Slow Cooker Vegetable Soup Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What vegetables should not be added to a slow cooker? ›

Tender vegetables

Vegetables such as peas, asparagus and peppers can become a flavorless, mushy mess in a slow cooker. Stick to heartier root vegetables like potatoes, onions, leeks and yams, or wait to add the tender vegetables until the last 30 minutes or so of cooking time.

A squeeze of citrus, a dollop of yogurt or a drizzle of cream, a dusting of cheese or a good chile powder, a sprinkling of some herbs or croutons — all can take a perfectly fine soup into the realm of the delectable. Even a spiral of good olive oil to finish and some coarse sea salt can do wonders.

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.

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

If you don't have enough liquid in the pot, the carrots won't cook evenly and may stay tough. Aim for at least a cup or two of liquid, enough to reach about a third of the way up on the ingredients.

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.

You can also add tomato paste or fresh or dried herbs like oregano or thyme. Starchy root vegetables like potato, parsnips, turnips and swede will add body to the soup and turn it into a true meal in a bowl. Using a good-quality stock (or making your own) will enhance the flavour of the soup.

Adding Worcestershire Sauce To Soups

It will work in a broad range of dishes from your favorite French onion soup to velvety tomato bisque. It definitely does a great job of amping up the meaty flavors of a beef stew as well as giving vegetable soups a flavor lift, too.

Due to the slow cooker's lengthy cooking time, most vegetables will become overcooked and mushy if they're added too soon, says Stephen Chavez, chef instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education in Los Angeles.

Do vegetables go mushy in slow cooker? ›

Certain vegetables: Delicate herbs and veggies like fresh tomatoes, zucchini, and peas won't fare well in the slow cooker, as their individual textures may become mushy and flavorless if left for too long. If your recipe calls for these vegetables, try adding them close to the end of cooking time.

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.

Due to the nature of a slow cooker, there is no need to stir the food unless it specifically says to in your recipe. In fact, taking the lid off to stir food causes the slow cooker to lose a significant amount of heat, extending the cooking time required. Therefore, it is best not to remove the lid for stirring.

While slow cooker recipes are designed to cook for extended periods of time, they can still become overcooked if left on the wrong setting for too long. In general, it's best to stick to the indicated cook time on the recipe you're following.

The slow cooker is great for tenderizing tough cuts of meat, preparing a stew, or whipping up a rich, flavorful bowl of chili. It's not great, however, for cooking delicate vegetables such as spinach, asparagus, and peas.

Tender vegetables such as zucchini and beans can be added to your dish in last ¾ - 1 hour of cooking when cooking on High, or 2 hours if cooking on Low. Hard, starchy vegetables like potato and carrots are best added around 3 hours before the meal is done if cooking on High, and 4 hours on Low.

Certain vegetables: Delicate herbs and veggies like fresh tomatoes, zucchini, and peas won't fare well in the slow cooker, as their individual textures may become mushy and flavorless if left for too long. If your recipe calls for these vegetables, try adding them close to the end of cooking time.

Place firm, slow-cooking root vegetables like potatoes and carrots at the bottom of the crock and pile the meat on top. Set the heat level: A general rule of thumb is that cooking on the low setting (170 degrees F for most models) takes about twice as long as cooking on high (280 degrees F on most models).