The Best Slow Cooker Roasted Vegetable Stock Food

ROASTED VEGETABLE SOUP

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.
• Add the zucchini, yellow squash, onion and bell peppers to a large mixing bowl and toss with the olive oil, oregano, thyme, salt, pepper and garlic until coated. Divide the vegetables between 2 baking sheets and arrange them in a single layer. Roast, turning the vegetables halfway through, until they start to deepen in color and are slightly tender, about 10 minutes.
• Add the roasted vegetables to the bowl of a slow cooker along with the stock, stewed tomatoes, cream and bay leaf. Set the slow cooker to low and cook for 3 hours.
• Remove the bay leaf, add the lemon juice and, using an immersion blender, pulse to blend the soup until you achieve a smooth and rustic texture. Stir, taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.
• Serve in a bowl garnished with the chopped parsley. If freezing, cool the mixture completely, then transfer to freezer-safe bags, seal and place in freezer.

ROASTED-VEGETABLE STOCK

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Cut the top off the head of garlic. Arrange the garlic, carrots, celery, onion, pepper, and tomato on a large baking sheet in a single layer. Drizzle the olive oil over the vegetables; season with salt and pepper.
• Roast the vegetables in the preheated oven, turning every 20 minutes, until tender and browned, about 1 hour.
• Combine the water, thyme, parsley, and bay leaves in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Squeeze the head of garlic into the stock pot, and discard the outer husk. Place the carrots, celery, onion, pepper, and tomato in the stock pot. Bring the water to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 1/2 hours; strain and cool.

SLOW-COOKED VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Place the vegetables in a 3-qt. slow cooker. In a small bowl, combine the butter, tapioca, sugar, salt and pepper; pour over vegetables and stir well. , Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or until vegetables are tender. Serve with a slotted spoon.

THE BEST SLOW COOKER ROASTED VEGETABLE STOCK

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F.
• Place vegetables and mushrooms in a large, unlined roasting pan and toss lightly with olive oil, spreading them out evenly in the pan in a single layer. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes. Transfer to slow cooker and turn heat to Low (or 8 to 10 hours). Add tomato paste, herbs, peppercorns, optional cheese rind, salt and water.
• Add wine to the still-very-hot roasting pan and deglaze, scraping up as much of the browned vegetables bits as you can, and simmer until most of the wine has evaporated. Add everything - bits and juices - to the slow cooker and give the stock a quick stir. Cover and cook the stock for 8 to 10 hours on Low.
• Scoop the vegetables into a sieve or fine-mesh colander, and drain the vegetables into a large bowl, pressing firmly on the vegetables to extract every last drop of juice. Remove the spent vegetables to another container (or discard). Then strain the liquids from the slow cooker through a fine sieve into the large bowl, too.
• Use the strained broth immediately, store in the fridge for one week, or freeze for up to 4 months.

SLOW COOKER ROASTED VEGETABLE STOCK

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Combine all ingredients except water in a large bowl; toss until vegetables are coated. Place vegetable mixture in a greased shallow roasting pan.
• Bake, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are lightly browned, about 1 hour. Transfer vegetables to a 6 quart slow cooker. Add 12 cups water; set aside.
• If browned bits are left in roasting pan, set roasting pan over low heat. Add 1/4 cup water to pan. Bring to a boil, scraping to loosen browned bits. Pour into slow cooker.
• Cover and cook on high heat setting for 1 hour. Reduce to low heat setting and continue cooking, covered, for 4 - 6 hours.
• Strain stock through a large strainer into a large bowl; discard solids. Pour stock into shallow containers so it will cool quickly. Stock may be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.

SLOW COOKER MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• In a large 4-quart slow cooker sprayed with cooking spray, mix the macaroni, evaporated milk, milk, butter, salt, pepper, eggs and all but 1/2 cup of the grated cheese. Sprinkle the reserved cheese over the top of the mixture and then sprinkle with paprika. Cover and cook on low heat for 3 hours and 15 minutes. Turn off the slow cooker, stir the mixture and serve hot.

SLOW COOKER VEGETABLE BROTH

Steps:

• Add veggies, water, peppercorns, and bay leaves to your slow cooker.
• Cook on low for 8-10 hours (or on high 4-5 hours), until the broth is golden and the veggies are very tender.
• Remove the lid from the slow cooker and let the broth cool for a bit.
• Use a wooden spoon to gently press on the veggies in the slow cooker to release a little more flavor.
• Grab a large bowl and set a colander over the top. Make sure you're near your kitchen sink! Now carefully pour the mixture into the colander and discard the cooked veggies. Set a fine-mesh sieve over another bowl (or rinse your slow cooker out to use that). Pour the broth over the sieve to strain out the last bit of sediment.
• Add salt if desired.
• Keeps refrigerated in an airtight container for about 5 days, or you can freeze it for later use. Freezer bags are the easiest. To thaw, pull it out of the freezer and place it in the fridge to thaw 12-24 hours ahead of time.