Ingredients:

  • 1 large Yellow Onion (approx. 250g), finely diced
  • 3 medium Carrots (approx. 200g), diced into ½-inch rounds
  • 2 stalks Celery (approx. 100g), sliced
  • 4 cloves Garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp (15ml) Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 2 cups (400g) Dried Brown or Green Lentils, rinsed thoroughly
  • 6 cups (1.4L) High-quality Vegetable Broth
  • 1 tsp (5g) Smoked Paprika
  • 1 tsp (5g) Ground Cumin
  • 0.5 tsp (2.5g) Dried Thyme
  • 5 oz (142g) Fresh Baby Spinach, roughly chopped
  • 1 large Lemon, juiced (approx. 2 tbsp)
  • 0.5 cup (15g) Fresh Parsley, chopped
  • 0.5 tsp Salt
  • 0.25 tsp Black Pepper

Instructions:

  1. Optional: Sauté the onion, carrots, and celery in olive oil in a large skillet for 5 minutes until onions are translucent to unlock fat-soluble flavors.
  2. Place the rinsed lentils, vegetable aromatics, garlic, smoked paprika, cumin, and dried thyme into a 6-quart slow cooker.
  3. Pour in the vegetable broth and stir to combine. Cover and cook on LOW for 7-8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours until lentils are tender but hold their shape.
  4. During the final 10 minutes of cooking, stir in the roughly chopped fresh baby spinach. The residual heat will wilt the greens while maintaining their color.
  5. Turn off the heat and stir in the fresh lemon juice and chopped parsley. Season with salt and black pepper to taste before serving.