Beef and Vegetable Soup

My mom makes amazing beef vegetable soup. It cooks for hours and hours and involves soup bones and dumplings and tons of work. I was looking for the same taste without the time commitment when I came across this recipe.

Adapted from Cook's Illustrated

Prep and Cook Time: about 60 minutes
Makes 6 servings

1 lb sirloin tip steak, trimmed of fat and cut into 1/2" pieces
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 lb mushrooms, quartered
1 lrg onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 C)
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 clove garlic, minced (about 1 tsp)
1/2 C red wine
4 C beef broth (low sodium)
1 3/4 C chicken broth (low sodium)
4 medium carrots, cut int 1/2" pieces (about 2 C)
2 medium ribs celery, cut into 1/2" pices (about 3/4 C)
1 C frozen peas, thawed
1 C frozen corn, thawed
about 1 C home style extra-wide egg noodles, uncooked
3 bay leaves
1 Tbsp unflavored gelatin (powdered)
1/2 C cold water
2 tsp dried parsley leaves

Combine beef and soy sauce in medium bowl; set aside for 15 minutes.

Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add mushrooms and onion; cook, stirring frequently, until onion pieces are brown and dark bits form on the pan bottom, 8 to 12 minutes. Transfer vegetables to bowl.

Add beef and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid evaporates and meat starts to brown, 6 to 10 minutes. Add tomato paste and garlic; cook, stirring constantly, until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add red wine, scraping bottom of pot with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits, and cook until syrupy, 1 to 2 minutes.

Add beef broth, chicken broth, carrots, celery, peas, corn, bay leaf, noodles, and browned mushrooms and onion; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until vegetables and meat are tender, 25 to 30 minutes. While soup is simmering, sprinkle gelatin over cold water and let stand.

When soup is finished, turn off heat. Remove bay leaves. Add gelatin mixture and stir until completely dissolved, Stir in parsley, adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, and serve.

My Notes:
This was delicious! We actually had it for dinner with a salad and some bread. It would also be great with potatoes in place of the noodles. The directions suggest 10 oz of red-skinned potatoes cut into 1/2" pieces (2 C) to be added during the last 15 minutes of cooking. Frozen green beans would also be a nice addition in place of the peas.

Chicken Provencal Soup

Fall = Soup. This recipe from Beth seemed perfect.

Adapted from Chicken Provencal Stoup
by Rachael Ray

Prep time: less than 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Makes 4 servings

 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced in 1/4"
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 medium zucchinis, halved and sliced
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and diced in 1/4"
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
1 tsp dried sage
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried thyme
1 1/2 lb small red skinned potatoes, cut in thin wedges
1 C dry white wine
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 qt + 1C chicken stock
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced

GARNISHES
2 Tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 small jar olive tapenade (4 oz)
Crusty bread


Heat medium soup pot over medium heat. Add olive oil, carrots, garlic, zucchini, pepper, and onion. Season with salt and pepper and sage, rosemary, and thyme. Cook for about 5 minutes.

Add wine to vegetables and reduce for about one minute.

Add tomatoes, potatoes, and stock to the pot. Cover and raise heat to high. Bring to a boil.

Add chicken and simmer 8 to 10 minutes until potatoes are tender and chicken is cooked.

Serve in shallow bowls topped with olive tapenade and parsley. Pass bread around at table.

My Notes:
I channeled my inner Rachael Ray when I made this and gathered all the ingredients first. It was quite the pile; there's lots of stuff in this soup! It tasted great, though. I was thinking that it would end up being more of a stew than a soup. It was definitely a soup, though. It's something I would make again.

Week 50: Gazpacho

I have never eaten cold soup. This recipe was a total experiment. It was time and dish intensive, and it was complete perfection! The texture of the soup was amazingly smooth and the flavor was great, a lot more complex than just a tomato soup. I will definitely make this again.

