Slow cooker winter vegetable soup

This hearty slow-cooker winter vegetable soup will help you stay warm this cold season. This healthy crock pot recipe is packed with vegetables and even better, you’re able to throw everything into your slow cooker in the morning, and come back to a fully prepared dinner! You can also batch-cook this recipe and freeze it for mid-week lunches. What’s not to love? 

Slow cookers are known to use less energy than the oven, which is great when you’re making a big meal like this one! 

*If no slow cooker to hand, you could cook this up at the weekend using a ceramic cooking pot with a lid in the oven or on the hob. 

Prep time: 6 hours low/high 3 hours

Portion size: 4-6 servings

Soup: 

*You can add any veg you have available. 

1 onion, finely chopped 

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped 

3 carrots, finely chopped 

1 pepper, finely chopped 

3 bay leaves 

1 heaped tsp oregano 

Salt and pepper 

500 g passata in a glass jar

1.5 litres vegetable stock 

1 tbsp of olive oil 

To serve (optional) 

Sourdough or brown bread 

Olive oil 

Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese 

Parsley  

Steps: 

1. Chop all your vegetables into small cubes. 
2. Place all the vegetables, herbs, passata and diluted stock into your slow cooker. 
3. Set the slow cooker to LOW for 6 hours or HIGH for 3 hours. Stir halfway through. 
4. Check the vegetables are soft then adjust seasoning if needed and cook for another 5-10 mins to warm through.  

To serve: 

1. Use a ladle to scoop into bowls with a big serving of vegetables.  
2. Slice your desired bread. 
3. Drizzle a little olive oil on top. 
4. Add parsley and grated cheese as the final step. 

Why this is good for you:

Tomatoes, carrots and peppers are good sources of carotenoids. Carotenoids are substances found in fruit and vegs responsible for their bright red, yellow, orange and purple colours. Carotenoids act as a type of antioxidant for humans and have also been linked with a reduced breast cancer risk, especially when you eat lots of them.

All vegetables used for this recipe help you reach your daily fibre goal of 30g a day. There is increasing evidence that a diet high in fibre reduces breast cancer risk.  

If you are trying to lose weight, this soup is a great low-calorie choice. Maintaining the correct weight for your height is a key part of ensuring you reduce your risk of breast cancer. 

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