Beef & Lentil Soup In The Slow Cooker

Howdy, Slow Cookerers!!

I hope all is well in your neck of the woods.

Let's talk the magical, wonderful, miraculous, and teeny-tiny lentil today.

Here is one of my absolute favorite one-pot meals:

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The Ingredients.

serves 4-6 depending on the size of the people

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1 cup lentils

2 cups beef or low sodium chicken broth

1 (12-ounce) package smoked chicken or turkey sausage, sliced--your choice of flavor. I used a spicy mango chicken from Aidell's.

*Sugar's note, I like to use the chicken and apple smoked kalbasa)

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1 cup chopped carrots

1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes

9 ounces (or so) fresh spinach (to add at the very end)

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The Directions.

Use a 6-quart slow cooker.

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Rinse your lentils under cold water, and place them into an empty slow cooker.

Add beef broth, and sliced sausage. Add the entire can of tomatoes and a cup of chopped carrots.

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The broth and the seasoning from the sausage is enough to flavor this dish-- there is no need for additional spices.

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Cover and cook on low for 5 hours, then stir in fresh spinach.

It'll look like a lot at first, but the spinach will wilt and I promise it will all fit.

Cover again and let the spinach soften for about 15 minutes. Serve in a shallow bowl with cornbread.

unless you don't like cornbread. then you really shouldn't eat it.

;-)

The Verdict.

We all ate it! I usually pick a sausage that has a bit of heat instead of the sicky-sweet sausages (think chicken apple) when I make casseroles or stews because the spice dissipates enough to not upset the kid tongues, but there is still a great amount of flavor.

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I am such a fan of lentils--- they're cheap, filling, fat free, and full of fiber.

All Hail the Lentil!

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Steph

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“How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”

- - Winnie the Pooh

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Sugar, ??

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