Use a Crockpot for an Easy One Pot Soup Dinner

Crockpot cooking is the greatest as it keeps you out of the kitchen and standing over the stove all day. You simply put in all your ingredients, set the timer to 'low' and leave the house for the day. When you get home in the evening, your house will be filled with the delightful aroma of a freshly cooked hot and nutritious dinner.

Ingredients

 * 2 regular size cans of beef broth or chicken broth
 * 1 small can of mushroom pieces or slices
 * 1/2 cup of uncooked green split peas
 * 1/2 - 2 lbs boneless chuck steak, about
 * 1 large onion uncut and unsliced
 * 1 large Idaho potato ,remove the skin, cut into 4 chunks
 * 1 bag of frozen vegetables for soup
 * paprika

Steps

 * 1) Empty the cans of broth and mushrooms (include the liquid) into the Crock Pot
 * 2) Drain the split peas and add.
 * 3) Place the onion on top of the peas
 * 4) Place the boneless chuck steak on top. Do not place it directly on the bottom. A Crockpot cooks from the sides of a pot and not the bottom. Chuck steak is a flat cut, and  usually a tough piece of meat. When cooked for 8 hours however, it literally falls apart and is tasty and soft.
 * 5) Separate the 4 chunks of potato and place on each side of the steak.
 * 6) Add some salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle paprika over the potatoes for color.
 * 7) Set the Crockpot on low for at least 7-8 hours.
 * 8) Add the frozen bag of veggies for the last hour. It does not matter if the veggies cook a bit longer so the timing does not have to be exact.

Tips

 * Rinse the split peas in a strainer before adding it to the pot and pick out dirty pieces.*
 * [[Image:Crockpot_base_524.jpg|180px|right]] If you prefer using fresh vegetables then cut them, and place them just into the pot, adding the chuck steak on top.
 * Use this exact recipe replacing it with chicken instead of meat and chicken broth instead of beef broth if you prefer eating chicken.
 * Serve a side salad with this for a delicious one pot healthy meal.
 * You can safely leave this cooking even if you get home after seven hours. Crockpot cooking does not burn. You can add the frozen veggies as soon as you get home and while you wash up and set the table the frozen veggies should be ready.

Warnings

 * This serves about three only. If you want to serve more, then buy a larger piece of boneless chuck steak, and add another potato.
 * This recipe uses a medium crock pot.
 * Boneless chuck steak gives the best flavor to the soup, so don't let the butcher talk you out of this cut. There is almost no fat in the soup from this cut.

Things You'll Need

 * Crock pot
 * Can opener
 * Potato peeler

Related Tips and Steps

 * How to Make Pot Roast
 * How to Make a Quick and Easy French Onion Soup
 * How to Make Crockpot Chicken Tacos
 * How to Make Homemade Soup
 * How to Make Collard Greens and Ham in a Crockpot