Beef Vegetable Soup with Italian Seasoning and Vegetables – Gluten-Free and Slow-Cooked
This raw, chilly spring day made me think that the time had finally arrived for some warm, comforting soup! I love to curl up on the sofa with a good book or a crossword puzzle and a steaming cup of my home-made soup.
Beef Vegetable Soup with Italian Seasoning and Vegetables – Gluten-Free and Slow-Cooked
Since I didn’t have a lot of time today to spend cleaning and chopping veggies to put in my gluten-free meal, I opted for a package of frozen Italian mixed vegetables. But, I could have used any sort of frozen vegetable mix – a classic soup mix, a broccoli-and-carrot mix, or simply mixed vegetables or maybe a Fiesta vegetable mix. Anything like that would have worked!
We often have a gluten-free meal of home-made vegetable soup in our home… especially on cold, inclement days like today turned out. Most of the time it’s the traditional vegetable soup. But… sometimes a little change is good and that’s how this vegetable soup came to have Italian veggies in it instead of the more standard carrots, celery, green peas and potatoes.
A common mix I’ve found for Italian vegetables is broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, Italian green beans, red peppers, zucchini and limas. To go with that, I used Italian seasoning.
If I’d used a Fiesta mix, I’d have added a little chili powder instead. Other than that, the main difference between this and a traditional vegetable soup is that I try to be more careful stirring so that I don’t turn the softer vegetables, like zucchini and peppers, completely into mush.
With some hot bread or crisp crackers, this makes a satisfying, filling meal. Just right for a cold, wet dreary day!
Beef Vegetable Soup with Italian Seasoning and Vegetables – Gluten-Free
Ingredients:
2 Pounds Beef Stew Meat, or Bottom Round, cut in small cubes (1/2” or smaller)
2 Tablespoons Sweet Rice Flour
1 Quart Beef Stock, GF (or use all water)
1 Quart Water
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce, Lea & Perrins
1 Tablespoon Cooking Wine, optional (I used Burgundy this time)
1 Teaspoon Italian Seasoning, or to taste
1/4 Teaspoon Garlic, minced
1 Teaspoon Parsley, chopped
1/4 Teaspoon Pepper
20 Ounces Italian Vegetable Mix, frozen, or your favorite combination
1/2 Cup Corn, cut
Directions:
Place meat and other ingredients in crockpot in order listed. Cover.
Set to 4-6 hours on high, or 8-10 hours on low, according to crockpot instructions. When meat is just tender, add salt to taste if needed and cook another 20 minutes or so before serving.
If desired, thicken the liquid 20 minutes before serving by stirring in a little more sweet rice flour mixed with a little cold water first. Adjust seasoning and serve.
Makes 8 servings, or about 2 quarts.
This slow-cooker recipe is gluten-free (no wheat, barley, rye or uncertified oats). It’s also dairy-free, egg-free, lactose-free and nut-free.
This recipe will be linked here:
- Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free’s Slightly Indulgent Tuesday
- The Gluten-Free Homemaker’s Gluten-Free Wednesdays
- Frugal Follies’ Frugal Food Thursday
- Miz Helen’s Country Cottage Full Plate Thursday
- The Nourishing Gourmet’s Pennywise Platter Thursday
- The Whole Gang’s Real Food Weekly
- Mangoes and Chutney’s Fat Camp Friday
- Cybelle Pascal’s Allergy Friendly Friday
Hi Pat,
There is nothing better for the body and soul than a great soup on a chilly day. Your Beef Vegetable Soup looks delicious. I really like your selection of Italian seasons. A really great recipe. Thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday and please come back!
Thank you, Miz Helen! It was good to join you this week!
I never use sweet rice flour in my soups. I definitely need to check it out!
You will be pleasantly surprised at how well it works! I like it far better than cornstarch, for example, since it keeps liquids from separating and maintains a good texture even after refrigerating or freezing. (Did you ever find that a cornstarch sauce has turned into a gooey lump after refrigerating or freezing it?)
eHow.com describes it like this:
“Thickening Agent: One of the most common uses for sweet rice flour is as a thickener in sauces. It has the ability to keep liquids from separating, so it is often used in sauces that will be frozen or refrigerated. Unlike cornstarch, using sweet rice flour as a thickener will not turn a sauce spongy after freezing. Although white flour can be a substitute for cornstarch when thickening sauces, sauces that contain it will separate if they are frozen and then thawed. ”
Read more: Uses for Sweet Rice Flour | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/facts_5504984_uses-sweet-rice-flour.html#ixzz1Hnf4bFxL
I should mention that the brand I use is Mochiko Blue Star Brand®
Sweet Rice Flour.
Hi Pat:
So happy to have found your site! What a lovely simple recipe. Can’t wait to make it. THanks for linking back to Allergy Friendly Friday. I’m looking forward to seeing more of your yummy food.
all best,
Cybele
Thank you for visiting! Simple recipes are much better for me…easier to cook, and my husband likes basic, traditional dishes.
It was good to have you stop by!
Winter is a great time to use frozen vegetables. They are not as good as fresh, but they are still good and make putting dinner together much quicker. Your soup looks delish.
Thanks, Linda — Where I live we don’t even have grass growing yet, much less any “seasonal” vegetables, so I use frozen sometimes — not the ones with sauces, just the plain ones. They provide variety in a hurry.
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