After spending all of Saturday evening chaperoning a school dance, I was exhausted come Sunday morning. The last thing I wanted to do was shop for and prepare an elaborate meal. After a busy weekend, a healthy, light, simple soup seemed to be the perfect dish to get us through yet another busy week. Enter the Slow Cooker Lemon Sage Bean Soup. This soup could not be easier. It's almost laughable to call it "cooking." Really, it's dumping ingredients into a slow cooker and letting the slow cooker do the rest! This soup is literally as easy as 1, 2, 3. But, it has that warmth in your belly taste like you slaved for hours. No one will know!
The fresh sage gives this soup a delicious herby aroma as it simmers away in the slow cooker. Tangy lemon juice brightens up the flavor, complementing an otherwise very savory soup with a zesty zing. We ate this soup "straight up" without any garnishes or additions, though we did pair it with hunks of freshly baked rye bread. It was delish, and we even have left overs for at least two more dinners this week. This soup is a powerhouse of nutrition, a cinch to make, and it's easy on the wallet. It is now officially part of my Sunday meal prep rotation. The inspiration for this recipe came from https://veggiechick.com.
Here's the recipe.
Slow Cooker Lemon Sage Bean Soup
Ingredients
The fresh sage gives this soup a delicious herby aroma as it simmers away in the slow cooker. Tangy lemon juice brightens up the flavor, complementing an otherwise very savory soup with a zesty zing. We ate this soup "straight up" without any garnishes or additions, though we did pair it with hunks of freshly baked rye bread. It was delish, and we even have left overs for at least two more dinners this week. This soup is a powerhouse of nutrition, a cinch to make, and it's easy on the wallet. It is now officially part of my Sunday meal prep rotation. The inspiration for this recipe came from https://veggiechick.com.
Here's the recipe.
Slow Cooker Lemon Sage Bean Soup
Ingredients
1 medium white onion, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 medium celery stalks, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
2 medium zucchini, diced
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups packed, chopped kale (stems discarded)
1 pound dry navy beans*
6 cups low sodium vegetable broth
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground thyme
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1/4 cup fresh sage, chopped
3 bay leaves
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Directions
- Prep and chop all ingredients.
- Place all ingredients, except the lemon juice and withhold about 1 cup of vegetable broth, in the slow cooker. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 6-7 hours.
- At the end of the cooking time, check the beans to see if they're done. I added an additional cup of vegetable stock and 4 tablespoons of lemon juice at that time. Stir the soup and ladle into bowls. Enjoy with crusty, rustic bread.
*Many recipes call for an overnight soak for navy beans. I just rinsed them thoroughly and sorted through the beans before cooking them. No pre-soaking necessary!
