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Budget-Friendly Slow Cooker Beef Vegetable Soup

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This budget-friendly slow cooker beef vegetable soup is the kind of recipe that proves you don’t need fancy ingredients or complicated techniques to make something truly delicious. It’s affordable, easy, and feeds a crowd with minimal effort.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 pounds beef chuck or stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 large yellow onion, diced (about 1.5 cups)
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 cups low-sodium beef broth
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon salt (plus more to taste)
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds (about 1 cup)
  • 2 celery stalks, sliced (about ¾ cup)
  • 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables (corn, peas, green beans, carrots)
  • 1 cup frozen or fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced into ½-inch cubes (Yukon Gold)
  • Fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish, optional)
  • Grated Parmesan cheese (for serving, optional)
  • Crusty bread or dinner rolls (for serving, optional)

Instructions

  1. Pat the beef cubes dry with paper towels. Season generously with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, sear the beef for about 2-3 minutes per side, until a deep brown crust forms. Transfer the browned beef to the slow cooker.
  2. In the same skillet, reduce the heat to medium. Add the diced onion and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook for another 30 seconds until fragrant. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Transfer the onion and garlic to the slow cooker.
  3. Pour about ½ cup of the beef broth into the hot skillet and stir vigorously, scraping up all the flavorful browned bits. Pour this into the slow cooker.
  4. Pour the remaining beef broth, water, diced tomatoes (with their juices), and tomato paste into the slow cooker. Add the bay leaves, dried thyme, dried rosemary, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.
  5. Add the sliced carrots, celery, and diced potatoes to the slow cooker. Stir them in so they are submerged in the liquid. Do not add the frozen vegetables yet.
  6. Cover the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 7-8 hours or on HIGH for 4-5 hours, until the beef is fork-tender and starting to fall apart.
  7. About 30 minutes before serving, stir in the frozen mixed vegetables and the green beans. Cover and cook on HIGH for another 20-30 minutes, until the vegetables are heated through and tender but not mushy.
  8. Remove the bay leaves. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning with more salt and pepper if needed. If the soup is too thick, add a little more broth or water. Ladle into bowls, garnish with fresh parsley and a sprinkle of Parmesan if desired, and serve hot with crusty bread.

Notes

Don’t skip browning the beef—it adds deep flavor. Add frozen vegetables in the last 30 minutes to keep them from getting mushy. For a thicker broth, mash a few potato cubes against the side of the slow cooker before serving. This soup tastes even better the next day.

Nutrition

Keywords: slow cooker, beef vegetable soup, budget-friendly, one-pot meal, comfort food, easy dinner

Find it online: https://tastytuck.com/budget-friendly-slow-cooker-beef-vegetable-soup-easy-and-best-one-pot-meal/