This is a perfect soup to come home from on a chilly night. I served mine with a pea shoot salad – yum! Turnips seem to get a bad rap, but they’re in season and full of vitamin C. If you’ve had a not-so-good turnip experience in the past, try them again in 2011. Get baby turnips if you can get your hands on some. They are sweeter and have a milder flavor than the larger ones.
Slow Cooker Veggie Soup with Turnips
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 6
soy-free, gluten-free
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 baby turnips (or 1 large)
- 2 stalks celery, chopped small
- 2 carrots, chopped small
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil (or fresh basil you froze from the summer)
- 1 (15 ounce) can of diced tomatoes (or 1½ cups fresh or frozen)
- 4 cups water
- 1 tablespoon not chicken bouillon
- 1 large bay leaf (or 2 small ones)
Instructions
The night before:
- Mince the onion and garlic, then heat the oil in a saute pan.
- Cook the onions until transparent and then add the garlic and cook for 2 or 3 minutes more. Chop the rest of the veggies and peel the turnip if you are using a larger ones. You don't need to peel them if they are baby ones.
- Store everything together in a container in the fridge overnight.
- Chop the greens and store separately in the fridge, because you'll add them 1 hour before eating. If your family isn't used to eating greens start with 1 cup and work up to 2.
In the morning:
- Add all ingredients except basil to the slow cooker.
- Cook on low 6 to 8 hours.
Before serving:
- Add basil.
- Taste and adjust salt, pepper, and herbs before serving. If you're using frozen basil add it about 30 minutes before you're ready to serve your soup so it can 'melt' into your stew.
I also find that if you pare off enough of the outside of the turnip it doesn’t have that bitter taste that puts a lot of folks off turnips.
I have fed turnips to some turnip haters and they have actually enjoyed it. The last crockpot stew I made with turnips my husband actually though it was potato in the stew. 🙂
I agree with the trimming. That’s one of the reasons I like the baby ones, I can use them whole.
Thanks for stopping by!