Taken from Cook's Illustrated, July and August 2010 (p. 10)
Serves 4 to 6
Active Prep: 20 minutes
Inactive Prep: 60 minutes
Active Prep: 20 minutes
Inactive Prep: 2 hours - Overnight

3 lb (about 6 medium) ripe tomatoes, cored
1 small cucumber, peeled, halved, and seeded
1 medium green bell pepper, halved, cored, and seeded
1 small red onion, peeled and halved
2 medium garlic cloves, peeled and quartered
1 small serrano chile, stemmed and halved lengthwise
Kosher salt
1 slice white sandwich bread, crust removed, torn into 1" pieces
1/2 C extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for serving
2 Tbsp sherry vinegar, plus extra for serving
2 Tbsp finely minced parsley, chives, or basil leaves
Ground black pepper

Roughly chop 2 pounds of tomatoes, half of cucumber, half of bell pepper, and half of onion and place in large bowl. Add garlic, chile, and 1 1/2 tsp salt; toss until well combined. Set aside.

Cut remaining tomatoes, cucumber, and pepper into 1/4" dice; place vegetables in medium bowl. Mince remianing onion and add to diced vegetables. Toss with 1/2 tsp salt and transfer to fine-mesh strainer set over medium bowl. Set aside 1 hour.

Transfer drained diced vegetables to medium bowl and set aside. Add bread pieces to exuded liquid (there should be about 1/4 C) and soak 1 minute. Add soaked bread and any remaining liquid to roughly chopped vegetables and toss thoroughly to combine.

Transfer half of the vegetable-bread mixture to blender and process 30 seconds. With blender running, slowly drizzle 1/4 C olive oil and continue to blend until completely smooth, about 2 minutes. Strain soup through fine-mesh strainer into large bowl, using back of ladle or rubber spatula to press soup through strainer. Discard seeds, tomato skins, and other solids. Repeat with remaining vegetable bread mixture and 1/4 C olive oil.

Stir vinegar, minced herb, and half of diced vegetables into soup and season to taste with salt and black pepper.

Cover and refrigerate overnight or for at least 2 hours to chill completely and develop flavors. Serve, passing remaining diced vegetables, olive oil, sherry vinegar, and black pepper separately.

My Notes:
Delicious! I wouldn't change anything about the recipe.

Week 37: Corn and Chicken Chowder

It's still cold here. No sandals or capris for this girl! Bring on the soup. . .

This soup was a totally new experience for me. The only kind of chowder I've ever had is clam chowder. I made it for a Sunday lunch with BLTs.

Corn and Chicken Chowder
taken from Noble Pig

Makes 4 servings
Prep and Cook Time: Less than 30 minutes


12 oz. skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
4 fresh ears of sweet corn
1 32 oz. container chicken broth
1 small green sweet pepper, chopped
1 C whole milk
1-3/4 C instant mashed potato flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
Crushed red pepper, optional

In a Dutch oven combine chicken, corn and broth. Cover; bring to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat. Simmer 12 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Remove chicken and corn to cutting board.

Add half the sweet pepper to broth in Dutch oven. Stir in milk and potato flakes (if you want the chowder thicker, continue adding potato flakes in 1/4 cup increments until you get to your desired thickness).

Shred chicken using two forks. Return chicken to Dutch oven.

Using a kitchen towel to hold hot corn, cut kernels from cobs. Place corn in Dutch oven; heat through.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle each serving with remaining sweet pepper and crushed red pepper.



My notes:
I've never really thought of soup as a summer food, but this tasted like summer. It would taste even more like summer with fresh corn from the farmers' market (instead of frozen cobs of corn).

Week 37: Pasta Fagioli Soup

Soup is one of my favorite weekend meals. It can cook in the morning, be enjoyed for lunch, and eaten for lunch the rest of the week.

Josie recommended this one to me when I bought a new soup pot, and it's been unseasonably cold here. It actually snowed the past few nights. I can't think of a better time to bust out some soup.

