Easy Veggie Beef Slow Cooker Soup - Recipes That Crock! (2024)

FAQs

What is the best beef for soup? ›

The best cut of meat for beef soup is either a chuck roast, chuck shoulder, chuck-eye roast or top chuck – with chuck roast being my personal favorite. These are the most tender cuts.

The best vegetables for a slow cooker are sturdier veggies like celery, carrots, tomatoes, onions, peppers and green beans, like we used in this recipe. Also, cauliflower, corn, beets, potatoes (both Russet and sweet), mushrooms and squash are all great contenders, too.

That's because the low, slow style of cooking lets the flavors simmer together for hours, creating a much richer and more flavorful meal.

Some suggestions that I use: 1) add a rind of Parmesan cheese while the soup is bubbling for some additional saltiness. The rind will disintegrate while it simmers, 2) add some diced apple for natural sweetness and texture, 3) add some diced parsnips.

Stews are generally thicker than soups, being made up primarily of larger, solid chunks of ingredients. In other words, stews are thicker and chunkier—and always have solid ingredients. Generally speaking, if there is so much liquid that the ingredients are fully submerged, it's a soup.

What do I do if my vegetable beef soup tastes bland? The best way to ensure a flavorful soup is to brown the beef and onions in the beginning. If the soup tastes bland at the end of cooking, add more spices and herbs. After adding, allow the soup to cook a little longer so the flavors to meld together.

Vegetables such as peas, asparagus and peppers can become a flavorless, mushy mess in a slow cooker.

Reduce liquid when using a slow cooker

It should just cover the meat and vegetables. Don't overfill your slow cooker, or it may start leaking out the top, and the food won't cook so well.

Adding umami-rich ingredients like tomato paste or a parmesan rind to the soup will add a deep, rich savoriness and body to the soup.

That varies by what's inside the slow cooker and also by the appliance's setting and model, the experts say. Most recipes for all-day cooking call for 6 to 8 hours on low. Quality- (and safety-) wise, another 1 to 2 hours in 'keep warm' mode won't mess things up.

Can you overcook vegetable soup in a slow cooker? ›

Crock Pot Vegetable Soup FAQs

Yes, you can overcook it if you leave the soup longer than needed or set a high temperature. You must always check the settings during cooking. Be sure not to keep the heat on too high.

any veggie can be used in soup, but unless you're making a very delicate, exceptional soup, I'd steer clear of lettuce. some veggies have a strong flavor, so you may enjoy using them, but in moderation. For me, parsnips and rutabaga fit this category.

Dried herbs and seasonings: homemade seasoned salt, black pepper, Italian seasoning, and dried bay leaves lend flavor to the soup.

Go for the chuck

The most common beef used for stew is chuck steak, also known as gravy beef or braising steak. Beef chuck comes from the forequarter of the animal consisting of parts of the neck, shoulder blade and upper arm. It is easy to find and it's affordable, making it a great choice for your stew.

Next time you're shopping for stew beef, look at your options and see what cuts of meat will work best for your recipe. For example, chuck is a lean and tender cut of beef that works well in stew. However, if you would prefer a thicker and more flavorful stew, short ribs or oxtail may be better choices for you.

When you make a beef broth, it is best to use cuts suitable for stews. For a light beef broth, you can use leaner cuts, such as the shank, the shoulder, or the anterior muscle. Instead, for a more flavorful beef broth, add the belly, broth bones or brisket.