This no fat slow cooker vegetable soup is hearty, delicious and so simple to make. The slow cooked root vegetables are meltingly soft, and almost sweet
We really enjoy a bowl of soup; it’s one of our favourite lunches, accompanied by a slice or two of homemade bread. We rely on our freezer a lot, making large batches and freezing it in portion-sized helpings ready for defrosting, so we’re always looking for ideas for tasty, hearty and healthy soups. Here’s another to add to the list: a comforting no fat slow cooker vegetable soup that’s so easy to prepare. A big bowl of vegetable soup is a simple way to get you towards your 5-a-day, and root veggies are so cheap this is a really frugal meal.
The great advantage of using the slow cooker is that it’s a real fire-up-and-forget way of cooking. It doesn’t require close monitoring and nothing will ever burn, so we can start it doing its thing and then use the cooking time to go and do something else. And there are so many recipes that really benefit from long, slow cooking times, particularly dishes that use cheaper cuts of meat.
This recipe, however, is root vegetable based. The long slow gentle cooking magically transforms them to being velvet smooth almost sweet. We used a vegetable stock here, but for a richer stock use chicken. (Making stock is another great use for the slow cooker: simply add your usual stock ingredients to the pot, cover with water and leave for 8-10 hours or overnight on a low setting before straining).
This soup doesn’t take nearly as long – 5 hours on low, or 3 on high on our 160-190 watt model. Once cooked, simply blitz with a stick blender until smooth, and it’s ready to serve straight away. Leftovers can be frozen. A hot weather alternative to this is my leftover salad soup – that is perfect for using up wilting salad vegetables that are are past their best.
- 3 Carrots
- 2 Parsnips
- 2 sticks Celery
- 1/2 Onion
- 1/2 Celeriac
- 1 small turnip (or wedge of swede)
- 1/2 Onion
- 4 cups Stock
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Peel and roughly chop the vegetables
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Add to slow cooker, and cover with stock. Season with salt and pepper.
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Switch onto high until simmering, then either leave to cook for a total of 3 hours, or then switch onto low and cook for 5 hours.
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Once the vegetables are soft blitz with a stick blender, adding a little more stock if needed.
To make a heartier version add a handful of red lentils
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Love a good hearty soup – Great way to use up the veg that lies awaiting in the bottom of the fridge. We tend to just eat double to use up soup as forget that we can freeze it. Never made it in my slow cooker before – will have to explore.
That soup looks great – really thick and nourishing. Yum.
I love my slow cooker and this recipe looks so delicious and simple to make. Bookmarked!
This looks super healthy. I think slow cookers are magic, as you can just chuck everything in and it comes out amazing
I think you need to have a bit of refinement, but they are pretty much fool proof.
Great idea to use the slow cooker for this so you don’t need to add any oil – will definitely be trying that trick myself. Looks perfectly hearty, especially with a nice slice of toasted homemade bread and butter :)
I really like that there is no need for oil. I often feel there is little need for any fats in this kind of soup.
We’re big fans of soup too. I’ve never thought to try making it in a slow cooker. Thank to you I have a slow cooker so I ought to give it a try. Love the colour contrast between the bowl and soup.
Slow cookiers are ideal for soup, so I certainly recommend using.
I’ve never thought to use the slow cooker for making soup – what a brilliant idea! This looks so hearty and yummy! xx
Slow cookers are ideal; I love the method of adding ingredients and letting it do its thing.
I love the look of this soup – one of my favourite lunches!
We are a big fan of soup lunches here.
Love your photos! The colors of this soup are amazing. I rarely buy parsnips & turnip but looking at this delicious soup I think I will reconsider :)
Thank you Julia. The great thing about soup is that vegetables you may not like on their own, become delicious when make in to soup.
This seems absolutely perfect for me! It looks so good and I bet it tastes amazing! Great flavors, the perfect comfort soup!
Something very satifying about a soup like this, and comfort food does come to mind.
I’d never think about doing soup in a slow cooker, such a good idea x
Slow cookers are perfect for soup as you can switch them on and forget them.
This looks so good! I’m obsessed with my slow cooker! And those bowls are beautiful!!!
It is so easy too. I love those bowls, I hardly every use them though as I am scared they might get broken.
Nothing beats an easy to make soup…especially when 12″ of snow is in today’s forecast! Perfect timing to give it a try!
I hope the snow is not too awful. It is a lovely spring day here in London.
This soup looks so delicious! Perfect for lunchtime :)
Ideal for lunch! Put it on first thing and it will be ready!
This does sound lovely and at least now I know what else to do with some celeriac, the colour is really quite something x
It is a great way of using celeriac, having that lovely flavour is wonderful.
Slow cooker recipes are some of my favourite and are always handy to have, especially when they sound as simple and delicious as this one! x
I love using the slow cooker, the great feeling of adding ingredients, walking away and letting the good stuff happen while you do something else.
This sounds lovely, I must try to make it
thankyou for sharing with us
Barely any hands on time, but so delicious.
This looks delicious and vegan, which is perfect for me :)
I’m also into soups and always looking for new recipes, as they’re easy to make and very very healthy.
Thanks for this. Will be trying it out soon!!
It is such a quick and delicious soup. Do enjoy it!
Oooh now that soup looks good! Love that you made it in a slow cooker.
I love making soup in the slow cooker, even the oldest, toughest root vegetables become soft and sweet.
Very nice recipe and amazing photography. Love the idea of adding red lentils to increase the health quotient!