I love soup. I love creamy soups and brothy soups; I love spicy soups and hearty stews. My husband tolerates soup, but gives me the side-eye when I try to pass it off as a meal. His motto is “Soup is a side, not a main dish,” but he’ll tolerate it if the soup is full of good stuff, and this Crock Pot Vegetable Beef Soup fits the bill.
Since everyone in the entire country seems to be sick right now, this “feel better” meal really hit the spot. It was even better on day two, which is a quality I can really appreciate in a crock pot meal, as there are always leftovers. It also freezes well, for those of you who like soup in your freezer for soup emergencies.
What’s a soup emergency, you ask? For me it’s when I’m freezing cold, or when I’m snuggled up with a good book, or when I’m on my own for dinner (which almost never happens). These are times I must have soup, and I’m not talking about the stuff from a can.
I used my 6 Quart Hamilton Beach Set ‘n Forget Programmable Slow Cooker to make this tasty Crock Pot Vegetable Beef Soup.
Crock Pot Vegetable Beef Soup
Ingredients
2 lb roast cut into bite size chunks, or stew meat
1 can corn, undrained
1 can green beans, undrained
1 lb bag frozen peas
3 cans stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 large onion, diced
2 cups carrots, sliced
5 beef bouillon cubes
4 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Mrs. Dash
2 cups water
Directions
- Combine all ingredients in slow cooker.
- Add additional water until it reaches 3 inches from the top.
- Cover and cook on high for one hour, and then on low for at least four hours until meat and vegetables are tender.
Suggestions
The seasonings can be adjusted based on personal preferences, and the vegetables can be changed. We didn’t use green beans, but added a few cubed potatoes. Celery would be good, too. If you like a thick soup, add 3/4 cup pearl barley. This recipe can handle a longer cook time. One of the Crock Pot Thursday families cooked on low for ten hours and it turned out great. Even their 2 year old gave it the seal of approval!
That sounds great for this type of weather. We've been eating a lot of homemade soup lately, and this looks like a great recipe to add.
I have never made homemade soup in my life…but if it can be made in a crock pot it is something I just might consider. It looks delicious. I just might try this! (my family would be so shocked they probably would faint. I don't think they realize that not all soup comes directly out of a can)
I’m thinking of replacing the water with beef broth and omitting the bouillon cubes. Any thoughts on that?
That should be fine. Let me know how it turned out!