Homemade soup is easy, repeat that phrase. I don’t think we’ve used canned soup just to eat as soup for years. For many years I didn’t know how to make basic soup. Cookbooks helped some, but I still didn’t get the taste I longed for. All the secrets that seasoned soup makers possessed were a bit of a mystery. Many soups are incredibly easy, but I’ll focus this post on how to Make Better Vegetable Beef Soup from Scratch!
Make Better Vegetable Soup from Scratch
This recipe will feed several adults and children. You can half this recipe or freeze the remainder. I make the whole thing and freeze what’s leftover. Freezing or saving some for leftovers actually enhances the soup flavor!
Fresh ingredients make soup wonderfully special. Don’t skimp on these. Add as many as you like.
Here are a few tips to remember for almost any soup you make (except cream based, that will be another post):
Make Better Vegetable Beef Soup From Scratch
This wonderful soup will warm a winter day quickly! Filled with fresh ingredients this will be a soup recipe your family will love.
Ingredients
- 2lbs. beef steak – thinly sliced, then cubed
- 3 Tbsp. Olive Oil
- 3 Tbsp. minced garlic
- 5 sprigs of fresh thyme – leaves only
- 5 sprigs of fresh oregano, chopped
- 1 c. sherry or white wine – split into 1/2 cups
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 2 red onions, chopped
- 6 sm-med zucchini chopped
- 4 carrots, chopped
- 5–6 c. of fresh green beans chopped
- 3 Tbsp. beef base
- 2 Tbsp. Worcester Sauce or 1 Tbsp. Liquid Smoke (adjust to taste)
- 1 Tbsp. sea salt
- 2 tsp. pepper
- 3/4 c. Orzo or small pasta
- 1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
- 1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
- 1 6 oz. can tomato paste
- 1 10 oz. can Rotel tomatoes
- 1 32 oz. Beef Broth
- 3 c. water
Instructions
- Brown the beef, Orzo, fresh spices and garlic in olive oil. I added my Orzo with the broth because I forgot earlier, and it works, but adding it with the meat and spices first is better. (We saute brown rice the same way with oil and spices before pressure cooking!)
- Pour in 1/2 cup sherry. Add all the chopped vegetables and saute for several minutes. Mix in the beef base, salt, pepper, Worcester, diced and Rotel tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, beef broth, the remainder of sherry and water.
- Simmer for 1 1/2 hours or longer. Serve with crusty french bread and salad.
Brown the beef! Lots of garlic!
Lots of fresh ingredients make up this soup. The green beans are from our garden.
This soup thickens up nicely.
Enjoy a nice cold day and try out this rich vegetable soup. It’s one of our favorites!
