Expert Opinion

Recipe: Slow Cooker Vegetable and Berlotti Bean Soup

19 Jul
Soups are a great way to increase your family’s vegetable intake this winter in one delicious meal. The extra vegetables will assist in warding off those winter sniffles, and they can be inexpensive and simple to create, and making larger portions can leave leftovers for all! 

Added beans or legumes to add extra protein, fibre and essential nutrients and bulk out a vege-friendly meal and make sure you feel full and content. 

Roasting the eggplants lends the flavour to a smoky and meatiness without the meat! Try this delicious slow cooker soup for the whole family. 

Slow Cooker Vegetable and Berlotti Bean Soup 

Serves 4-6 people 

 

2 eggplants, sliced 

2 zucchinis, sliced 

1 onion, sliced

2 celery stalks, chopped

2 carrots, chopped 

4 garlic cloves 

2 bay leaves

5 cups low sodium chicken stock

1 cup berlottiI beans, soaked overnight, strained

1 x 400g can tomatoes 

3 potatoes, chopped 

1 bunch, parsley

1 lemon, zested 

 

Preheat oven to 180C. 

Line eggplant and zucchini on a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. 

Roast for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and set aside. 

Add 1-2 tablespoons olive oil to the slow cooker on the stovetop (if you can with your slow cooker) and heat over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring for five minutes, until translucent. 

Add celery, carrots, garlic, and bay leaves and cook for another two minutes. 

Add remaining ingredients and bring to a gentle simmer. Set for four hours on high or eight hours on low. Add eggplant and zucchini.

Serve with chopped parsley and grated lemon zest.

About the author

A beautiful visual content creator, Amie is also an Author of two children’s recipe books, Baby Pip Eats & Little Pip Eats, and also holds a B.Sc. in Food Science and Nutrition. Amie has over 15 years of experience as a food technologist for some of the world’s largest consumer goods companies and has also worked as a freelance food stylist and recipe writer for magazines, including the Australian Women’s Weekly, Gourmet Traveller and Good Taste
A career highlight for Amie was having the ability to use her varied talents internationally, working as a Food consultant in the USA with food retailers; WholeFoods, Trader Joes and Giant Eagle. On large scale labelling system implementation in accordance with the FDA and USDA regulation nutrition updates for 2020.
More recently, Amie has been involved in managing multiple small and large corporate food projects with more of an ethical purpose, including; Patagonia Provisions range, Cobram Estate, and a small Indigenous food based social enterprise start up.
Amie continues to use her Instagram feed as a means to inspire families to plate up healthy, economical and simple seasonal fare that everyone can enjoy.