It’s that time again … pull out your slow cooker! Wahoo, I love slow cooker meals. It makes dinnertime such a pinch. Seriously, I don’t know what I’d do without mine. If you don’t have one, I strongly suggest getting one. They’re super affordable and worth every penny.
Initially, I wasn’t too sure about this soup, but then it grew on me. To be honest, it tastes even better the next day because the flavors develop a lot more. This soup is great straight up, but if you want to bulk it up even more, you can eat it on top of mashed squash like Jesse and I did. It was actually really tasty because the squash added a nice sweetness to the soup. Plus, we pretty much love squash with everything. We used a red kuri — one of my newfound favorites. I don’t know why I never bought this kind before. The flavor reminds me of a buttercup and it’s so, so good! Again though, this is totally optional. You’ll see it served over squash in the photos (I had to take photos indoors again — not my favorite).
Ingredients:
- 2 lb grass-fed beef stew meat
- 1 fennel bulb, chopped
- 1 – 28oz can diced tomatoes (I used 1-quart of my mom’s canned tomatoes she sent me)
- 2 cups chicken or beef bone broth (or decent store bought broth/stock)
- 1 Tbsp ghee
- 2 cups frozen kale (or fresh)
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp ground fennel
- 1 tsp ground sage
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried marjoram
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 – 1/2 tsp cayenne (stick with 1/4 if you don’t like things really spicy)
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- Flat-leaf parsley for garnishing, optional
Directions:
- Add chopped fennel to the slow cooker and top with remaining ingredients, except for the kale and parsley if using.
- Set slow cooker to low for 7-8 hours or high for 4-6.
- Once done or nearly done, stir in the kale. Stir until kale is thawed if using frozen or softened if using fresh. Serve with parsley garnished on top, if using. Optional to serve on top of mashed squash of choice.
