Vegetable soup
A delicious and nutritious heart warm soup for anytime of year. Full of vitimin rich veggies and an option to add your favorite beans. This soup is a great way to fill you up with our important nutrient rich veggies and healthy beans. Made in the slow cooker this meal or side dish can be prepared anytime of year withour heating up the kitchen and is warm and filling during those cold winter nights.
Equipment
- 1 8 qt slow cooker 6-8 qts as quantities for each ingredient can vary to taste
- 1 cutting board
- 1 sharp chef knife
- 1 long wood handled spoon silicone is fine
- 1 ladle
- 1 peeler a paring knife may be used
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound small peeled carrots you may use 2 large peeled carrots, sliced instead
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1/2 pound button or cremini mushrooms sliced
- 3 medium yukon gold potatoes peeled and cut into medium pieces
- 3 cloves garlic smashed with back of knife
- 2 medium parsnips peeled and sliced (optional)
- 1 medium turnip peeled and cubed (optional)
- 1 medium green zucchini sliced and cut into half moons
- 1 medium yellow summer squash sliced and cut into half moons
- 1 15 oz can cut green beans i find blue lake special are the best, drained and rinsed
- 1 8 oz. frozen chopped spinach thawed and drained completed before adding toward the end of cooking
- 4 tbls light olive oil this is the lighter colored oil for cooking, or canola or avocado oil
- 1 tbls dried parsley or 1/4 cup fresh, finely chopped
- 1 tbls dried italian herbs and seasoning brand of your choice
- 1 tsp hot pepper flakes adjust amount according to taste
- 1 teas table salt may be adjusted to your preference
- 1 teas finely ground black pepper adjust as preferred
- 1/2 cup instant pearled barley
- 1 28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes break apart tomatoes with hands
- 8 teas chicken boullion powder
- 1 15 oz can beans of choice drained and rinsed, you may use such beans as black, kidney, pinto, navy or great northern
Instructions
- Make sure all vegetables are washed and dried before beginning, you may leave the peels on if you preferIf your slow cooker has a saute function use that for this part or use a saute or fry pan and then add the ingredients to the slow cookerHeat oil in bottom of pan, add mushrooms, saute until tender, add onion and garlic, saute all until onions become tender, add herbs and seasoning along with salt and peeper and pepper flakes, saute until fragrant
- Add potatoes, carrots, turnip, parsnips, stir to distribute
- Pour in tomatoes and 2 cans of water, stir in chicken boullion
- stir all well and cook in slow cooker on high for about 4 hours, vegetables should begin to get tender, add remaining ingredients and continue to cokk for about 2 more hours until all is tender and heated through
- finally add beans and slow cook for another 15-20 minutes until heated through
- serve with crusty bread or as an appetizer for the main course