Pasta Fagioli Soup
Taken from Creating Post It Notes

Makes about 5.5 quarts
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 70 minutes



3 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 onion, diced
2 stalks celery, sliced
2 clove garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
3 links turkey Italian sausage, mild, removed of casing
5 C reduced sodium beef broth
1 jar spaghetti sauce (1 lb, 10 oz)
2 cans (16 oz each) cannellini beans (do not drain)
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes (do not drain)
2 tsp oregano
Dash of red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper
8 oz ditalini pasta, uncooked

In a soup pot, heat a little olive oil over high heat. Add the garlic and bay leaf and saute for a minute. Do no let the garlic burn.



Add the sausage and cook. As it cooks, break the sausage apart.



When the sausage is almost cooked, add the onion, carrot, and celery. Stir well and cook until onions are almost translucent.



Add the broth and spaghetti sauce. Then add the beans and tomatoes (liquid and all!). Stir well and bring to boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Let simmer for about an hour, if not longer.


30 minutes before serving, put a pot of water onto boil and cook ½ a box of ditalini pasta (short macaroni) according to the directions on the package. Drain well and add to the soup.

Stir well and let sit for 10 minutes or so. Taste and re-season with salt and pepper, if needed.



Ladle and sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese.



My notes:
This turned into a "stoup" after the first day, but it still tasted great. I ate it with french bread and a salad. Into my regular rotation of soups.

Week 32: Broccoli Leek Soup

This seems like something light and tasty and a little springy to enjoy after the feast that was Easter Sunday. . .

My love affair with leeks started at the Farmer's Market last summer. I'd never used a leek. It's quickly become one of my favorite ingredients.

Broccoli Leek Soup
taken from Ezra Pound Cake
Prep time: 15 minutes + 10 minutes after cooking
Cook time: 30 minutes
Makes 4 servings



1 large bunch broccoli (about 1 1/2 lb)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 medium leeks, white and light green parts only
2 medium baking potatoes
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
3 C water
3 C vegetable broth
3/4 tsp salt
Pinch freshly ground pepper
1/4 C half-and-half
Zest of 1/2 lemon
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 tsp cayenne

Prepare broccoli. Separate stems from florets. Use a vegetable peeler to peel stems; remove tough outer layer, then slice into 1/4" thick "coins." Break the florets into small pieces. Reserve stems and florets separately.

Prepare leeks. Thinly slice white and light green parts only. Rinse well. Reserve.

Prepare potatoes. Peel and cut into 1" pieces. Reserve.

In a medium saucepan, heat oil and butter over medium heat. Add leeks and cook, stirring often, until softened and fragrant, about 3 minutes.



Add broccoli stems, potato, and garlic, and cook 2 to 3 minutes.



Add 3 C water, broth, salt, and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover partially and simmer until broccoli and potato are tender, about 12 minutes.

Add broccoli florets; bring to a boil and then simmer 5 minutes.



Transfer soup on batches to a blender or food processor, and puree until smooth. Return soup to saucepan; add half-and-half, lemon zest and juice, and cayenne. Reheat briefly. Serve.



My notes:
This was delicious. We had it with Caesar Chicken sandwiches as a hearty Sunday lunch. It would make a great light dinner, too.

I think (gasp!) that the addition of the broccoli made me like this even more than Julia's Leek and Potato Soup.

Week 25: Minestrone (Re-do) and Chopped Salad

After the oh-so-disappointing new Minestrone recipe, I needed to make my beloved, stand-by minestrone recipe. It always makes me smile.

And, a recent meal at Buca's rekindled my love affair with their Antipasto Salad - seriously delicious. A quick Google search yielded the recipe below.


My Minestrone Soup
Taken from Light and Tasty (now Healthy Cooking),
August / September 2003

Makes 8 servings (1 1/2 C each)
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: about 30 minutes



4 medium carrots, chopped
1 medium zucchini, sliced
1/4 C chopped onion
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cans (14.5 oz each) vegetable broth
3 C V8 juice
1 can (15 oz) garbanzo beans
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 C frozen cut green beans
1/2 C uncooked noodles
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried parsley

Cook carrots, zucchini, onion, and garlic in oil for seven minutes or until onion is tender.

