Slow-Cooker Vegetable Soup — The Eight-Hour Sunday

Cody is on day six hundred and thirteen. Fifty-seven days remaining. I made slow cooker vegetable soup Sunday because the recipe is the kind of slow-simmered soup that the Instant Pot, despite its speed, cannot quite produce. The slow cooker on low for eight hours develops the kind of broth depth that pressure-cooking does not.

The recipe is from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe. Diced carrots, celery, onion, potatoes, two cans of diced tomatoes, a can of cannellini beans, eight cups of vegetable broth, herbs (thyme, rosemary, bay), salt, pepper. Into the slow cooker. Low for eight hours.

The math: vegetables $3.40, two cans of tomatoes $1.58, a can of beans $0.79, vegetable broth from bouillon, herbs free from the rack. Total: about $5.77 for a big pot that fed Mama and me for four meals across the week.

The technique is the long cook. The vegetables soften and release their flavors over the eight hours. The broth deepens. The dish is the kind of soup that you start in the morning before church and that fills the house with smell by the time you come home for lunch.

The recipe is below. The trick is the long cook — do not rush.

Slow-Cooker Vegetable Soup

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 7 hours | Total Time: 7 hours 20 minutes | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds
• 3 stalks celery, sliced
• 2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• 1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 can (15 oz) green beans, drained, or 1 1/2 cups fresh green beans trimmed and cut
• 1 can (15 oz) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 2 cups chopped fresh spinach or kale (added at the end)

Instructions

1. Prep the vegetables. Dice the onion, mince the garlic, and chop the carrots, celery, potatoes, and zucchini. If using fresh green beans, trim and cut them into bite-sized pieces.
2. Build the base. Add the olive oil, onion, garlic, carrots, celery, and potatoes to the slow cooker. Stir to coat everything lightly.
3. Add remaining ingredients. Pour in the diced tomatoes (with juices), green beans, kidney beans, and vegetable broth. Add the thyme, Italian seasoning, smoked paprika, and bay leaf. Stir to combine.
4. Cook low and slow. Cover and cook on LOW for 7—8 hours or on HIGH for 4—5 hours, until the potatoes and carrots are completely tender.
5. Add the zucchini and greens. In the last 30 minutes of cooking, stir in the zucchini and spinach or kale. Replace the lid and continue cooking until just wilted and tender.
6. Finish and season. Remove the bay leaf. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Ladle into bowls and serve with crusty bread or rolls.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 175 | Protein: 6g | Fat: 4g | Carbs: 30g | Fiber: 7g | Sodium: 420mg