils.
Course Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword inexpensivemeals, onepotmeals, slowcookerrecipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Cost $6

Equipment

  • 5 or 6 quart slow cooker
  • Knife for slicing vegetables
  • Small cutting board
  • Can opener

Ingredients

  • 2 cups dried lentils rinsed well and stones, if any, removed
  • 3 cups reduced sodium beef broth or beef bone broth sub vegetable broth if you want
  • 1 small white onion chopped
  • 2 carrots peeled and thinly sliced can substitute frozen, sliced, thawed carrots if necessary
  • 3 cloves garlic finely minced
  • 1 14.5 oz can reduced sodium petite diced tomatoes WITH liquid
  • 1 tbsp coarse sea salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp course black pepper
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne or more, if desired
  • 2 dried bay leaves
  • 2 slices smoked bacon, chopped optional

Instructions

  • Add all ingredients - up to dried basil - into a slow cooker.
  • Add the four dried herbs, rubbing them through your fingers as you do to release the oils and flavors.
  • Add cayenne, bay leaves, and bacon (id desired).
  • Gently stir all ingredients.
  • Place the lid on the slow cooker.
  • Cook on high for 3.5 hours. Do not remove the lid until done.
  • That's it! Enjoy!

Notes

For vegetarian version use vegetable stock and omit bacon. 
This recipe is very flavorful without bacon; however, if you want to kick it up a notch add two slices, chopped. Reduce salt by half.