Add broth, V8 juice, garbanzo beans, tomatoes, green beans, noodles, and basil. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 15 minutes.

Stir in parsley. Cook 5 minutes longer or until macaroni is tender.

1 serving = 166 calories, 3 g fat, 5 g fiber

Notes:
Sunday is my favorite day to eat this soup because it yields a pot of left-overs that I can enjoy all week long. It's great with a salad (like the chopped salad below) or a big chunk of crusty bread.

Buca di Beppo Antipasto Salad
Served at Buca di Beppo
Recipe shared here

10 oz Iceberg Lettuce, chopped
1 oz Pepperoni, diced
1 oz Mortadella, diced
1 oz Red onions, diced
1 oz Provolone, diced
2 oz Roma tomatoes, diced
2 oz Cucumbers, diced
1 oz Gorgonzola, crumbled
1 oz Feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 oz Pepperoncini, chopped
1/2 tsp Oregano
Italian vinaigrette dressing 4 oz.
3 whole Pepperoncini
Black olives
Green olives



Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl except half of the tomatoes, the whole pepperoncini, olives, and dressing and toss.

Add the dressing and toss again until fully incorporated.

Mound salad mixture on a chilled plate, getting as much height as possible.

Place the remaining amount of tomatoes around the outside of the salad.

Garnish with olives and pepperoncinis and serve.

Notes:
I didn't combine the ingredients for this salad. Instead, I chopped everything and put it in little bowls in the fridge. Brad and I can't eat the whole salad at one time, and combining the ingredients and letting them sit hasn't worked for us in the past. This way, we could put together little salads as we were ready to eat them. Also, I really struggled with what kind of dressing to add to this recipe. I ended up going with Marzetti Roasted Garlic Italian Vinaigrette. It worked, but I'll try a different one next time around.

Week 25: Minestrone Soup

Minestrone is definitely one of my favorite kinds of soup. I love it from the Olive Garden. I love a recipe I found a long time ago from Light and Tasty magazine.

This recipe caught my eye for a couple reasons. It has "real" beans in it. I've never made anything with "real" beans. It has cabbage in it. I've never tried minestrone with cabbage in it. It doesn't have noodles in it. I'm used to minestrone with noodles in it.

Hearty Minestrone

Taken from: Cook's Illustrated, January / February 2010 (p. 11)

Serves 6 to 8
Soak beans overnight
Cook and prep time: 90 minutes



Table salt
1/2 ol dried cannelini beans (about 1 C)
1 Tbsp olive oil, plus extra for serving
3 oz pancetta, cut into 1/4" pieces
2 celery ribs, cut into 1/2" pieces (about 3/4 C)
1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into 1/2" pieces (about 3/4 C)
2 small onions, cut into 1/2" pieces (about 1 1/2 C)
1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2" pieces (about 1 C)
2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced (about 2 tsp)
1/2 small head green cabbage, cut into 1/2" pieces (about 2 C)
1/8 - 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
8 C water
2 C low-sodium chicken broth
1 piece parmesan cheese rind, about 5" x 2"
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 C V8 juice
1/2 C chopped fresh basil leaves
Ground black pepper
Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Do ahead: Dissolve 1 1/2 Tbsp salt in 2 quarts cold water in large bowl. Add beans and soak at room temperature for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours. Drain and rinse well.

Heat oil and pancetta in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until pancetta is lightly browned and fat has rendered, 3 to 5 minutes. You can substitute 2 tsp of olive oil for the pancetta. Next time, I would definitely do this. I didn't like the pancetta in the finished soup.

Add celery, carrot, onion, and zucchini; cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are softened and lightly browned, 5 to 9 minutes.

Stir in garlic, cabbage, 1/2 tsp salt, and red pepper flakes; continue to cook until cabbage starts to wilt, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Transfer vegetables to rimmed baking sheet and set aside.

