Slow Cooker Lentils

I love all the Greek flavors in this dish of Slow Cooker Lentils cooked with tomatoes, peppers, and Feta Cheese. And this casserole of lentils cooked in the slow cooker is a perfect plant-based dish. Make this in the Casserole Crock-Pot or any large oval slow cooker.

PIN Slow Cooker Lentils to try the recipe later.

On my slow cooker site I’ve been spotlighting recipes suitable for the new slow cooker that’s shaped like a casserole dish (affiliate link) and it just might be causing me to become obsessed with the Casserole Crock. So when I decided to update this favorite recipe for Slow Cooker Lentils cooked with tomatoes, peppers, and Feta Cheese I couldn’t resist trying it in the Casserole Crock, and it was definitely a winner!

But what if you don’t have the casserole crock and don’t want to buy one just to make lentils? You can definitely make this updated recipe in any large oval 6 Quart slow cooker as well, it just won’t look quite as much like a casserole.

You can also use a big casserole dish to bake this size in the oven if you prefer. If you like lentils and Greek flavors this recipe for slow cooker lentils is definitely tasty plant-based dish.

What ingredients do you need?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

• brown lentils
• onion
• Minced Garlic (affiliate link)
• vegetable broth
• Bay Leaves (affiliate link)
• Greek Oregano (affiliate link)
• Greek Seasoning (affiliate link)
• can of petite-diced or crushed tomatoes
• green bell pepper
• red bell pepper
• crumbled Feta cheese
• sliced green onions for garnish (optional)

What gives the Slow Cooker Lentils Greek flavors?

Using Greek oregano and Greek seasoning and adding tomatoes, bell peppers, and crumbled Feta cheese makes this a slow cooker lentil dish that’s loaded with Greek flavors.

Can you make this slow cooker lentil casserole in the oven?

I adapted this recipe for the slow cooker from this Vegetarian Greek Lentil Casserole. Just use that link if you prefer to make the oven-baked version.

How to make the slow cooker lentils recipe lower in carbs:

This recipe makes a big slow cooker full of lentils, and when I calculated the nutritional information I was surprised it had only 11 net carbs in a side-dish serving. If you want to make it even lower in carbs, just use fewer lentils and more peppers.

Want more ideas for Slow Cooker or Instant Pot Lentils?

Check out the collection of Slow Cooker or Instant Pot Recipes for Lentils on my Slow Cooker or Pressure Cooker site if you’re a fan of lentils.

How to Make Slow Cooker Lentils:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. Combine lentils, chopped onion, minced garlic, vegetable broth, bay leaves, black pepper, Greek oregano, and Greek seasoning in the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 3 to 3 1/2 hours.
2. Drain the tomatoes when the lentils are nearly soft.
3. Chop up a large red bell pepper and a large green bell pepper and add the peppers and drained tomatoes to the slow cooker, stir, and cook 30 minutes more.
4. Then add 1 cup of crumbled Feta cheese, stir gently to combine, and cook 15-20 minutes more.
5. We sprinkled over another 1/2 cup of crumbled Feta and baked it 20 minutes in a 400F oven, but the extra cheese and the final cooking in the oven is definitely optional.
6. Serve hot, with some thinly sliced green onions for garnish if desired

Make it a Plant-Based Meal:

You can enjoy these Slow Cooker Lentils for a meatless dinner with Greek flavors, and I think they would taste great with something like Spicy Grilled Eggplant, Cucumber Salad with Balsamic Dressing, Jicama Carrot Radish Slaw, Perfect Spring Mix Greens Salad, or Avocado Tomato Salad.

More Tasty Vegetarian Dinners:

• Greek Cauliflower Rice Bake
• Curried Rice and Red Lentils
• Picadillo Lentil Stew with Peppers and Green Olives
• Vegetarian Stuffed Zucchini
• Julia Child’s Eggplant Pizza

Weekend Food Prep:

This recipe has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep where you’ll find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!

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Yield: 8 servings

Slow Cooker Lentils

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 3 hours

Total Time 3 hours 30 minutes

This recipe for Slow Cooker Lentils is an easy and delicious vegetarian casserole of lentils cooked with tomatoes, peppers, and Feta.

Ingredients

• 2 cups brown lentils, picked over and rinsed if needed (see notes)
• 1 onion, chopped small
• 1 T minced garlic (or more)
• 3 cups vegetable broth (see notes)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
• 1 tsp. Greek oregano
• 1 tsp. Greek Seasoning, or more
• 1 14.5 oz. can petite-diced tomatoes, drained well
• 1 large green bell pepper, seeds removed and finely chopped
• 1 large red bell pepper, seeds removed and finely chopped
• 1 cup + 1/2 cup crumbled Feta cheese (see notes)
• thinly sliced green onions for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Spray the slow cooker insert with non-stick spray.
2. Combine lentils, chopped onion, minced garlic, vegetable broth, bay leaves, black pepper, Greek oregano, and Greek Seasoning in the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 3 – 3 1/2 hours. (Some slow cooker are much hotter than others and older lentils will take a bit longer to cook, but I’d start checking to see when the lentils are getting done after about 2 hours. I heard from a reader who made this in a round slow cooker who said her lentils were done much sooner than 3 hours, so I would especially check sooner if you’re using a different type of slow cooker.)
3. When the lentils are nearly soft, drain the tomatoes well in a colander placed in the sink.
4. Cut seeds out of the bell peppers and finely chop.
5. When the lentils are soft enough that you think they are almost done, stir in the drained tomatoes and finely chopped bell peppers and cook 30 minutes more.
6. Then add the 1 cup of crumbled Feta, stir gently, and cook 15-20 minutes more.
7. If you want to add more crumbled Feta and brown it in the oven, preheat the oven to 400F/200C.
8. Remove the crock from the slow cooker, sprinkle the top with the extra 1/2 cup of crumbled Feta, and bake 20 minutes. (This step is recommended, but it’s completely optional if you don’t have a casserole crock or don’t want that much Feta.)
9. Serve hot, garnished with thinly sliced green onions if desired.

Notes

I made this in the Crock-Pot Casserole Crock Slow Cooker (affiliate link) but you can use any large oval slow cooker as well.

Lentils that come in a package often don’t need to be rinsed, but if they seem even slightly dusty or gritty, rinse the lentils in a strainer.

Canned vegetable broth is fine here. Use 2 cans and just freeze the extra for another recipe. Use more or less Feta Cheese to taste.

Recipe adapted from oven-baked Vegetarian Greek Lentil Casserole recipe; click here for Original Oven-Baked Vegetarian Greek Lentil Casserole.

Nutrition Information

Yield

8

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 114Total Fat 3gSaturated Fat 2gUnsaturated Fat 1gCholesterol 9mgSodium 578mgCarbohydrates 16gFiber 5gSugar 4gProtein 7g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Did you make this recipe?

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating (under the PRINT button in the recipe) or share a photo of your results on Instagram! THANKS!

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Lentils are somewhat high in carbs for low-carb diet plans, but this recipe is relatively low in net carbs so I am tagging it Low-Carb; check nutritional information for more information. You can make this even lower in carbs by using more peppers and fewer lentils. Dried beans and lentils are a great low-glycemic food for any phase of the original South Beach Diet, but they’re a limited food for Phase One. However, in a dish like Slow Cooker Lentils with lots of other vegetables and some cheese you can have a normal-sized serving. 

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Slow Cooker Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe for Slow Cooker Lentils was first posted in 2013. It was last updated with more information in 2024.

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