vegetable beef soup + cheddar herb biscuits

And so we return to that most glorious of kitchen appliances, the crock pot.

Growing up, whenever I saw that round white pot come out from under the cabinet to take it’s regular spot on the counter, I knew magical things were in store for dinner. I’m probably making crock pots sound more glamorous than they are, but you can’t deny that they make dinner prep ridiculously easy!

Exhibit A – this Vegetable Beef Soup. This was a staple in my house growing up (thanks mom!) and I still love it.

It’s soooo easy to throw together. Brown the beef, chop some veggies, add to the crockpot with spices and voila – a hot pot of soup waiting when you get home from work.

It’s even easy enough to – dare I say it – put it in the crock pot before you leave for work in the morning.

And let’s not forget the bread. It just feels wrong to serve soup without some type of bread.

These drop biscuits are loaded with cheddar + have a sprinkle of herbs for a lil’ extra punch of flavor. They come together in about 10 minutes + bake for only 15. No rising required.

WIN! The perfect companion to your warm bowl of soup.

Another great thing about this? (As if we needed another reason to love a crock pot recipe.) It makes 8-10 servings. Which leaves you with a few options:

-Rock your meal prep game for the week (desk lunches!)

-Freezing half for later (aka when you don’t have time to cook)

-Splitting this between lunches and dinners during the week

Just imagine walking in the door at the end of the day – the smell of this delicious soup wafting out of the crock pot. You want to make this for dinner, I know you do.

You may be thinking, “Why are you telling me to make hot soup when it’s still 70-80 degrees outside?”
Well, once the calendar hits September, the soup bug hits me. Plus, I figure if I make all the fall foods it will give the weather the nudge it needs.

Wishful thinking, but its delicious either way.

Soup:

1 1/2 lbs boneless beef stew meat
6 potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
1 yellow onion, diced
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can (about 40 oz) tomato juice
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 TBS parsley
1/2 tsp oregano
2 bay leaves
Olive oil

Trim fat from the beat and cut into slightly smaller pieces. Add meat to hot skillet with olive oil and cook until just browned. Add to the crock pot with all vegetables and spices. Pour tomato juice in until crockpot is 2/3 full. Then, add water until almost completely full. Stir and cook on low 8-10 hours.

Yield: 8-10 servings

Biscuits:

4 oz shortening or butter
1 1/2 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp Italian seasoning
Pinch of garlic powder
3/4 cup milk
2/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix flour, baking powder, and spices. Add shortening or butter and mix with hands until a crumbly dough forms. Add milk and cheese and stir to mix. Drop mixture by spoonful onto a greased baking sheet. Bake 15-17 minutes, or until slightly browned.

Yield: 16 biscuits