slow cooker vegetable stew

Forgive me if I sound a bit intense here.

BUT ZOMG THIS RECIPE IS SO FREAKING GOOD.

It really shouldn't be. This dish is basically nothing more than a few fresh veggies, a little butter, and some cheese. No rare and expensive spices. No fancy cooking techniques. Just dump it all into the slow cooker, and come back in eight hours.

That's literally it.

And yet... so good. So easy, so simple, so delicious -- and so mind-blowingly good.

The slow cooker has become my best friend in the kitchen lately. No matter how many times the baby cries or the dogs need to go outside or the phone rings -- nothing burns. It has single-handedly saved our family from starvation (or, at least, from take-out) many, many times in the last eight months.

As a former vegetarian, this stew is light enough for lunch and hearty enough for dinner over brown rice. But when I cooked it for a guest, I added panko-crusted chicken breast to serve over the top -- based on this gem of a recipe. Totally easy and completely delicious.

PS -- If you look back at the panko-chicken recipe, I've posted some advice about picky-eater kids...

Slow Cooker Veggie Stew

INGREDIENTS

1 pound baby carrots, diced

1 large onion, diced (about 1 cup)

2 zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch slices

1 yellow squash, cut into 1/2-inch slices

2 bell peppers, diced

1/2 stick unsalted butter

1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes

1 cup white wine

10 leaves fresh basil, chopped

1 cup parmesan cheese

1 tbsp sea salt

1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

1 tsp garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon pepper

DIRECTIONS

Combine all the ingredients in a 6-quart slow cooker; stir to combine. Cook on high heat for 8 hours. Serve with additional parmesan cheese and fresh basil.