My Mom's Vegetable Soup in Crock Pot
My mom used to fix this vegetable soup in a big pot on the stove, but when I started cooking it, I adapted to the crock pot.
My mom used to fix this vegetable soup in a big pot on the stove, but when I started cooking it, I adapted to the crock pot.
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- 1 can corn
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 lb stew meat
- 1 can diced tomatoes undrained
- 3 cans tomato sauce 8 oz. cans
- 4 cups water (add more if needed)
- 4 medium potatoes cut into chunks
- 2 celery ribs (up to 3) sliced
- 2 carrots (up to 3) sliced
- 1 cup cabbage chopped
- .5 cups macaroni
- Carbohydrate 43.23094375 g
- Cholesterol 29.68 mg
- Fat 3.7690125 g
- Fiber 5.11243759945035 g
- Protein 18.76658125 g
- Saturated Fat 1.2665775 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (604g)
- Sodium 97.12775 mg
- Sugar 38.1185061505496 g
- Trans Fat 0.68818125 g
- Calories 275 calories
Step-by-step
- Blanch macaroni in boiling water for 10 minutes, then drain, then refrigerate over night.
- Add first 11 ingredients to crock pot and cook all night on low.
- In the morning, add macaroni and corn and continue cooking on low all day.
Managing Starch and Structure
Swapping regular potatoes for waxy red varieties fundamentally alters the broth density because russets release excessive starch over ten hours of simmering. Cut potatoes into uniform one-inch chunks so they soften without dissolving entirely into the tomato liquid. Root vegetables like carrots and celery demand this extended exposure to break down tough pectin cell walls completely.Protein and Acid Reactions
Simmering raw stew meat directly in an acidic tomato base without browning prevents the Maillard reaction from developing deep savory depth. Furthermore, high acidity from three cans of tomato sauce slows the softening of potatoes by tightening their surface starches if added simultaneously. Keep the heat setting strictly on low to render connective tissue in the beef over eight to ten hours.Pasta Timing Protocols
Adding pasta too early turns the starch into mush, which is why pre-cooking and holding the macaroni until morning preserves distinct shapes. Refrigerator storage overnight allows the blanched macaroni to firm up its exterior starches before encountering the hot soup environment. Introduce the corn and chilled pasta during the final heating phase to prevent overexpansion.
