Vegetable Soup, with or without the Beef!

It was a dark and stormy day, and a busy one! So the crock pot and comfort food were the answer to come home to at the end of that kind of day!

As my new year’s focus is to have less meat on my plate and more vegetables, this soup fit into that idea perfectly. I added a pound of organic grass fed hamburger, then filled the crock pot to the brim with vegetables, but if the beef isn’t for you, the vegetables and herbs in this soup will complete your day just as well.

Consider this ingredient list more of a suggestion list 😬, there are so many good ingredients that could be used. These amounts are all just an estimate, the only thing that was accurately measured is the herbs. So whatever vegetables you have on hand, and whatever amounts, those are the perfect ingredients for your soup, just fill up that crock pot 😆.

The ingredient list ended up pretty long compared to most of my recipes! But don’t worry, it really didn’t seem like that much work. I was able to find all organic ingredients, which is good as it is early in the year and not everything is in season, but the bags of organic frozen vegetables worked out great!

INGREDIENTS -

1 pound organic hamburger
1 onion, diced
2 cups celery, chopped
2 cups carrot, chopped
1 sweet potato, cut into chunks
2 cups baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1 can diced tomatoes
1 small bag frozen corn, about 2 cups
1 small bag frozen green beans, about 2 cups
Handful of baby kale
3 cups beef or vegetable stock
2 tsp avocado oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp oregano
2 tsp parsley, chopped
2 bay leaves

Add two teaspoons of avocado oil to a large fry pan and heat to medium. Add the diced onion and fry for about 5 minutes, until the onion is translucent. Add the beef and crumble with a spoon or spatula, stirring and cooking until the beef is browned. Add the beef and onion mixture to the crock pot and then add the raw vegetables, stock, and seasonings. Halfway through the day I added the frozen vegetables and the handful of kale, stirring to combine. If the schedule of adding ingredients midday isn’t convenient for you, it’s not that important, just throw it all in at the beginning of the day. 😄

The added herbs really popped the flavor in this soup and it was thick like a stew, which is the way I prefer. You could add more stock if you prefer a thinner soup.

Now, after your long day, sit back and relax, your dinner is served . . . Enjoy!