I made mine omitting the split peas and squash and added more lentils. I cut the potatoes, celery, onions, and carrots into chunks like a stew and instead of the spice it listed I opted to use 2 teaspoons of cumin and 2 dashes of Cajun seasoning. I also used 4 cups of reduced sodium chicken stock and 4 cups of reduced sodium vegetable stock. After it cooked 8 hours on low I used a blender to blend 4 cups of the lentils and veggies with extra virgin olive oil and mixed that back into the soup to make the juice a little thicker. We had cornbread with it instead of bread. I will definitely be making it again