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Fresh tomato, basil, spices, and red lentils, simmered in a savory broth. Nothing could be more delicious, or easier to make, than this Creamy Lentil and Tomato Slow Cooker Soup. It’s my version of a favorite, 5-star NYT recipe.
No Time to Cook? Creamy Tomato and Lentil Slow Cooker Soup to the Rescue!
Sometimes, even though you have zero time to cook, you still want to.
That’s the boat I was in a couple of weeks ago.
We’d just moved into a new house and everything was understandably chaotic. The fact that I was leaving town for ten days of book tour events a week after the move wasn’t helping.
However, wanting to start life in our new house off on the right foot, I asked the vicar of our church to come and bless the house. His only availability was in the evening, so naturally I invited him to stay for dinner.
We’d only moved in four days before. Half my kitchen was still in boxes. If I had decided to pick up a pizza or takeout Thai, the vicar would have understood. He’s a good guy.
But I didn’t want to.
He was to be the very first guest in our new home. Though I had zero time and couldn’t find my garlic press, favorite skillet, or the good wine glasses, I still wanted to serve him a proper, home-cooked meal.
Fortunately, I had been able to locate my trusty slow cooker. It was one of the first things I’d unpacked.
And though I couldn’t find the box with my cookbooks, I had one of my favorite NYT-inspired slow cooker recipes all but memorized. That’s understandable, because this Creamy Tomato and Lentil Slow Cooker Soup really is memorable.
And when you’re short on time but still want to cook? Well, it’s a lifesaver!
Scroll on down, you’ll see what I mean.
Simple, Fresh Ingredients for the Best Creamy Tomato and Lentil Slow Cooker Soup
My recipe for creamy tomato and lentil soup is slightly different than the original New York Times version it was inspired by.
However, it still features the fresh, flavorful veggies and herbs that make this five-star soup so mouthwateringly good. Including…
- Tomatoes – Fresh tomatoes are the star of the show here! You’ll use more than a pound and a half, which means your soup will be loaded with tons of bright, beautiful tomato flavor. Use any kind of tomato you want – Beefsteak, Romas, cherry, or heirlooms. Just make sure they’re nice and ripe.
- Basil – When it comes to the basil in this soup, more is definitely more! It adds a wonderful scent and citrusy taste to the soup, as well as some beautiful color and smell.
- Garlic – This recipe calls for four large cloves of garlic. That might seem like too much but trust me, it’s not. Stick with the recipe and you’ll see what I mean.
- Red lentils – they have a delicate flavor that’s perfect for this soup and cook very quickly. I don’t recommend substituting other types of lentils for this recipe, as it would drastically alter the cooking time as well as the flavor.
- Tomato paste
- Olive oil
- Dried oregano – You could sub thyme or herbs d’ Provence if desired
- Broth – This is one of the places where my recipe varies from the NYT version. I use broth instead of water, which boosts the flavor. My preference is for homemade vegetable or chicken broth. If you use store-bought broth, try to stick with a no-salt or low-sodium version. Or, if you use regular salted broth, leave out the salt during the first stage of cooking, only adding extra at the end after you’ve tasted it.
- Sugar – Just a little, to help balance the acidity of the tomatoes and lemon juice
- Lemon juice – Fresh lemon juice is best, but you can sub bottled in a pinch
- Whole milk – The original NYT version calls for cream, but I prefer to use whole milk. It adds plenty of richness with a little less fat.
- Salt and pepper
Simple Steps for Making a Delicious Creamy Tomato and Lentil Slow Cooker Soup
Thanks to the slow cooker, this soup isn’t just incredibly tasty (people always go back for seconds), it’s incredibly easy to make!
It’s not quite some of those “dump it in and walk away” slow cooker recipes, but it’s pretty close.
In the first stage of cooking, you’ll add broth, lentils, garlic, about half the tomatoes, tomato paste, olive oil, sugar, seasonings, and one or two basil stems.
Just chop the tomatoes roughly before adding them to the cooker, or halve them if you’re using cherry tomatoes. Toss everything in – seeds, juices, and all.
And yes, I did say to add the whole basil stems with the leaves attached, during this stage. They’ll help infuse the soup with a wonderful basil flavor.
Once the soup has cooked, you’ll fish out the basil stems. Then you’ll use a whisk or immersion blender to help break up the tomatoes and lentils. It doesn’t need to be perfectly smooth, just more like a soup than a stew.
The last step will be to add the rest of the tomatoes, plus the basil, lemon juice, and milk. Give it a good stir and then let the soup cook for another five to ten minutes, to give the milk a chance to warm up.
That’s all there is to it!
After that, you simply serve it up and wait for compliments and requests for seconds.
Creamy tomato and lentil slow cooker soup is the delicious dinnertime solution for busy days – or even not-so-busy days. Give it a try soon, and check out some of my other slow cooker recipes!
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Creamy Tomato and Lentil Slow Cooker Soup: Inspired by the NYT Recipe
- Yield: 6-8 servings
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds of your favorite tomato (or two dry pints of cherry tomatoes), roughly chopped, and divided
- 1.5 cups red lentils, rinsed
- 5 cups no-salt vegetable or chicken broth
- 4 large garlic cloves, peeled, smashed, and minced
- 1-2 large stems of basil with leaves, plus 1 cup rough chopped fresh basil
- ¼ cup canned tomato paste
- 2 T olive oil
- 2 tsp Kosher salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 2 T lemon juice, preferably fresh
- ¾ cup whole milk
Instructions
- Add half the tomatoes, the lentils, broth, minced garlic, basil stems, tomato paste, olive oil, salt, pepper, sugar, and oregano to a 6 to 8 quart slow cooker. Stir ingredients, then cook on high setting for 4 hours.
- Remove the basil stem from the slow cooker. Use a whisk or immersion blender to help break up the tomatoes and lentils. The texture doesn’t have to be perfectly smooth, but should be more like a soup than a stew.
- Add the remaining tomatoes, the cup of chopped basil, lemon juice, and cream to the cooker. Stir to combine and cook for another five to ten minutes, until the milk has heated through. This is a thick soup, but if it seems too thick for your liking, add a little more broth, milk, or water.
- Add half the tomatoes, the lentils, broth, minced garlic, basil stems, tomato paste, olive oil, salt, pepper, sugar, and oregano to a 6 to 8 quart slow cooker. Stir ingredients, then cook on high setting for 4 hours.
- Remove the basil stem from the slow cooker. Use a whisk or immersion blender to help break up the tomatoes and lentils. The texture doesn’t have to be perfectly smooth, but should be more like a soup than a stew.
- Add the remaining tomatoes, the cup of chopped basil, lemon juice, and cream to the cooker. Stir to combine and cook for another five to ten minutes, until the milk has heated through. This is a thick soup, but if it seems too thick for your liking, add a little more broth, milk, or water.
