Crockpot Moroccan Lentil Stew

This stew is both unusual and delicious! VERY hearty, and sure warms you up on a nice chilly day. Originally from a A Year of Slow Cooking.

 

Crockpot Moroccan Lentil Stew

–1 cup dried lentils
–1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
–1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
–1 onion, chopped
–2 garlic cloves, minced
–1/2 cup chopped celery
–1/2 cup chopped carrots
–28 oz can of diced tomatoes (and juice)
–4 cups vegetable broth
–1 1/2 tsp garam masala
–1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
–1/2 tsp cumin
–1/4 tsp nutmeg
–1/4 tsp cinnamon
–1 inch ginger, peeled and grated


Use at least a 5 quart crockpot for this. It makes a lot.

Chop up all of your vegetables and add them to the crockpot. Drain and rinse off the beans, add to the pot. Add the dried lentils. Grate your ginger, and add it along with the dried spices. 

Stir in the vegetable broth and tomatoes.

Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours. Soup tastes best the longer you cook it, and it is even better the next day. I thought it needed a bit of salt added, but that could just be because I used no-salt tomatoes, and low sodium broth. - If it's a bit spicy for your taste, add a dollop of sour cream or plain yogurt to each individual bowl.

Before serving, use an immersible blender and pulse to blend some of the vegetables and beans together. This isn’t necessary, but it really improves the texture of the soup and melds the flavors nicely.