Raise your hand if you want in on one of the easiest (yet most flavorful) Crock-Pot soup recipes around! Slow Cooker Lentil & Smoked Sausage Soup is just about as easy opening a bunch of cans for a “dump” recipe, but without a single can involved.
This simple sausage lentil soup only requires a few minutes of chopping on your part before throwing everything into your Crock-Pot to simmer the day merrily away. Chock full of hearty veggies, smoked sausage, and lentils, this savory soup truly is the perfect comfort food for a cold day.
I actually made this easy slow cooker lentil soup while recovering from the stomach flu, on a day when I really couldn’t face thinking about cooking anything complicated — but also on a day where I was pretty sure a bowl of warm, comforting soup would be welcome by the evening. So if dinner came together this well in my groggy state, trust me: It will work for you, too! 😉
Psst: Looking for a vegetarian lentil recipe for your Crock-Pot? Check out slow cooker vegetarian chickpea lentil stew instead — it’s not as pretty as this soup, but it’s darn tasty nonetheless.
Slow Cooker Lentil & Smoked Sausage Soup
Ingredients
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
3 medium carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
2 ribs celery, diced
1 cup dried green lentils, rinsed and drained
13-14 oz smoked sausage or Polska kielbasa, sliced lengthwise & then cut into half moons (I used turkey Polska kielbasa)
32 oz chicken broth
2 cups water
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp parsley
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 bay leaf
3/4 tsp Kosher salt
Black pepper, to taste
5 oz fresh spinach
Directions
Add all ingredients (except for spinach) to your slow cooker and give everything a good stir. Cook on low for 8-10 hours.
Remove and discard the bay leaf. Stir in the spinach, a handful at a time, until wilted. Serve!
Note: I let my lentil soup slow cook for a good ten hours here, and the lentils were perfect. If they don’t seem quite done when you check your soup, simply let it go a little longer.
Yes, it’s just that easy
This Crock-Pot lentil soup is so perfect when you’re going to be out of the house all day (and the very last thing you feel like doing when you get home after a long day is figuring out what to make for dinner). Simply throw your easy lentil soup into the slow cooker before you leave for the day, and dinner: It is done. Just the little bit of red wine vinegar adds just enough background richness and acidity to bring out the other flavors, while less than a pound of smoked sausage is enough to add a little smokiness to the lentils and heartiness to the soup.
Crock-Pot lentil soup is naturally gluten free, and the leftovers also reheat really well (although the spinach of course gets a little soggier and less pretty as time goes on).
Slow Cooker Lentil & Smoked Sausage Soup, printable recipe
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 1 cup dried green lentils, rinsed and drained
- 13-14 oz smoked sausage or Polska kielbasa, sliced lengthwise & then cut into half moons (I used turkey Polska kielbasa)
- 32 oz chicken broth
- 2 cups water
- 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp parsley
- 1/4 tsp cayenne
- 1 bay leaf
- 3/4 tsp Kosher salt
- Black pepper, to taste
- 5 oz fresh spinach
- Add all ingredients (except for spinach) to your slow cooker and give everything a good stir. Cook on low for 8-10 hours.
- Remove and discard the bay leaf. Stir in the spinach, a handful at a time, until wilted. Serve!
I let my lentil soup slow cook for a good ten hours here, and the lentils were perfect. If they don't seem quite done when you check your soup, simply let it go a little longer.
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jane says
February 26, 2018 at 9:18 amThis looks great. So easy!
Laura says
March 9, 2018 at 6:59 pmHubby accidentally used all the green lentils from this weeks previous recipe so we used up a package of red lentils instead. Smells yummy cooking all day!
Liza says
January 9, 2020 at 8:34 amCan this be done in an Insatpot? If so, how would I do ot?
rachel says
January 9, 2020 at 8:43 amProbably, but I’ve never tried. Maybe about 25 minutes in the IP, NPR, then wilt in the spinach the same way at the end. Make sure you don’t fill the IP too full, too.
Liza Ireland says
January 9, 2020 at 9:55 amThank you soooooo much!! My friend Carrie J. told me about your blog and meal plans. We’re in love!! Thank you for all of the planning and hard work you put into this. It’s a lifeline!
Melissa says
January 13, 2020 at 10:32 amJust converted this for instant pot so I’d have some for lunch today. I did some reading and most people recommended 9-15 mins at high pressure for (green or brown) lentils (with 15 being recommended for people that liked their lentils mushy). So I did 13 mins on high then planned a 15 NPR but I was busy so it was more like a 20 min NPR then I popped the top added the spinach and am chowing down as we speak 🙂 Thank you for your great recipes! Using this one as meal prep for the week for my lunches 🙂
rachel says
January 14, 2020 at 7:50 amYum! Glad it worked well in the IP.
Liza Ireland says
January 14, 2020 at 7:52 amI made this last night for dinner!! In the IP. I have the 6qt Yedi and it was great!
Elizabeth Bond says
January 14, 2020 at 8:35 pmWas reviewing the recipe and forgot the spinach. My husband did a great dent in the pot. Looking at leftovers of maybe a bowl left.