This post was made for #NationalSlowCookerMonth and is sponsored by Camellia and Banza. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Get excited for lentil soup with veggies, rich seasonings, and spicy sausage for a nice big food hug for your belly.

Time to stretch my legs and get back into posting some new recipes in 2020! What better way than by celebrating #NationalSlowCookerMonth with a bunch of fellow food bloggers? And of course a giveaway to get our readers into the spirit as well, in case the frigid temperatures weren’t enough to convince you to keep your slow cooker in regular use.

I am slowly getting more into lentils so I was determined to come up with a tasty soup utilizing Camellia dried lentils. I think adding onion, carrot, celery, a blob of fresh minced garlic and ginger, homemade vegetable stock, rich seasonings, and spicy Italian sausage was an easy way to ensure it was a success. I then served it over Banza rice made from chickpeas for some extra protein.

I ate this for lunch every day for a week and I did not get tired of it. Especially while watching snow fall outside from the window net to the break room at work. What’s your favorite thing to make in the slow cooker? Check the list below for the rest of the recipes shared today and don’t forget to enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter widget located at the end of this post!

Monday’s Slow Cooker Recipes

• Cheesy Chicken Pasta Bake by That Recipe
• Beef Short Ribs with Vegetables by Family Around the Table
• Easy Slow Cooker Lady Pea Cassoulet by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Homestyle Pork Roast (Slow Cooker) by Palatable Pastime
• Make-Ahead Slow Cooker Tomato Sauce by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Slow Cooker Coconut Curry Lentil Soup by Frugal & Fit
• Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken and Tomato Pasta Sauce by Savory Moments
• Slow Cooker Curried Lentil & Sausage Soup by The Spiffy Cookie
• Slow Cooker Dinner Rolls by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Slow Cooker Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwiches by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Slow Cooker Pepperoni Pizza Pasta Casserole by Cheese Curd In Paradise
• Slow Cooker Pinto Bean and Chorizo Naan Bread Appetizer by The Freshman Cook
• Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Slow Cooker Tuscan White Bean Soup with Sausage by Blogghetti
• Vegan Slow Cooker Chickpea Noodle Soup by Kate’s Recipe Box

One year ago: Macaroni & Cheese Pierogi

Four years ago: Bacon Fig & Asiago Grilled Cheese Sandwich Minis

Eight years ago: Saltine Cracker Toffee

Nine years ago: Papaya Blueberry Almond Granola Bars

SLOW COOKER CURRIED LENTIL AND SAUSAGE SOUP

Serves 8

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 lb. spicy Italian (pork, turkey or veggie) sausage, casings removed

1 cup dried Camellia lentils, picked over and rinsed

1 large onion, chopped

2 large carrots, chopped

2 celery ribs, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 Tbsp minced fresh ginger

1 Tbsp curry powder

1 tsp salt

6 cups reduced sodium vegetable stock

1 tsp fresh lemon juice, or to taste

Salt and pepper, to taste

Cooked Banza rice, for serving

Chopped parsley, for garnish

Directions:

1. In a large skillet over medium-high, heat olive oil.
2. Add sausage, crumble, and cook until brown on the outside. Remove and place into the bowl of a slow cooker.
3. Add lentils, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, ginger, curry powder, salt, and stock to the slow cooker and stir.
4. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours or on high for 2 hours.
5. Season to taste with lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Serve over rice garnished with fresh parsley.

Source: Adapted from Epicurious and Growing Up Gabel.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Contest runs 1/20/2020 at 12:00 a.m. till 1/27/2020 at 11:59 p.m. 

The prize packages will be sent directly from the giveaway sponsors. Bloggers are not responsible for prize fulfillment. Winners have 24 hours to respond once notified by email, or they forfeit the prize and an alternate winner will be chosen. The #NationalSlowCookerMonth bloggers are not responsible for the fulfillment or delivery of the prize packages. Bloggers hosting this giveaway and their immediate family members living in the household cannot enter or win the giveaway. Entries will be verified. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter giveaway and contest is open only to US residents. 

This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter or any other social channel mentioned in the #NationalSlowCookerMonth posts or entry. Thank you to our sponsors Banza, Camellia, and Rhodes for providing prizes

I’m no vegetarian but I can appreciate a delicious meal, carnivorous or not, and this lentil taco skillet has stolen my heart. Or maybe it’s my stomach?

Jump to recipe

I’ve only cooked with lentils a couple of times but this one is my favorite thus far. The texture the chopped up walnuts gave to the lentil mixture was a welcomed surprise. And after making this a handful of times already, I’ve decided that I prefer the canned lentils for this dish rather than cooked from dried.

On the other hand Bob said he couldn’t tell the difference. Maybe it was just an underlying bias due to the fact that I didn’t have to add an extra step to cook the lentils haha.

Post updated 1/28/20, photo above is the original.