Add soaked beans, water, broth, Parmesan rind, and bay leaf to now-empty Dutch oven and bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat and vigorously simmer, stirring occasionally, until beans are fully tender and liquid begins to thicken, 45 to 60 minutes. It's important that the soup maintain a "vigorous simmer" in order for the starch from the beans to thicken the soup. And, I needed to stir more than occasionally because the melting Parmesan made the beans stick to the bottom of the pan.

Add reserved vegetables and V8 juice to pot; cook until vegetables are soft, about 15 minutes. Discard bay leaf and Parmesan rind, stir in copped basil, and season with salt and pepper. Serve with olive oil and grated Parmesan.

Next time. . .
Use 2 tsp olive oil in place of pancetta. I didn't care for the texture of the cooked and then boiled pancetta in the finished product.

Use much more zucchini. The zucchini is my favorite part, and 1 C wasn't nearly enough!

Use 2 C low-sodium vegetable broth in place of chicken broth. This change, in addition to EVOO instead of the pancetta, would make for a great vegetarian soup.

Slice the Parmesan cheese off the Parmesan rind and just cook the rind. Cooking the rind with a little bit of cheese on it led to a cheesy, sticky mess.

Serve with a big ol' salad (like the California Pizza Kitchen Chopped Salad) instead of a grilled ham and cheese sandwich.

Week 20: One-pot Chili

One-pot Chili
Taken from
Healthy Cooking, December / January 2010 (p. 35-36)

1 lb lean ground turkey
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 C chopped green pepper
1 tsp olive oil
2 C water
1 can (15 oz) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14 1/2 oz) reduced-sodium beef broth
1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes, with mild green chilies, undrained
1 can (8 oz) no-salt-added tomato sauce
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano
2 C uncooked multigrain penne pasta
Sour cream, for garnish
Grated Cheddar cheese, for garnish

In a large saucepan coated with cooking spray, cook the turkey, onion, and pepper in oil over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.

Stir in the water, beans, broth, tomatoes, tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, and oregano. Bring to a boil. Add pasta; cook for 15 - 20 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.

Serve with sour cream; sprinkle with cheddar cheese.

Not at all a photogenic meal. . .



Nutrition information:
1-1/3 C with 2 tsp reduced fat sour cream
384 calories
10 g fat (2 g saturated fat)
8 g fiber

This was super easy and pretty quick (about 40 minutes) to make! We made it on a super cold and windy and snowy winter night - a great night for some warm and cozy food. Brad complained that there wasn't enough flavor and dumped on a bunch of Tabasco, but he said he'd eat it again. And, I was wishing we would have made cornbread or a salad or something to go with it. But, I'd still make it again.

Week 6: Leek and Potato Soup

This dish was inspired by my first fall trip (with Stephanie and AJ) to the Farmers' Market. AJ really had a great time!


There were leeks at almost every stand. (Although now that I look at this picture closely it is, in fact, of just ordinary green onions and not leeks.)


(There were also brussels sprouts. They looked so cool - I had no idea how they actually grew. But, I was not tempted. I do not like brussels sprouts.)


What's a girl to do with leeks?
Make leek and potato soup.

And, where does she find her recipe?


Adapted from:
Potage Parmentier (Leek and Potato Soup)
from Mastering the Art of French Cooking, p. 37 - 38
by Julia Child

3-4 C (or 1 lb.) peeled potatoes, diced
3 C (or 1 lb.) thinly sliced leeks
2 quarts of water
1/2 Tbsp. salt
2 to 3 Tbsp. softened butter
2 to 3 Tbsp. minced chives

Simmer the vegetables, water, and salt together, partially covered for 40 to 50 minutes. While you are doing this your house will slowly begin to smell wonderful - all leek-y and potato-y and comfortable.

Use a blender to puree soup in small batches. Julia says to mash the vegetables with a fork or use a food mill. This sounded like way too much work, and I didn't want chunks. So, I opted for the blender. If I had an immersion blender I would have used that.

Off heat and just before serving, stir in the butter by spoonfuls.



We ate the soup with ham and cheese paninis, and I've been enjoying it for lunch for several days now. I will definitely make this again. YUM!