Country Hamburger Lentil Soup - Crock-Pot

Brooke the Cook in WI's Note:

I created this on a busy hockey weekend - I wanted something warm to come home to after spending a long day at the hockey rink. This was just the ticket... and I got to clean out my cupboards too!

• Total Time: 12 hrs 15 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 12 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 1 cup dried lentils (I used a mix of red, brown, green and yellow)
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 8 ounces lean ground beef, browned
• 3 ounces celery, thinly sliced (3 stalks)
• 3 ounces baby carrots, thinly slieced (good-sized handful)
• 1/2 small onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 cups water
• 3 teaspoons beef bouillon
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 -2 bay leaf

Directions:

1. Brown ground beef.
2. Combine all ingredients in 4-5qt crock pot.
3. Cook on low at least 12 hours or high for 6 hours. I do a combination of high/low, when I made this I did low for 5 hours and high for 4 hours.
4. Remove bay leaves before serving.
5. *Note: when I saved the leftovers, I added another cup of water to prevent it from becoming too thick the next day. It made very yummy leftovers!

Reviews

[HealthfulCook]

This was so good and simple recipe and all the ingredients I had in my pantry. The lentils almost melt and map the soup creamy and thick. I made a few adjustments, I used chicken sausage, and low sodium chicken stock instead of water and bullion. This way I could control the salt and choose the flavors. This will definitely be a regular staple now!

[Chef #1358477]

This was fabulous and super easy. I left out the tomatoes and ended up needing a bit more water to make it more soup like and less stew like. I cooked it on high for 4 hours and thought it was about right. Definately a keeper!

[Sunny Yukon]

I had a crazy day coming at me and this recipe was just what I needed. I didn't have dried lentils, so I used 2 cans of kidney beans which made my soup more brothy. I followed the rest of the ingredients and cooked on low for 8 hours. Then I picked up some fresh buns on the way home and dinner was served. It fed our family of 4 with no leftovers. Thank you for an easy and healthy recipe!