I'm useless with the microwave and the crockpot, nothing turns out for me, but when I travel for work I make sure there's something easy to heat up and that stretches the budget. Our favorite at the moment – hamburger soup…and you may be able to use the crock pot for this one. Oh – my husband has said for years he “hates” cabbage, but he LOVES this soup.
Hamburger Vegetable Soup
1 lb lean ground meat
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup diced potatoes
1 cup sliced carrots
2 cups chopped cabbage
1 cup diced celery
½ cup barley or rice
1 parsnip, diced
1 quart chicken stock
1 quart water
1 bay leaf
¼ tsp each basil & thyme
1 can condensed tomato soup
1 can stewed or diced tomatoes
Salt & pepper
In large pot, brown the meat and sauté onion until soft. Drain excess fat. Add remaining ingredients except tomato soup and tomatoes; simmer until vegetables are tender. Add tomatoes and tomato soup, salt to taste.