Don’t be intimidated by the ingredient list because it’s mostly seasonings. As for my favorite way to use this lentil “taco meat”, it is over a bowl of roasted sweet potato tossed in the same seasoning used on the lentils and then topped with fresh avocado. It’s just so dang good! I sometimes use tortilla chips to scoop it up too. Or if you want to go the extra mile, use an authentic corn tortilla recipe to make tacos.

Evidently so good that when I first posted this recipe I failed to stop to take more than one photo on any of the occasions in which I’ve made it. Whoops. Thankfully I’ve made it again since then and have added new photos!

Two years ago: Coconut-Pumpkin Pie

Three years ago: Peanut Butter & Chocolate Kitchen Sink Cookie Bars

Four years ago: Spatchcocked Turkey with Champagne-Thyme Gravy

Five years ago: Overnight, Slow Cooker Ice Cream Oatmeal

Six years ago: Cashew Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Seven years ago: Chicken Alfredo Biscuit Casserole

LENTIL TACO SKILLET

Print

Yield: 5 Servings Cooking Time: 20 Minutes 20 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 red bell peppers, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups (or a 15-ounce can) cooked lentils, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
• 3 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• 1-1/2 tsp smoked paprika (feel free to use hot smoked paprika if you like extra spicy)
• 1-1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1-1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp cayenne powder (optional)
• 1 (14 oz.) can corn kernels, drained
• 1 (14 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• Tortillas, sour cream, avocado, cilantro, and lime for serving

Directions

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, warm the oil. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes. Next add all the peppers and continue to cook for 5 more minutes, or until soft. Add the garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
2. To the skillet, add the lentils, walnuts, tomato paste, and seasonings. Stir to combine and continue to cook for about 10 more minutes. Add corn and black beans and cook just until warmed through.
3. Remove from heat and serve in tortillas with desired toppings or other preferred method!

Did you make this recipe? I want to see!

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Roasted veggies are the best – so I mixed up a whole bunch of them, added crispy chickpeas, and drizzled the whole roasted veggie bowl with a lemon tahini dressing.

There’s a restaurant in Columbus called Brassica which serves up Mediterranean inspired pita sandwiches, salads, and bowls in an assembly line style made popular by Chipotle. It seems that there are tons of these types of restaurants these days but Brassica is one of my favorites, and after a recent visit I decided to try my hand at making a similar roasted veggie bowl at home. Because that’s how I roll.

I present to you, a bowl full of roasted vegetables topped with crispy chickpeas and a lemon-tahini dressing. It never ceases to impress me how something so simple can be so incredibly delicious and make me forget I’m not eating meat. There’s cauliflower, broccoli, eggplant, sweet potato, carrot, and red onion all mixed up in there. You could also add quinoa for a Quinoa Chickpea Salad if you prefer a little more vegetarian protein.

Then they are served over a bed of kale and lentils or rice (or both if you’re me) and drizzled with lemon-tahini dressing. If you want to go the extra mile you can also make your own tahini.

The crispy chickpeas on top add great texture and flavor to the dish. This was actually my first time roasting them on the stove top and I think I actually prefer it to the oven, especially when I need the oven space to cook other things like the veggies in this particular situation. You could definitely make a huge batch of these crispy chickpeas in advance and store them until needed.

The best thing about these roasted veggie bowls is that you can easily customize them with whatever veggies you prefer. You could also add a dollop of hummus and serve it with warm pita. I actually added a little bit of Cleveland Kraut Beet Red kraut on top of mine because why not? And it’s so pretty!

Two years ago: Lemon-Lime Pistachio Bars

Three years ago: Octoweenie-Mac and Cheese Bagel Bites

Three years ago: Homemade Garbage Plates

Four years ago: Baked Oatmeal with Blackberries and Bananas

Five years ago: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes

ROASTED VEGGIE BOWL WITH LEMON TAHINI DRESSING

Serves 6

Ingredients:

VEGGIES

1/2 head cauliflower, florets chopped

1/2 head broccoli, florets chopped

1 eggplant, peeled and chopped

1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped

2 large carrots, peeled and chopped

1/2 red onion, chopped

2 Tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper, to taste

DRESSING

1/3 cup tahini

1/3 cup water

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

CHICKPEAS

1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas, drained

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp garlic powder

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Salt and pepper, to taste

ASSEMBLY

Fresh chopped parsley

Chopped kale

Lentils or rice

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
2. Place veggies on two large baking sheets lined with foil. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss until coated.
3. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes, stir, return them to the oven (alternating racks), and roast for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until tender and browned on the edges.
4. While the veggies are roasting, make the lemon tahini dressing. Add all ingredients to a blender, blend until smooth, and then refrigerate until ready to serve.
5. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add chickpeas and season with smoked paprika, cayenne, and salt and pepper. Stir and cook for about five minutes, or until slightly crispy. Remove from the heat.
6. To assemble, place roasted veggies over a bed of kale and lentils (or rice), top with spiced chickpeas, and parsley. Drizzle the dressing over top, and toss to combine.

Source: Adapted from Chicho’s Kitchen.