After last week’s recipe post (I’ve been loving all of your messages with pictures of the bolognese!), I heard your requests for more weeknight recipes, so my developer and I are creating a more interactive recipe page that will be going live in the next few months. You’ll be able to search my recipes in a much easier way, and I’m going to try and post one recipe each week, focusing on easy weeknight dinners which everyone seems to want more of.

Sometimes they’ll be original recipes (like the bolognese), and sometimes they’ll be edited versions of recipes I find elsewhere, like this lentil soup.

Pinch of Yum is my go-to recipe site when I’m feeling uninspired for weeknight dinners. Her recipes are always good and, more importantly, easy to make. A few years ago, I discovered her detox crockpot lentil soup and it’s become a winter staple ever since. I’ve made a few updates to the recipe since then and am sharing my version below.

The main things that I’ve changed are adding fresh dill at the end in addition to the parsley, and I cut down on the butternut squash and carrots because I found that they made the soup too sweet. I also added a shallot for more depth of flavor.

I made this soup again on Sunday and it’s a hit with Anel every time! It’s hearty and filling but packed with all kinds of veggies (like kale and squash) and protein (lentils and split peas) and there’s nothing to feel guilty about when you eat it. I like to make it in the crockpot because I can just throw everything in around lunchtime and it only takes 10 minutes of prep to serve at dinner. An added bonus is that it makes the whole house smell amazing.

It’s  really hard to take photos of this soup because of the color but I promise it tastes way better than you would think from these pictures!

By the way, if you don’t have a crockpot, you could cook this on the stove in a large pot.

Detox Crockpot Lentil Soup
Makes 4 servings

Crockpot Ingredients:
– 1.5 cups butternut squash (peeled and cubed)
– 1 cup carrots (peeled and chopped)
– 1.5 cups potatoes (chopped)- I tried swapping for sweet potatoes once and it was way too sweet.
– 2 cups celery (chopped)
– 1 cup green lentils
– 3/4 cup yellow split peas (or green split peas)
– 1 yellow onion (chopped)
– 1 shallot (chopped)
– 5 cloves garlic (minced)
– 8-10 cups chicken broth (or veggie if you’re vegetarian)- Last time I used chicken bone broth for extra nutrients and it was great.
– 2 teaspoons, herbs de provence
– 1 teaspoon salt (more to taste)

To add at the end:
– 2-3 cups kale or spinach (stems removed, chopped)
– 1 cup fresh parsley (chopped)
– 1/2 cup fresh dill
– 1/2 cup olive oil

Directions:
1. Add all crockpot ingredients to the crockpot and give it a good stir.
2. Cook on high for 5 hours (or low for 8 hours).
3. Take about 1/3 of the soup and blend it with an immersion blender or just pop it into a food processor/blender
4. Pour the blended soup back in with the rest of it.
5. Add fresh herbs and kale/spinach and stir.
6. Let everything sit on “warm” for 10-20 minutes.
7. Serve and top with parmesan cheese (optional)
8. Enjoy!