Fix-It and Forget-It Christmas Cookbook (12 page)

Zesty Minestrone

Lavina Hochstedler

Grand Blanc, MI

Makes 8 servings

Prep. Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 3-6 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 3- to 4-qt.

¼ cup zesty Italian dressing

1 onion, chopped

1 rib celery, chopped

1 carrot, peeled and chopped

14½-oz. can diced tomatoes, with juice

10-oz. can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

2 14-oz. cans vegetable broth

2 cups water

1 tsp. Italian seasonings

1½ cups small shell macaroni, uncooked

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Heat dressing in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add onions, celery, and carrots.

2. Cook 2 minutes, or until crisp-tender, stirring occasionally. Spoon into slow cooker.

3. Stir in tomatoes, beans, broth, water, and seasonings.

4. Cover. Cook on Low 6 hours or on High 3 hours.

5. Stir in macaroni 30 minutes before end of cooking time.

6. Sprinkle individual servings with cheese.

Variation:

White beans or garbanzo beans work just as well as kidney beans. Substitute if you wish.

Slow-Cooker Bean Soup

Betty B. Dennison

Grove City, PA

Makes 6 servings

Prep. Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 8-9 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 6-qt., or 2 4- to 5-qt.

3 15-oz. cans pinto beans, undrained

3 15-oz. cans great northern beans, undrained

4 cups chicken,
or
vegetable, broth

3 potatoes, peeled and chopped

4 carrots, sliced

2 celery ribs, sliced

1 large onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 sweet red pepper, chopped,
optional

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp. salt,
or
to taste

¼ tsp. pepper,
or
to taste

1 bay leaf,
optional

½ tsp. liquid barbecue smoke,
optional

1. Empty beans into 6-qt. slow cooker, or divide ingredients between 2 4- or 5-qt. cookers.

2. Cover. Cook on Low while preparing vegetables.

3. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.

4. Cover. Cook on Low 8-9 hours, or until vegetables are as tender as you like.

Serving suggestion: Serve with
tossed salad
,
Italian bread
, or
cornbread
.

Note:

This is a stress-free recipe when you’re expecting guests, but you’re not sure of their arrival time. Slow-Cooker Bean Soup can burble on Low heat for longer than its appointed cooking time without being damaged.

Great Northern Bean Soup

Alice Miller

Stuarts Draft, VA

Makes 6-8 servings

Prep. Time: 15-20 minutes

Cooking Time: 3 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 3-qt.

2 1-lb. cans great northern beans, rinsed and drained

1-lb. can stewed,
or
diced, tomatoes, including juice

1-2 Tbsp. brown sugar

½ cup green bell peppers, chopped

½ cup red bell peppers, chopped

1. Put beans, tomatoes, and brown sugar into slow cooker. Stir until well mixed.

2. Cover. Cook on High 2½ hours.

3. Stir chopped red and green peppers into Soup.

4. Cover. Cook on High 30 more minutes.

Southwestern Bean Soup with Cornmeal Dumplings

Melba Eshleman

Manheim, PA

Makes 4 servings

Prep. Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 4½-12½ hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 5-qt.

15½-oz. can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

15½-oz. can black beans, pinto beans,
or
great northern beans, rinsed and drained

3 cups water

14½-oz. can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes

10-oz. pkg. frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed

1 cup sliced carrots

1 cup chopped onions

4-oz. can chopped green chilies, drained

2 Tbsp. instant beef, chicken,
or
vegetable, bouillon granules

1-2 tsp. chili powder

2 cloves garlic, minced

Dumplings:

⅓ cup flour

¼ cup yellow cornmeal

1 tsp. baking powder

dash of salt

dash of pepper

1 egg white, beaten

2 Tbsp. milk

1 Tbsp. oil

1. Combine all Soup ingredients in slow cooker.

2. Cover. Cook on Low 10-12 hours or on High 4-5 hours.

3. Make Dumplings by mixing together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.

4. Combine egg white, milk, and oil in a separate bowl. Add to flour mixture. Stir with fork until just combined.

5. At end of Soup’s cooking time, turn slow cooker to High. Drop Dumpling mixture by rounded teaspoonfuls to make 8 mounds atop the soup.

6. Cover. Cook for 30 minutes. Do not lift lid during that time!

Back-on-Track Soup

Barbara Forrester Landis

Lititz, PA

Makes 8 servings

Prep. Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 3-5 hours

Standing Time: 15 minutes

Ideal slow cooker size: 5-qt.

1 Tbsp. olive oil

2-4 cloves garlic, minced, depending on how much you like garlic

2 bay leaves

2 15-oz. cans pinto,
or
kidney, beans, rinsed and drained

2 lbs. potatoes cut into ½” pieces

8 cups vegetable broth

1 box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

salt and pepper to taste

1. Combine everything except spinach, salt, and pepper in slow cooker.

2. Cover. Cook on High 3 hours or on Low 5 hours.

3. Fifteen minutes before serving, stir in spinach.

4. Cover cooker and allow to stand 15 minutes. Taste, then add salt and pepper to enhance flavoring.

5. If you wish, use a potato masher to partially mash and thicken the Soup.