Description
This Healthy Blue Zone Crockpot recipe is a slow-cooked, plant-based stew packed with green lentils, sweet potatoes, and Mediterranean herbs. It’s inspired by Blue Zone longevity diets, offering anti-inflammatory benefits, high fiber, and immune-boosting nutrients—perfect for clean eating, gluten-free lifestyles, or anyone wanting a comforting, nutritious one-pot meal.
Ingredients
1 cup green lentils
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)
Instructions
1. Peel and dice the sweet potatoes, then chop the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic. Rinse the lentils well in a colander to remove debris.
2. In your crockpot, add the rinsed lentils, sweet potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, and garlic. Pour in the vegetable broth.
3. Drizzle olive oil over the top. Add thyme, cumin, black pepper, and the bay leaf. Stir gently to combine.
4. Cover and cook on low for 6–8 hours or high for 3–4 hours until the lentils and vegetables are tender and the stew has thickened.
5. Remove bay leaf. Adjust seasoning to taste and garnish with fresh parsley before serving.
Notes
For deeper flavor, sauté the onion and garlic in olive oil before adding them to the crockpot.
Add leafy greens like kale or spinach in the last 30 minutes for a nutritional boost.
If reheating from frozen, thaw overnight and add a splash of broth while reheating.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 6–8 hours
- Category: Crockpot / Soup / Plant-Based
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: Mediterranean-Inspired
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1.5 cups
- Calories: 240
- Sugar: 6g
- Sodium: 520mg
- Fat: 5g
- Saturated Fat: 0.8g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 38g
- Fiber: 12g
- Protein: 11g
- Cholesterol: 0mg