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 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):

Roast or brown thawed meat with garlic before adding vegetables and broth
Use fresh spices to brown with meat and garlic
Saute vegetables in the browned meat, not before adding meat or together
Use a good broth, homemade is best, but not mandatory!
Use a cutter/slicer for vegetables that keeps everything uniform (I use this, not affiliated, just like the tool!)
Add small uncooked pasta, like Orzo to prevent too much broth absorption, pasta helps to thicken slightly.
In cases of vegetables like green beans or peas, FRESH is much tastier. Especially if they came right from your own garden.
Don’t replace sherry or wine simply because there is alcohol in it. My best sauces contain wine and I wouldn’t trade it for flavor. The alcohol reduces when it heats. Try not to use grocery store cooking wine/sherry, they are loaded with salt and lack flavor.

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.

Author: Theresa

Scale

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!