Week 53, Recipe 5: Slow Cooker Beef Vegetable Soup

Taste of Home photo

NOTES

• Yay for slow cooker recipes! You can cook the beef and onions and chop up the veggies the night before. Then just throw it all in the slow cooker in the morning.
• Original recipe from Taste of Home
• Double the recipe if you like! If you do, I don't think it's necessary to double to beef. Just double the broth, veggies and seasonings.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 4 cups beef broth + 1 c. water
• 3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• 2 cans (14-1/2 ounces) Italian diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup sliced carrots
• 21tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes or 1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley (add fresh parsley at end of cooking)
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 bay leaf

DIRECTIONS

1. In a nonstick skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in salt and pepper.

2. Transfer to a 5-qt. slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 9-11 hours or until vegetables are tender. Discard bay leaf before serving.