Crockpot Lentil, Vegetable, and Black Bean Stew – Vegan

This hearty, plant-based stew is a great way to add more veggies and tons of fiber to your diet!  

Crockpot cooking has always been one of my favorite ways to cook.  Especially in the colder months of the year when it gets dark so early, I easily lose motivation to cook at the end of the day.  Being able to prep my meal, start the crockpot, and be greeted with the delicious aromas of supper as soon as I step in the door is my saving grace.  I’m also really into recipes that keep well leftover, and that have plenty of fiber!  My Crockpot Lentil, Vegetable, and Black Bean Stew checks all of these boxes and is one of my fall and winter favorites!

I’m not going to lie though, chopping all the delicious veggies for this stew does take a while…  To save time, you can chop a lot of them in advance.  I also love the ease with which you can swap out vegetables in this recipe to get a totally unique recipe every time!  This is a great stew to make when you’re trying to figure out how to use up all of those veggies in your fridge.

Making this recipe is super simple.  You just chop up all the vegetables, rinse the lentils, black beans, and corn and add everything to your crockpot!  Always make sure to rinse your lentils before cooking them (no pre-soaking required, though).  There’s a slight chance they may have bits of debris or just shriveled lentils in the package.  This is a result of how they’re harvested and processed.  Rinsing helps remove any dust or debris the lentils may have, and gives you the opportunity to give them a brief look-over before cooking.  I’ve never found anything out of the ordinary in my lentils, but I’m sure that one time I don’t rinse them I will! :P

For this recipe, I strongly encourage using brown or green lentils as they tend to maintain their texture well.  Lentils are an absolutely fantastic source of plant-based protein and fiber!  This is a great recipe for first-time lentil cooks.  The crockpot does all the work, so you don’t have to. ;)

Once all of your ingredients are in your crockpot, cover it and cook for about 8 hours on low.  You’ll know the lentils are done cooking when they split open on the edges slightly.  They’ll also be easy to pierce with a fork and have a tender texture.

Once it’s all done cooking, enjoy it with a slice of crusty bread or some crackers.  This is another great recipe to eat leftover as well, since everything maintains its texture well.  Just be sure to eat all leftovers in 3-4 days.

If you try this recipe, please be sure to rate it in the comment section below.  Let me know what you like about this recipe, and any modifications you make!

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Crockpot Lentil, Vegetable, and Black Bean Stew

This hearty, plant-based stew is a great way to add more veggies and tons of fiber to your diet!

Prep Time45 mins

Cook Time8 hrs

Total Time8 hrs 45 mins

Course: Main Course

Keyword: lentil stew, vegan, vegetable, black bean, and lentil stew

Servings: 6 people

Author: Amanda Hookom @HookomOnHealth

Ingredients

• 1 cup dry lentils (green or brown) rinsed
• 1 (15 oz) can petite diced tomatoes
• 1 (15 oz) can black beans drained and rinsed
• 1 (15 oz) can corn drained and rinsed
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 1 yellow onion diced
• 3 large carrots peeled and chopped
• 3 celery stalks chopped
• 1 bell pepper (yellow, orange, or red) chopped
• 2 russet potatoes chopped
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tbsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground thyme
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Instructions

• Add all ingredients to slow cooker and stir.
• Cook on low for 8 hours (or high for 4 hours).

Video

Notes

• Frozen corn (~1.5 cups) can be used instead of canned corn.
• For a spicier flavor, add more cayenne pepper (up to 1/2 tsp total).
• Have extra veggies in your fridge you need to use up?  Zucchini, green beans, sweet potato, leafy greens, etc. can all be easily added to this recipe or used instead of the vegetables listed.  Be sure not to add zucchini or leafy greens until the very end of cooking (~10 min for zucchini, leafy greens right before serving), or they'll get mushy.
• If using fresh herbs instead of dried, use approximately 3x more than the recipe calls for.