Name: Slow-Cooker Beef and Garden Vegetable Soup
Total time: PLACEHOLDER
Ingredients: 2 onions , chopped fine; 3 tablespoons tomato paste; 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried; 4 garlic cloves , minced; 1/4 ounce dried porcini mushrooms , rinsed and minced; 1 teaspoon canola oil; 6 cups chicken broth; 4 carrots , peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces; 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes; 2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce; Salt and pepper; 1 1/2 pounds boneless beef chuck-eye roast , trimmed of all visible fat and cut into 1-inch pieces; 8 ounces green beans , trimmed and cut on bias into 1-inch lengths; 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Why This Recipe Works

It's rare that you find a vegetable-packed soup that also features tender, juicy chunks of beef, but this slow-cooker version does just that. Because the meat simmers for hours in the slow cooker, it infuses the fragrant broth with beefy flavor. We started with lean beef chuck roast (which we found to be the best cut for stews and soups) and trimmed it of all visible fat before cutting it into 1-inch pieces. To build flavor without adding fat, we doctored chicken broth with dried porcini mushrooms, tomato paste, and soy sauce for depth and sweetness. While most beef soups go heavy on the meat and light on the vegetables, we increased the amount of vegetables to add substance to the soup. One final touch perfected our beef and vegetable soup recipe: Steaming green beans in the microwave with a little bit of water and adding them at the end of cooking ensured that they were not overcooked and stayed crisp and green.

Before You Begin

After trimming the beef, you should have 1 pound of usable meat.

Instructions

Microwave onions, tomato paste, thyme, garlic, mushrooms, and oil in bowl, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened, about 5 minutes; transfer to slow cooker. Stir in broth, carrots, tomatoes and their juice, soy sauce, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, then stir in beef. Cover and cook until beef is tender, 8 to 10 hours on low or 5 to 7 hours on high.

Microwave green beans with 1 tablespoon water in covered bowl, stirring occasionally, until tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Drain green beans, then stir into soup along with basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.