Veggie & Tofu Soup - Slow Cooker Special

I took my regular chicken soup recipe and had to change it when we went back to vegetarian.  This is a compilation of what we like in our soup, but obviously use what you love.

The first time I made this in the slow cooker, I made a rookie mistake: I added noodles when I started cooking.  DO NOT DO THIS unless you like a lot of mushiness.

VEGGIE & TOFU SOUP IN THE SLOW COOKER
*If feeding a toddler use tiny pasta shapes like the alphabet or stars. Also, chop all veggies in the food processor so they don't choke.

• 1/2 bag frozen lima beans (Dan loves lima beans)
• 3 large stalks of chopped celery
• 1 small chopped onion
• 4 large carrots chopped
• 1 block of extra firm tofu... or I used to clean a rotisserie chicken and chop it up
• 32 oz of broth AT LEAST - veggie or chicken broth
• 1 tsp oregano
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1/2 bag of soup noodles or 1/2 box of small pasta shapes

I feel like all the ingredients and measurements are relative to your tastes so this is really a loose version of a soup recipe.  You may like your soup really runny or really chunky so adjust the amount of broth you use.

Put all ingredients into a slow cooker EXCEPT THE NOODLES/PASTA. Cook 1 hour on high and 5 hours on low. Add noodles or pasta in the last 15 mins of cooking. 

For my veggie friends - the tofu actually stays in firm chunks, so you don't have to worry about separation. 

To freeze:  Once cooled, fill gallon Ziploc bags and lay flat in freezer.

To reheat:  Thaw in fridge for at least 24 hours. Add to crock pot and heat on low for 3 hours or until heated through.

Bean & Spicey Sausage Soup

This recipe is only good if you aren't afraid of spice. The red pepper can be increased or decreased, but trust me, it's not as good unless you add it.

Bean & Sausage Soup
* To make this toddler friendly, add your red pepper to your own individual serving.  Also put all your veggies in the food processor (instead of chopping) so nothing is big enough to choke on.

• 4 oz sausage cooked (I use 3 vegetarian sausage pattys - cooked in microwave and then ground in food processor)
• 1 T butter or olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups onion
• 1 1/4 chopped zucchini
• 1/2 cup chopped carrot
• 1/3 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 tsp salt, divided
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 T tomato paste <- this is what the original recipe called for but I use the whole can
• 1/8 tsp ground red pepper (or use crushed red pepper flakes in your individual bowl)
• 3 cups chicken broth or veggie broth
• 2 cans cannellini beans, rinsed, drained, divided
• 1/3 cup half & half
• 1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary or 1/2 tsp crushed dried rosemary

1. Cook the meat and set aside.
2. Heat pan on medium. Heat oil or butter and add veggies and 1/4 tsp salt.  Cook for 5 minutes or until tender. Stir frequently.
3. Stir in tomato paste and red pepper ; cook for 1 minute stirring constantly.
4. Place 1 cup veggie mixture, 1 can beans, and 1/2 cup broth into a food processor and process until smooth.
5. Return to pan. Add remaining broth and the other can of beans. Bring to a boil and simmer 20 mins. Return meat to pan to heat through in the last 5 mins.
6. Remove from heat, stir in remaining salt, half-and-half, rosemary and season with pepper.

To freeze:  Once cool, fill gallon Ziploc bags and lay flat to freeze.

To reheat:  Place in fridge 24 hours before cooking. Add to pot and bring to boil on medium heat. Reduce and let heat through.