This is my speciality, it's probably my signature dish. Mom taught me how to make it, but she was making it up as she went along and it turned out pretty good. I've tweaked it a little bit. It can be made without the beef, if you prefer vegetable soup, but you'll have to use a soup stock as a base. I use a bullion cube in mine which adds flavor but because I use the beef in it, I don't feel like it needs any more stock. And, before I forget - as various members of my family will attest to: IT WORKS JUST AS WELL WITH VENISION (DEER) AS IT DOES WITH BEEF! But I suggest that you tell people that before you serve it to them. Unlike me. Well, Robyn, I thought you knew it was deer meat before you ate it! Sorry!
Measurements are approximate, I have a big crock pot so I use closer to 2 lbs. meat.
Crock Pot Soup
1 to 1 ½ lb. Boneless Stew/soup Meat
1 Can each: Whole-Kernel Corn, Green Beans, Peas, Lima Beans (or whatever you like) DRAIN VEGETABLES – DISCARD JUICE.**(See third edit)
2 to 3 Carrots, peeled and sliced or chopped (or can use 1 can)
2 to 3 Stalks Celery, sliced or chopped
½ Chopped Onion
1 to 1 ½ lb. Boneless Stew/soup Meat
1 Can each: Whole-Kernel Corn, Green Beans, Peas, Lima Beans (or whatever you like) DRAIN VEGETABLES – DISCARD JUICE.**(See third edit)
2 to 3 Carrots, peeled and sliced or chopped (or can use 1 can)
2 to 3 Stalks Celery, sliced or chopped
½ Chopped Onion
1/2 Chopped bell pepper
1 Can Diced or Crushed Tomatoes (or can use whole tomatoes, but if I do I put them in the blender) (Not Rotel tomatoes although they might make it taste pretty good)
1 Beef Bullion Cube (don’t forget!)
2 to 3 Potatoes, peeled and chopped or sliced (or can use 1 can)
Salt, Pepper, Garlic, Parsley, Oregano, Basil and/or any other spices, amount varies to taste.
Water to fill level on crock pot. The water amount needs to be at least the same as the beef ideally. But add water to where it's at the rim of the crockpot.
Cook on high for 1 hour, stir well. Then on low “overnight” or for several hours until the meat is done.
1 Beef Bullion Cube (don’t forget!)
2 to 3 Potatoes, peeled and chopped or sliced (or can use 1 can)
Salt, Pepper, Garlic, Parsley, Oregano, Basil and/or any other spices, amount varies to taste.
Water to fill level on crock pot. The water amount needs to be at least the same as the beef ideally. But add water to where it's at the rim of the crockpot.
Cook on high for 1 hour, stir well. Then on low “overnight” or for several hours until the meat is done.
This is a really good cold-weather meal. It also freezes wonderfully.
**Here's my second edit! I have a new crockpot, it's the biggest one I could find and holds 7 quarts. It's BIG. For a larger crock, I would suggest using 2 bullion cubes or a larger amount if you use loose bullion, possibly as much as a tablespoon but this is one thing that you will have to adjust as you go along. You can't add and taste, so you have to finish the recipe & the cooking process and then adjust the next time. Also, since there is more room I will add a lot more potatos and carrots, as well as more celery and probably onion too.
**Here's the 3rd edit: I made it with frozen vegetables. I used 3 packages of mixed veggies, probably about 16 oz. each. It did work, it actually tasted better but the veggies should probably have been let to sit and warm up a little bit before I tossed them in the crockpot. The outer "heating unit" got a lot warmer than the crock and I turned it down after about 45 minutes. Then it cooked on low with a few stirrings all day, as usual. I probably will reduce the amount of water the next time, it cooked over a little bit. Also, I'll probably use single vegetable packages, one each of green beans, peas, corn and possibly lima beans. The mixed veggies worked but there were too many carrots and since Otter's allergic to them, she always takes them out - the frozen package carrots were tiny. So I'll keep using fresh carrots, the rest of the vegetables that were fresh to start with will stay that way. (SEE THE 5TH EDIT!)
**Here's the 4th Edit: I added 1 can of Rotel tomatos to it. This is in addition to the canned tomatos already in the recipe. It turned out really good, slightly spicy but not overpowering. But you will definitely notice the spicy flavor of the Rotel. I used Hot Rotel, but there are milder versions. You could probably use any brand of spicy tomatos, but a True TEXAN only uses Rotel.
**5th edit: Don't use frozen vegetables unless they are well-thawed and are not cold at all. Otherwise, you might just wind up with a cracked crock because of the cold/heat difference. I did and my crockpot had to be replaced. It will still work well with frozen vegetables, just make sure that they are not frozen anymore and not cold at all.
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