A classic tomato soup with the addition of red lentils makes for a simple, yet flavorful dish!

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 8-10 oz mushrooms thickly sliced (any mushroom, really, but I really like oyster mushrooms or white button mushrooms)
• 1 cup white beans
• 1 cup lentil (red or yellow lentil)
• 1 1/2 carrots, chopped
• 1 1/2 zucchini, chopped
• 12 cups vegetable stock
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• pinch of pepper

Instructions:

• Soak the beans for several hours and set aside.
• In a large pot (you're going to use one pot), sauté onion for about 5 minutes over medium-high heat.
• Add carrots and zucchini; sauté 5 minutes more.
• Add mushrooms, sauté until they steam off most of their water (they'll get kind of brown)
• Add the barley, beans, salt, and stock.
• Let soup come to a rolling boil, and then lower the heat to medium-low.
• Let the soup simmer for 20 minutes and stir ever so often.
• Turn the heat off and add pepper to taste
• Serve and enjoy!

Yummy soup recipe sent to me by the lovely divergentrays! You can use an instant pot or croc pot for this! If you don't have a croc pot, you can use a dutch oven!!!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 pounds Italian sausage, sweet or hot, cut in bite size pieces (I use sweet)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 bell peppers, chopped (be fancy and get different colors!)
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups water
• 28 oz diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley (or 1/4 cup fresh, chopped)
• 1 teaspoon dried basil (or 1/4 cup fresh, chopped)
• 4 oz spinach
• optional 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (the recipe says optional but this cheese really adds something! Don't skip it!)

Instant Pot Instructions:

• Press Saute to preheat cooker.
• When "Hot" appears on display, add oil and sausage.
• Keep lid open and cook until sausage is browned on all sides, about 5 minutes stirring occasionally.
• Remove the sausage and add the garlic, peppers and onions.
• Cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
• Pour in vinegar, broth, water and tomatoes.
• Add sausage back to pot and add seasonings. *If using fresh herbs do not add in yet.
• Close and lock lid.
• Press "Soup" button.
• After 10 minutes hit Cancel.
• Open with Quick Release.
• Add in fresh herbs if using, fresh spinach and grated parmesean.

Croc Pot/Dutch Oven Instructions:

• Heat oil in a large skillet and cook sausage until browned. *if you are using a dutch oven, you can cook the sausage in the pot itself
• Add the remaining ingredients into the pot, except fresh herbs and spinach.
• Cook on low 6 hours. *for dutch oven turn the heat to low and stir ever so often
• In the last 15 minutes, add in fresh herbs and spinach.
• Top with grated cheese to serve.