4.44 76 Published Feb 28, 2019, Updated Jul 24, 2023 This veggie-packed stew is inspired by my butternut squash and turkey chili, which is cooked in the Instant Pot. I LOVE this chili so much, but recently wanted to try a completely vegetarian version with extra red lentils and this was the result. It’s so warm, comforting and amazing filling for a vegetarian meal. I love the combo of red lentils with butternut squash, and the unique combo of spices in this soup make it so delicious. I can’t wait for you to try it!
Can You Put Dried Lentils in a Slow Cooker?
Yes! You can put dried, uncooked lentils in a slow cooker with liquid and they will cook through. For this recipe, you’ll put all of your ingredients for the stew in the slow cooker and it’ll work its magic.
Do You Have to Soak Lentils Before Slow Cooking?
Nope! Lentils are the one of the only dry beans that you don’t need to soak before cooking. You can soak them if you want to speed up the cooking process, but it’s not necessary. On thing to note: You should always rinse your lentils before cooking just to clean them off and remove any stones, debris or shriveled lentils. Once rinsed and sorted, drain and use as directed in the recipe.
Can You Overcook Lentils?
Yes, you can overcook lentils. It’s not as easy to notice with red lentils because they’re softer than green or brown lentils, but when lentils are overcooked they end up getting super soft and mushy. Follow the directions in this recipe to make sure you don’t end up with mushy lentils from overcooking.
How to make Vegetarian Slow Cooker Stew
The ingredient list for this recipe might look long and intimidating, but almost half of the ingredients are spices you probably already have in your spice cabinet, so don’t stress!
Love Lentils? Try These Other Tasty Lentil Recipes:
Mediterranean Lentil SaladKale Sweet Potato Lentil SaladLentil Tuna SaladRoasted Garlic Lentil SoupVegan Lentil LoafLentil Meatballs
