TL/DR – Slow Cooker Kielbasa Farro Soup. An easy soup! Cream of mushroom soup is the base, with carrots, farro, garlic, kielbasa and a good combination of seasonings. Try it on a winter weeknight! –
This recipe began as an exercise in cleaning out the pantry and using up produce that wasn’t looking so hot. Maybe it’s just me, but when carrots are a little… flaccid (oh my!) and potatoes have been hiding in the cabinet silently sprouting, I need a recipe that’s going to hide imperfections. Enter that cream of mushroom soup that has been mocking me every time I open the pantry and the three quarters empty bag of farro that is silently screaming: “I’m going to be rancid soon if you don’t use me!”
What better medium than a slow cooker to bring these things together. Kielbasa adds deeper flavor and a bit of fat in addition to protein. I stand by the slightly healthier uncured version of kielbasa; I think it’s tastier than the kind with all of the nitrites (nitrates?) Also, turkey kielbasa works just as well as beef kielbasa in this recipe.
Start by whisking a can of condensed cream of mushroom soup in the slow cooker insert along with 5 cups of water. I know, it’s super diluted, but hang in there. Add 2/3 cup of farro, 2 carrots diced very small, a handful of red potatoes, cubed, several cloves garlic, minced, and one kielbasa, halved and sliced into 3/4 inch moons.
To season the mixture, use a mushroom umami seasoning such as Simple Truth Organic Mushroom Umami Herb Seasoning Rub along with garlic powder, onion powder, celery salt, kosher salt and ground black pepper. Cook on low for about 5 hours or on high for about 2 hours. Serve immediately with any kind of toasty bread on the side.
For more simple and hearty slow cooker meals, try Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Chicken Tacos, Slow Cooker Italian Sausage Soup, or Vegan Miso Chili.
Slow Cooker Kielbasa Farro Soup
An easy soup! Cream of mushroom soup is the base, with carrots, farro, garlic, kielbasa and a good combination of seasonings. Try it on a winter weeknight!
Ingredients
- 1 10 oz can condensed cream of mushroom soup
- 5 c water
- 1 c carrots diced small, about 2 carrots
- 3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 or 5 red potatoes, cubed
- 1 kielbasa sausage, sliced into 3/4 inch half moons
- 2/3 c farro
- 1 1/2 t mushroom umami seasoning such as Simple Truth Organic Mushroom Umami Herb Seasoning Rub
- 1/2 t celery salt
- 1/2 t garlic powder
- 1/2 t onion powder
- 1/2 t kosher salt
- 1/4 t freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- Step 1 In a slow cooker insert, whisk the cream of mushroom soup with the water until it is well combined.
- Step 2 Add the carrots, garlic, potatoes, kielbasa, farro, and all of the seasonings. Stir to combine.
- Step 3 Cook on low for 5 hours or on high for 2 to 2 and a half hours. Serve immediately with any kind of toasted bread.
