Beef & Vegetable Soup

When it comes to soup I tend to be a chowder and gumbo kind of gal; my dad likes his soup with plenty of meat and lots of vegetables.  So, when I took lunch out to him last week I made a hearty vegetable beef soup to go with our hot ham and two cheese sliders on pretzel rolls. Rounded out with brownies for dessert, it was a pretty tasty lunch.

Vegetable beef soup is pretty easy to make because almost any combination of vegetables works. The secret to a particularly good vegetable beef soup, however, is a good flavorful beef (I use short ribs), a tasty broth, and a heavy hand with the seasonings, seasoned salt in particular. Here's my recipe, adapted from one by Paula Deen.  Think of this as more of a guideline than a recipe carved in stone. The beef to liquid combination probably shouldn't be tampered with, but from there on out use your favorite vegetables (or what you happen to have on hand) and season liberally with your favorite herb combination. Do make it one to two days prior to serving to allow the flavors to meld.

Beef & Vegetable Soup

Adapted from Paula Deen

3 pounds beef short ribs

3 quarts cold water
1 28-oz. can diced tomatoes
1 cup chopped onion
3 tablespoons dried parsley
3 tablespoons beef soup base
1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning

½ teaspoon dried basil

½ teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons seasoned salt
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
1 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup diced celery
1 can cut green beans
1 11-oz. package Melissa’s steamed black-eyed peas
1 cup corn kernels, fresh or canned
1 cup diced potatoes
1/2 cup uncooked ditalini pasta

Place the short ribs in a large stockpot.  Add the water, tomatoes, onions, dried parsley, beef bouillon, dried Italian seasoning, basil, oregano, seasoned salt, Worcestershire sauce, celery salt, garlic powder, black pepper and bay leaves. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover the pot; reduce the heat so that the liquid simmers, and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the meat is very tender.

Remove short ribs from the pot.  Refrigerate meat and stock separately overnight.  In the morning, remove the solidified fat from the stock.  Much of the seasoning will rise and be embedded in the fat, so re-season to taste. Cut the meat from the bones, discarding bones and fat, and return the meat to the de-fatted stock. Add the remaining vegetables and the pasta and return the soup to a boil, stirring to distribute the ingredients. Reduce the heat and simmer for 55 minutes. Just before serving, season with salt and pepper and add fresh chopped parsley.  Yield: 6 quarts

This post is linked to:

Full Plate Thursday

Create It Thursday

Home and Garden Thursday