An easy slow cooker recipe for homemade tomato soup. I feel like this one is healthier, since you add red lentils and chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
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- 1 large onion diced small
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1 cup red lentils
- 2 cans chickpeas rinsed (see notes)
- 5 cup chicken or vegetable stock see notes (if you want a thicker soup, use less)
- 2 cans petite diced tomatoes with juice
- sour cream or greek yogurt for garnish, optional, see notes
Ingredients
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- Heat olive oil in frying pan and saute the diced onion until it is soft and starting to brown lightly, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, smoked paprika, sweet paprika, dried thyme, salt & pepper and saute 2-3 minutes more, or until spices are fragrant.
- Add onion-spice mixture to your slow cooker, then rinse out the frying pan with 1 cup of the stock and add to slow cooker along with red lentils, rinsed chickpeas, and the rest of stock. Cook on high for 2-3 hours, or until lentils are starting to soften and dissolve into the soup.
- When lentils are starting to soften, add the 2 cans of diced tomatoes with juice. Cook for 1-2 hours more on high, or until the lentils and chickpeas are both quite soft. Then remove about 1/2 the soup to a bowl (or large 8-cup measuring cup) Puree the soup you removed using an immersion blender, food processor, or blender.
- Stir the pureed soup back into the soup in the slow cooker; taste and add more salt or fresh ground black pepper if desired. Let soup cook about 15 minutes more, then serve hot, with sour cream or plain yogurt if desired.
Stacy's Notes: I cut this recipe in half for the two of us, and we get about 4 servings out of it. I love this soup, because it's easy to make and has a great flavor.
Smoked paprika is key, be sure to get it and use, if possible. It's good with just regular paprika, but not nearly as good as using both. Toasting the spices is also key, so don't skip this step! I have cooked dried garbanzo beans and used those, instead of the cans of chickpeas (garbanzo beans).
Also, I never remove the soup from my little slow cooker, I just puree right in the pot with my immersion blender. You can puree as much or as little as you like, if you want it chunky or smooth. I've never topped with sour cream or yogurt, but I'm sure it would be great!
I don't usually time this recipe, but I don't think it takes as long as the recipe above states - at least not in my small West Bend cooker. I don't think lentils and canned beans take several hours, but that's just me! I usually just open my slow cooker and taste it, and make sure the lentils are soft, then puree it.
We often have this soup with chicken crescents (recipe also on this site) or a big salad. It's a favorite here, I hope you enjoy!