Crockpot MINIstrone Soup

Ingredients

• 6 to 8 C of Any Vegetables, Rough Chopped. They do not need to be peeled. For example, the onions can have the peel on. I used onions, carrots, celery, kale, tomato, spinach, red peppers, zuchinni.
• 8 C of Water
• 4 Beef Bouillon Cubes
• 2 C of Canned Crushed Tomatoes
• 2 Cloves of Garlic Crushed
• 1 Can of Beans, I used Chick Peas
• 1 C of Carrots, Diced
• 1 C of Potatoes Diced
• 1 C of Frozen Green Beans
• 1 C of Frozen Corn
• Fresh Herb of Your Choice, I used Lemon Thyme
• 1 Bag of Frozen Mini Chateau Potato Dumplings
• Parmesan Cheese for garnish.

Steps

• Set your crockpot to the sauté setting and add some cooking oil. I used Olive Oil.
• Add the 6 to 8 C of random veggies that have been rough chopped.
• Allow them to roast in the crock, tossing them occasionally until you start smelling them.
• Set your crock to low and set to 10 hours.
• Add the 8 C of water and the boullion cubes.
• Let the crockpot go for 10 hours. The longer the better.
• When you have reached the 10 hour mark, place a strainer over a large bowl and strain the broth into the bowl. It should be a deep rich brownish color.
• If you want to make the soup, carry on the next steps. You can also freeze this broth at this point in small batches for future recipes.
• If you are making the soup, add the strained broth back to the crock pot, then add the carrots, potatoes, green beans, beans, canned tomatoes and corn to the crock. You may need to add salt and pepper at this point , taste it and see your preference.
• Allow the soup to cook on low for 8 hours.
• At the 7 hour mark, add the mini dumplings and the fresh herb of your choice.
• Serve in a bowl with parmesan cheese and black pepper.