Vegetable Beef Soup – the old fashioned version

I call this “old fashioned” because it’s a recipe that started with my grandma, who we called “Nana”. She used to make this for us and some of the things I remember about it is that she would meticulously cut the carrots into matchsticks, and the pot she made it in was enormous. When I’ve got a lot of time to spend making this, I’ll do the same to my carrots just because it reminds me of her. My mom, sister and aunt all make a version of this soup, but I think I put a lot more tomato products in it, just because it’s how I remember it. It has become one of my husbands favorite soups too, so I make it quite a few times in the winter. It’s all traditional veggies that you probably have hanging around. There’s a bit of peeling and chopping, but once you get through that it’s easy-peasy and totally worth it!

The good news is all of these measurements are just suggestions. You can adjust according to what you like in your soup. Feel free to add more of something, or leave something out if you don’t care for it. If you want to make this completely vegetarian, skip the meat and use some veggie stock. I try to cut all my veggies about the same size and so that they will fit on a spoon. All you need is a large stock pot plus….

2 pounds of chuck roast, trimmed and diced
One large yellow onion, peeled and diced – 2 1/2 cups
2 large carrots peeled and diced – 2 cups
3-4 stocks of celery, diced – 2 cups
2 large baking potatoes, peeled and diced – 2 cups
3 cups tomato juice
4 cups chopped tomatoes
8 cups beef broth
10 oz. bag of frozen cut green beans
2 cups frozen corn
2 1/2 cups of sliced cabbage
salt and pepper to taste
vegetable oil and/or butter

Start with about 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and 2 tablespoons of butter over medium high heat in a large Dutch oven or stock pot. Season the beef with a sprinkling of salt and pepper – don’t worry we will measure and add layers of seasoning as we add the veggies. Cook/sear the beef for about 8 -10 minutes, flipping on all sides of the meat. Remove the beef to a plate. Add another tablespoon or two of butter to the pot. After the butter has melted add the onions, celery and carrots. Add one teaspoon of salt and quite a few turns of cracked black pepper. Sweat the veggies for 10-12 minutes until the veggies start to soften. Stir in the meat and all the juices collected on the plate.

Now we’re ready for the liquid part of the soup. For the tomatoes, you can use whole or chopped, totally user preference. This soup is one of the things I spend time canning my own tomatoes and juice for in the summer months. My how to on canning tomatoes is on this blog in Sept 2019.

I add the whole tomatoes first and use my spatula to break up them up, then add the tomato juice and the beef stock. You cold also add some bouillon at this time if you want to bump up the beef flavor. Stir in another teaspoon of salt and more pepper. Bring to a boil then lower the heat to low to keep at a simmer for about 1 1/2 hours, to allow the meat to tenderize and the vegetables to flavor the liquid. Taste for seasoning as you go along.

Next add the potatoes and the cabbage to the pot. Allow about 30 more minutes for the potatoes to cook and the cabbage to soften up. Stir in the corn and green beans and allow them to warm through. Again, taste for salt and pepper and adjust to your liking. I usually serve this soup with some warn and crusty bread or these yummy cheddar biscuits seen in the pic below(coming soon on this blog). It’s also good served with a few cooked egg noodles tossed in to make this a more hearty dish. Make this and enjoy tonight! Stay warm!