I really wanted to call this "hamburglar soup". Remember him? Is there anyone younger than forty who remembers the hamburglar? I have no idea how long his legend lived on....ha-ha.
Anyway, soup weather has returned to the Pacific Northwest. It's like mother nature turned on a faucet and the rains have started again. We had one of the driest summer on record...it was quite incredible. I had almost forgotten about the rain here. But it's back. Dense fog, cool temps, rain, rain, rain. It hasn't stopped. And I love it. It's Oregon and it is one of the reasons it's so beautifully green here.
So, in honor of the cold, damp weather, I had to make soup. In my awesome slow-cooker. Something hearty and warm. We have been working for weeks straight bringing in the wine grape harvest, light and delicate soups have no place here (at the moment). Hard-working bodies need protein and carbs and flavor!!
I fist saw a version of this soup here, then here, then here. I had to make my own. It's one of those you can build from what's available in the refrigerator. It's awesome. It's flavorful and you can throw it together and walk away until later.
Zingy Slow Cooker Hamburger Soup
Recipe from: Inspired from many recipes. | Serves: Serves 6-8
Ingredients:
2 pounds ground beef
1-1/2 cups carrots, peeled and sliced into 1" thick coins
1-1/2 cups celery, sliced into 1" pieces
1 small shallot, sliced
1 cup frozen corn
4 cups beef broth
1 can Progresso Recipe Starters Fire Roasted Tomatoes
3 (5 ounce) cans V8 vegetable juice
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon ground oregano
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 pound dry pasta
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Directions:
Brown ground beef over medium-high heat until done. Drain fat. (Do a really good job as this meat is going into the soup.)
Place beef, carrots, celery, shallot, corn, broth, Recipe Starters, V8, garlic and oregano into the slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 hours. During the fifth hour, cook pasta according to package directions. Taste soup and make salt addition. I used 1-1/2 teaspoons, you might add more or less.
Add cooked pasta to the slow-cooker and let it meld with the soup for at least 30 minutes. Stir in vinegar right before serving.
Cathy is currently in the development stages of her vineyard and winery in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. She is a food writer forDavis Life Magazine and blogs daily about wine, food and everyday living. She lives with her husband and two sons. You can visit her at noblepig.com.