A few days ago, my husband and I took our dog for a walk in the woods near our house.  It was a cloudy day, but the clouds allowed the vivid colors of the trees to shine.  It was an enchanting walk through a grassy field and then into the deep, bright woods. deep woods Nick at the field I am posting this recipe for nick in the woodsvegetable and beef soup because I think it is a perfect soup to have waiting when one returns from a walk in the chilly fall air.  It would also taste good on a Halloween evening.  The beauty of this soup is that you can put it together in a slow cooker in the morning, and it will be ready and waiting when you come in from whatever activities you have going on.  Whatever glamour slow cookers lack, they make up for it in allowing us to go out and do luxurious things like tromping through the gorgeous woods when we would normally be scrambling to get a dinner together.  I love my slow cooker.  As I have mentioned before, if I am cooking with beef, I much prefer to use organic, grass-fed beef because it tastes better and is better for the planet.  It is more expensive to do this, but as we don’t eat meat every day, it doesn’t break our budget.  And the colorful vegetables make this soup a delight to eat after a long day.soup veggies 2 soup on table 2

Hearty Vegetable and Beef Soup

  • Servings: 6-8
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Ingredients:

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 medium carrots, chopped
  • 2 stalks of celery, diced
  • 4 small red potatoes, diced
  • 1 large clove of garlic, minced
  • 14 ounces tomatoes, with their juices
  • 3 cups water
  • 3 teaspoons Better than Bouillon reduced sodium beef base, or the equivalent
  • 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons of salt

Directions:

Wash and chop the vegetables, and mince the garlic.  Brown the beef and onion in a skillet.  Place the vegetables in a slow cooker.  With a slotted spoon, spoon the beef and onion mixture into the slow cooker.  Add the water, Better than Bouillon, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, and salt.  Stir gently to combine, and cook in a slow cooker on low heat for about 8 hours.  If you are in a pinch, cook on high heat for about 4 hours. Adjust salt to taste.  Serve with rustic bread and slices of cheese. Enjoy!