Crockpot Italian Vegetable & Lentil Detox Soup
Crockpot Italian Vegetable and Lentil Detox soup is easy and tasty. Loaded with vegetables, lentils, Italian seasoning, and lots of nutrients. Perfect for anyone looking to kick-start a diet, meal-prep or just make an easy, healthy dinner.
I’m back and it’s 2018! New year, new me. Totally kidding. But, it’s never a bad time to eat healthier and workout a little more, and this soup is a great way to kick-start a healthier lifestyle. Even if that’s not your goal, this crockpot soup makes dinner a breeze. Easy to make and clean up.
When I think of healthy eating, I think of whole foods. I’m not about cutting out carbs and only eating salads. I believe in balance. I’m all about from scratch meals, simple protein, whole grains, and lots of colorful fruits and vegetables.
If you’re looking for a soup higher in protein, I recommend adding in 2-3 chicken breasts. Simply add the thawed chicken in the beginning so that it can cook in broth with the vegetables. Before serving, shred the chicken and add it back to the soup.
Let’s take a few minutes from talking about soup so we can talk about my trip to Vegas, Utah, and Arizona. Okay? Great, because it was lots of fun.
John’s sister, Linda, and her husband, Steve, invited us to spend a week with them, their kids, and some of Steve’s family at a place they rented in Utah near the Arizona border. So, last week Wednesday, John and I flew out to Las Vegas because it was the closest airport to Kanab, Utah where we were headed. When we arrived, it was already the evening, so we stayed one night in Vegas. John gambled and I went to bed at 9 pm because I’m an old lady.
The next few nights were spent in Utah at a nice cabin/house with mountains in the background. The evenings were spent outside by the fire, and the days were filled with sightseeing, a little hiking, and just spending quality time with everyone.
We went to Antelope Canyon X, Horseshoe Bend, Coral Pink Sand Dunes, and Zion National Park. They were all amazing for their own reasons. The sand dunes were a blast because everyone went and we rented boards to ride down the dunes. I’ve never experienced anything like it before.
For me, vacations always filled with lots of eating. When you’re in a house full of food, there is always constant snacking by everyone, along with big meals. So, I was ready to come back home to eating a little lighter and a little healthier. In fact, I had some of this Crockpot Italian Vegetable and Lentil Detox Soup in the freezer. So guess what I had for lunch? Yep, you guessed it, this soup. It hit the spot.
The soup actually froze well. The vegetables held together nicely, and it tasted just as fresh. The only downside was that I had to add more vegetable broth because the lentils soaked up a lot of the liquid. But, it was no biggie to add more. Simple enough.
Well, friends, welcome to 2018! I hope your year is filled with lots of delicious food!
More healthy recipes to kick-start your year:
- Honey Lime Cilantro Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner (amazing!)
- Grilled Sweet Chili Salmon Foil Packs (can also be made in the oven)
- Tomato Garlic Stuffed Peppers (one of my favorites)
- Jamaican Jerk Chicken with Grilled Pineapple Salsa
- Tequilaberry Salad
Crockpot Italian Vegetable and Lentil Detox Soup
Ingredients
- 2 heads broccoli cut into florets
- 6 carrots sliced
- 2 celery sticks thinly sliced
- 4 roma tomatoes diced
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 3 garlic cloves pressed
- 1 ½ cups green lentils
- 2 quarts vegetable broth
- 2 cups water
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoons oregano
- 1 ½ teaspoons basil
- 1 ½ teaspoon thyme
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 bunch kale stems removed and roughly torn
- 1/4 head cabbage thinly sliced
- Juice of 1 lemon
Instructions
- Place all but last 3 ingredients in the crockpot; stir to combine. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 5-6 hours.
- During the last hour of cooking, lay the kale and cabbage on top of the soup, and gently press into the broth, just enough to bring some broth to the top. Cover and cook for the last hour or until kale and cabbage are both tender.
- Just before serving, stir in lemon juice.
- Serve as is or with lemon wedges and freshly sliced multi-grain bread.
