Ingredients:

  • 1 cup (190g) dried brown or green lentils, rinsed
  • 1/2 cup (95g) dried red lentils, rinsed
  • 1 medium (150g) yellow onion, diced
  • 2 medium (120g) carrots, diced
  • 1 large (150g) red bell pepper, diced
  • 3 cloves (15g) garlic, minced
  • 1 can (14.5 oz / 411g) diced tomatoes, with juice
  • 2 tbsp (32g) tomato paste
  • 4 cups (950ml) low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 1 tbsp (15ml) soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp (15ml) maple syrup
  • 2 tbsp (16g) chili powder
  • 1 tbsp (6g) ground cumin
  • 1 tsp (2g) smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp (3g) salt
  • 1/4 tsp (1g) black pepper

Instructions:

  1. Dice the yellow onion, carrots, and red bell pepper into uniform 1/2-inch pieces. Mince the garlic finely.
  2. Place the rinsed brown/green lentils and red lentils at the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker.
  3. Layer the diced onion, carrots, bell pepper, and minced garlic on top of the lentils.
  4. Stir in the tomato paste, chili powder, ground cumin, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper until evenly distributed.
  5. Pour in the diced tomatoes with juice, vegetable broth, soy sauce, and maple syrup. Stir well, ensuring no tomato paste is stuck to the sides of the pot.
  6. Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 8 hours until lentils are tender.
  7. Taste and adjust seasoning. Add an extra teaspoon of maple syrup if too acidic, or a squeeze of lime juice to brighten the flavor before serving.