1 lb. lean or extra-lean ground beef 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped 1 large stalk celery, cut into 1/4 inch slices 1 (1.15 oz) envelope dry beef & onion soup mix 1 cup fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced 1 (14-1/2 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained 3 cups water (or 2 cups water & 1 can beef broth) 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed 1 cup (2 oz.) uncooked fine egg noodles 1. In a skillet, saute onion and celery in a small amount (1/2 - 2 T.) of olive oil for 3-5 minutes. Add ground beef to skillet and brown. Separate beef into smaller pieces and cook until done. Drain well. 2. Combine in 3-1/2 - 4 quart slow cooker: Beef, onion and celery mixture plus all remaining ingredients except mixed vegetables and noodles. 1 3. Cover; cook on low setting 6-8 hours. 4. Stir in noodles, thawed vegetables (and mushrooms if not added earlier). Increase crockpot setting to high, and cook covered for 15-20 minutes. Makes about 5 1-1/2 cup servings. The soup did not have a lot of broth. If you prefer more you could increase the water or add a can of tomato sauce, or both. This soup could be made on the stovetop. At step 3, I would cook the soup at a simmer for 30-45 minutes. At that point, bring the soup to a boil, add the frozen vegetables and noodles. Again, mushrooms could be added at step 2 or step 4, depending on the texture you like. Note: 1 If you add sliced mushrooms at this point, they will have a softer texture. If you prefer them "crisper", then add them with the noodles and thawed frozen vegetables.
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