Slow Cooker Wild Rice Soup

 Recipe From: Shae

This is a delicious, comforting winter soup! I love the different textures of the rice and the butternut squash. The flavors blend well together in the slow cooker, but I also have made it stovetop and it came out great. 

INGREDIENTS

1 medium onion, chopped

1 cup wild rice or wild rice blend (uncooked), the cook time listed on the package should be about 45 minutes, rinsed and drained

1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into ¾-inch pieces (about 4 cups)

15 ounce can white beans, rinsed and drained

4 ribs celery, chopped

½ teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon dried thyme

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1 bay leaf

6 cups low sodium vegetable broth

6 cups chopped kale, or fresh spinach, optional

INSTRUCTIONS

 Add all ingredients to the slow cooker except for the broth and kale.

Pour the broth into the slow cooker, and gently stir to combine.

Cook on low setting for about 6 hours, or on high setting for about 3 ½ hours, until the rice is cooked and tender. As all slow cookers vary, cooking time may be different in your slow cooker compared to mine. Near the end of the cook time, check to see if the rice is done. Once the rice is tender, the soup has cooked long enough.

Remove the bay leaf.

Stir kale into soup. Serve.

NOTES

To make on the stovetop, start by sautéing the onion and celery in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the remaining soup ingredients, except for the kale. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cover. Simmer the soup, stirring occasionally, for about 45 minutes, or until the rice is tender. Remove the bay leaf, stir in the kale and serve.

Be sure to use a wild rice or wild rice blend with a stovetop cook time of about 45 minutes listed on the package. Add the rice to the slow cooker uncooked. Different slow cookers cook differently, so the cook times in this recipe are estimates. The rice will be soft after cooking in the slow cooker.