Lazy, easy, interchangeable cheap vegan crock pot soup recipe

You could call this "Everything but the Kitchen Sink" soup recipe. Or you might call it: "let's raid my non-gourmet, cheap, mostly vegan pantry because I need soup to pack for lunch" recipe. You would also be justified if you wondered if this even will count as a recipe because I'm not going to give out very specific measurements. Those kinds of recipes from other people make me crazy because I don't have mad domestic skillz and need less ambiguity. However, I've found that this recipe is easy to modify to one's tastes and available ingredients. I'd say go easy on the ingredients with strong tastes; you can add more seasonings or vinegar later. By the way, let's talk about the vinegar: holy heck, is it ever awesome in this soup! Along with a small helping of the red chili flakes, it helps give this soup a taste slightly reminiscent of hot and sour soup from Chinese restaurants, without all the greasiness or overly sour taste.

Lazy, easy, interchangeable cheap vegan crock pot soup recipe

-Cut and peel some vegetables; I used carrots (3) and onions (1/2 of one)
-Add some uncooked lentils (I used about a cup)
-1 packet of Knorr® Vegetable recipe mix* or vegetable bullion or stock (to taste)
-Red pepper flakes or sambol oelek, to taste, starting small (optional, but it helps amp up the flavor)
-Red wine vinegar, to taste (I used 2 Tbs)
-Some form of non-meat based oil; I used 1 Tbs olive oil and 1 Tbs sesame oil

Throw all of this in a large crock pot, and add enough water to cover everything with an inch above the ingredients. Cook until the vegetables and lentils are tender.

I cooked mine on low heat for 8 hours, but that was because I was lazy and let it cook while I was sleeping. You could try cooking it for a shorter period with higher heat. Experiment (and don't get ticked at me if it doesn't work to your liking; I'm not a food blogger by any means ;)



*I absolutely promise that this post is NOT sponsored by the company. I just happened to pick up a ton of these packets on the clearance shelf and had to do something with them.