French Farmhouse Soup

Ingredients

• 500g chuck beef, diced
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 sticks celery
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 2-3 bay leaves
• 1 tsp. rosemary
• 1 tsp. thyme
• 1 can cannelloni beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 large potatoes cut into chunks
• 3 slices short cut bacon, all fat removed, diced
• ½ leek, washed and sliced
• 1 small onion
• 1 tsp. dijon mustard
• 2 carrots cut into chunks
• 5-6 cups heated chicken stock, salt reduced

Method

1. 1Turn on your slow cooker to high - approx 4 hours.
2. 2On the stove top, heat a fry pan with olive oil and brown the beef, in 2 batches. After each batch place in slow cooker.
3. 3In the same frying pan sauté onion, celery and leek for a couple of minutes and add to slow cooker.
4. 4Cook bacon in pan until browned and add to slow cooker.
5. 5Now add heated stock with thyme, rosemary, cracked pepper, garlic, bay leaves and Dijon mustard. Simmer in slow cooker for 2 hours.
6. 6After 2 hours, add potatoes and carrot chunks. You might need to add more stock or water. All ingredients must be covered.
7. 7Simmer in slow cooker until veg’s are cooked.
8. 8Serve with garnish parsley or crusty bread.