Thick and hearty, this Slow Cooker Vegetarian Lentil Tortilla Soup recipe is the perfect weeknight meal! You’ll love the spicy flavor and you won’t even miss the meat!
Love meatleass Mondays? Give our Instant Pot Lentil Soup recipe a try next. Or give our vegetarian chili recipe a try soon.
Meatless Dinner Recipe
Need a meatless meal that’s hearty enough to satisfy everyone in the family? This lentil chili is it!
Since one of my daughters is a vegetarian, I love when I find a dinner that we can all enjoy without having to cook separate dishes. It’s even better when that meal is a super easy slow cooker recipe like this one.
Making Vegetarian Lentil Chili is as simple as tossing everything in the slow cooker and walking away for hours as it cooks. The Mexican inspired spices combine with tender lentils and flavorful peppers to create a mouthwatering dish ready to top with all your favorite chili fixings!
No one asks where the meat is when this chili is on the menu. Whether you’re trying to eat more meatless meals, cooking for a vegetarian or just love flavorful chili, you’ll love this recipe.
Ingredient Notes
- Lentils – You can use dried lentils or cooked lentils for this recipe. Go with what’s easiest for you!
- Salsa – I used salsa verde (you know, the green salsa), but feel free to use your family’s favorite. And you know if your family likes things spicy, so if you want to kick it up a notch, use a hotter salsa!
- Beans – The recipe calls for black beans and pinto beans. Feel free to swap out kidney beans for the pintos or use any combination of beans you prefer (or have stocked in the pantry).
- Heavy cream – I added some heavy cream at the end of the cooking time to thicken things up but it’s totally optional.
- Jalapeno – Seed and dice before using in the recipe. If you prefer less heat, don’t add the full amount of diced pepper to the slow cooker.
Tips and Tricks
This recipe is super flexible and adaptable! Feel free to adjust the spices, the amount of pepper, try different toppings and have fun creating the perfect meatless chili for your family’s palate.
I served the chili in bowls topped with tortilla strips, plain greek yogurt (as an alternative to sour cream) and big handfuls of shredded cheese. Sliced jalapenos, pico de gallo, and avocados are more great choices, or you can enjoy the chili just as it is.
Vegetarian Lentil Chili makes a great freezer meal, too.
I usually store it in a ziploc gallon sized freezer bag (double bagged). Once ready to use, I thaw in refrigerator overnight, or I just dump the frozen contents into a soup pot and cook on low until heated. ENJOY!
Recipe FAQs
I like to use either brown or green lentils here (canned or dried). Red lentils will work but are smaller and cook more quickly so they might turn to mush in the crock pot.
Sure can!
No, but you could cook dried beans first according to package directions and then add them to the recipe in place of the canned beans.
More Vegetarian Recipes
- BBQ Jackfruit Sliders with Slaw from Shugary Sweets
- Vegetarian Spaghetti Squash Skillet from Cookin Canuck
- Zucchini Meatballs from Shugary Sweets
- Black Bean Vegetarian Enchiladas from Reluctant Entertainer
Easy Soup Recipes
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Slow Cooker Vegetarian Lentil Tortilla Soup
Ingredients
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed 15 oz
- 1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed 15 oz
- 1 can sweet corn, drained 15 oz
- ¾ cup dried lentils
- ¾ cup onion diced
- 1 green pepper seeded and diced
- 1 jalapeno pepper seeded and diced
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 can tomato sauce 15 oz
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- ¾ cup salsa verde
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream optional (add right before serving)
Toppings
- pico de gallo, greek yogurt (or sour cream), tortilla strips, jalapeno, shredded cheddar cheese, avocado (or guacamole) optional
Instructions
- In a large 6 qt. slow cooker (I use my favorite NINJA for this), add black beans, pinto beans, corn, lentils, onion, green pepper, jalapeno, vegetable broth, tomato sauce, tomato paste, salsa, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and salt. Stir to combine.
- Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. If desired, right before serving, add in heavy whipping cream. Stir and serve. Top with your favorite choices of toppings and enjoy!
Notes
- This recipe is super flexible and adaptable! Feel free to adjust the spices, the amount of pepper, try different toppings and have fun creating the perfect meatless chili for your family’s palate.
- I served the chili in bowls topped with tortilla strips, plain greek yogurt (as an alternative to sour cream) and big handfuls of shredded cheese. Sliced jalapenos and avocados are more great choices, or you can enjoy the chili just as it is.
Nutrition
Hearty, satisfying and good for you too, this Vegetarian Slow Cooker Lentil Chili is going to make meatless Mondays your favorite night of the week!
Super yummy! I cooked it in the Instant Pot for 15 minutes and upped the spices a little more to fill our need for heat. I am looking forward to leftovers for lunch tomorrow!!
Looks yummy! Are the dried lentils red or brown lentils?
Thanks!
This is good
Vanessa, you are absolutely right! the recipe is delicious
Thanks for the great recipe!
I recently wrote a health essay about nutrition.
Proper nutrition of a person is a guarantee of health!
Human nutrition is one of the most important factors directly affecting human health.
Improper diet leads to dysfunction of both individual organs of the person and the organism as a whole. Both the deficient in the composition of food and the lack of food and its oversupply have a detrimental effect. That is why nutrition needs to pay attention and make the necessary efforts to ensure that it is full!
so tasty! mmmmm
Super yummy! I cooked it in the Instant Pot for 15 minutes and upped the spices a little more to fill our need for heat. I am looking forward to leftovers for lunch tomorrow!!
I need to get an Instant Pot. I’m so behind the 8 ball on this!
Healthy dinner. Cool recipe!
Hi, Aimee–
I haven’t cooked dried beans in the slow cooker. Would you know if they have to be soaked first? I know the lentils don’t have to be because they cook quickly from dry.
Thanks,
CarolynM
Honestly, I have no idea, LOL. I don’t use dry beans….sorry!