Gosh, I really love Pinterest. I really want to say I unapologetically love Pinterest but I guess I feel maybe a little ashamed that I’m so into it.
But hey … better to pin Pure Deliciousness rather than eat it, right? At least, calorie-wise??
Awhile back I pinned this gorgeous image of Red Lentil Coconut Soup from a wonderful blog called Scaling Back. I love the soup pot. I love the bowls. I love the lentils scattered about. Wonderful photo, and the soup? Yum.
My photo? A little less awesome in almost every sense. But this wonderful soup, which I adapted for my beloved Crock Pot, Â was making the very quick transition from Crock Pot to table to our bellies, with only a second or two in between to actually snap a picture.
This vegetarian soup is so, so good. With lentils, chickpeas, carrots, and coconut milk, it’s hearty without being heavy. My photo is a bit bland compared to my inspiration, but the soup? Oh, it is not. Warm curry spices, a pinch of cayenne for heat, a bit of cooling cilantro sprinkled on the top …
Okay, that settles it. I’m making this soup again for dinner tonight.
Slow Cooker Red Lentil, Chickpea, & Coconut Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter (can substitute olive oil)
- 1 medium yellow onion (diced (about 1 1/2 cups diced))
- 3/4 cup diced carrots
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger or 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup dried red lentils (rinsed)
- 2 15.5- ounce cans chickpeas (drained)
- 1 14- ounce can light coconut milk
- Fresh cilantro and lime wedges for serving
Instructions
- In a medium saute pan over medium-low heat, melt the butter.
- Increase heat to medium and add the onion and carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion has softened, about 4 minutes.
- Add the garlic, curry powder, cayenne powder, ginger and salt. Stir and cook for another minute.
- Add the tomato paste and pour in about a cup of the vegetable broth. Stir to get all of the bits of good stuff off of the pan, and pour the entire mixture into a 4.5 quart or larger Crock Pot.
- Add the remaining vegetable broth, red lentils, chickpeas, and coconut milk to the Crock Pot and stir.
- Cook on low for about 8 hours.
- Taste and add additional salt if necessary.
- Serve with fresh lime wedges for squeezing on top and sprigs of cilantro.
I’m so glad you’re here! I’m a vegetarian home cook, certified plant-based pro, and mom. I’m married to an enthusiastic carnivore, and my mission is to achieve peace in the kitchen – one tasty recipe at a time. These days, I also try not to ask to speak to the manager.
As if! Your photo is wonderful. I love the colors – and what a pretty bowl! My favorite is how the spoon is placed – it makes me want to dig right in. 🙂
This soup looks delicious – love anything I can make in the slowcooker! Thank you for sharing. 🙂
Aww, thanks Nicole! 🙂
I am always in search of new slow cooker recipes, so I’m happy you adapted this one! And I think your photo is great–I’m always comparing mine to other bloggers’ photos too and then someone told me it’s not about better or worse, it’s just about having different styles. So I try to tell myself that. 😉
Well, your photos are always top-notch! I have such issues with consistency … I’ve improved over the years, but I swear I spend so much time chasing light all over the house, and half the time I just give up and take a photo of what I can, where I can, hoping I can fix things when I process them (not so much, usually). And composition is such a challenge for me too. I know it when I chance upon it but I have a hard time creating something great composition-wise from scratch. I really need to attend a food styling and photography workshop … someday!
This looks yummy! What size crockpot do you recommend?
Ooh, thank you for asking me that! Can’t believe I forgot to include it. I use a 4.5 quart Crock Pot for this recipe and the size is just right, so I’d say that size for larger. Editing the recipe now, thank you again!
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This soup is delicious! Any suggestions for how to modify the recipe for dried chick peas?
I shared a link to this recipe at my cooking blog:
http://veggiesyarnsandtails.wordpress.com/2013/04/13/brrrr-soup-weather-has-returned/
it’s a good recipe, will make it again.
Amy: I did use pre-cooked dried chickpeas and cut back to 2-2 1/2 C. that was plenty IMO.
thanks for sharing this recipe and hope you enjoy my post too.
Happy Cooking! G
PS: Your photo is very nice! :<)
Beautiful recipe. Thank you!
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It’s about time I comment on this recipe. I’ve made it several times now and it is really wonderful. The flavor is so fantastic and the consistency is perfect. Hearty, satisfying, flavorful. I skip the cooking vegetables step and throw everything on the crock pot, world’s great and is super easy. Love!
I wanted to let you know I made this a few nights ago and it is delicious! I don’t always like how slow cooker recipies turn out to have bland flavors but this tastes rich and creamy and so easy! This is now part of my rotation. Thank you!
I’m so glad you liked it! I’ve been thinking about making some freezer Crock Pot recipes for fall and you reminded me to add this one to the list – so thank *you*! 🙂
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Delish! Only change I made was using 1 cup dried chickpeas and cooked 4hrs on high.
This is by far my favourite soup of all time!  I have just switched out my slow cooker for an instant pot, which is great because I can sauté right in there. But do you by chance know what settings would work for this soup on the IP? And for how long?  ThanksÂ
Hi Sunita, I have yet to try this one in the Instant Pot. I’ll put it on my list and come back and update once I know more! So glad you like the recipe. 🙂
I made this the other night and it was delicious! I am allergic to cayenne pepper and curry powder (since it usually has red pepper in it). I substituted with Chinese five spice, but I don’t think that I used enough of it. Do you have any substitution suggestions?
Made this today for my mostly carnivorous crowd. I got one “would be better with meat,” but even he had two bowls. Delicious- we’ll definitely make it again! I used chicken broth because I had just made some the day before and its hard to beat homemade broth. I also used green lentils rather than red (texture issues abound in our house). I soaked dried garbanzos overnight and then added them in, and they cooked up nicely. We served it with some jasmine rice. I’m always looking for good slow cooker recipes, and this is a keeper. Thanks!
I’m so glad carnivores and non-carnivores liked this one! It’s been awhile since I’ve made it – I need to remedy it!
I’m finally taking the time to write a review of this wonderful recipe. I found it about 3 years ago and have probably made it a dozen times since then…because it’s fantastic! I add one package (14 oz.) of extra firm tofu to the crockpot for the last of the 8 hours of cooking time, but that’s just a personal preference for a bit more protein. The flavors really meld together beautifully in this recipe and although it’s somewhat unusual to saute recipes on the stovetop before putting them in the crockpot it totally works here. A belated thank you for sharing this recipe on your blog!
Hi Jason, thank you so much for leaving this wonderful review! I love the idea of adding tofu for some extra protein and am going to need to try that! Thank you again!
This is a family favorite! Everyone always asks for seconds. I love how healthy and hearty it is, and the flavor combination is on point. Don’t leave out the squeeze of lime juice at the end, it’s the icing on the cake!
Hi Samantha, love that this is a winner for your family! Thanks so much for sharing. 🙂
This has been a go-to recipe for years!
I’ve literally made it prob 75 times since I discovered it.
It helped me lose 50lbs on Weight Watchers, as I could eat it almost every day.
I’m a meat eater but still make this 2-3x’s a month (abd at one point made it every 4 days or so).
I use a potato masher for the cece beans (as I don’t like them to be a different texture than the lentils) and only use 1 can including the juice.
I also adapted it to my instant pot and found that 10 min was PERFECT (adding the coconut milk after pressure release), so it’s an ongoing staple in rotation.
Did I miss the calorie count per serving? I’ve been using a generic count based on similar recipes, but if you knew…
Thanks again!!!