Beef Vegetable Soup

When I was growing up on a farm in the middle of nowhere Ohio, beef vegetable soup was a staple in the winter. I ate bowls and bowls of this stuff over the years. I make it the same way my mom makes it, my grandma before her and my great grandma. This was the first recipe I made when I was a poor college student. I would splurge when chuck roast was on sale and make a pot of soup and eat it all week.

This is true comfort food. I have a few standard ingredients I always put in the soup, but the rest of the stuff is just what I have on hand. I clean out the vegetable bin in the fridge and add whatever I think will taste good.

The soup starts out the day before as a pot roast in the crock pot. I usually cook a 3-4 lb chuck roast in the crock pot with carrots, celery, onions, garlic and a can of beef stock. We have roast for dinner and I use the leftovers for soup. Even if I a not going to make the soup right away, I freeze the leftover roast, including pan drippings and cooked vegetables for soup making later.

The soup pairs well with crusty bread or homemade yeast rolls. It is even better the day after you make it, as most soup is.

Beef Vegetable Soup

1 - 2 lb cooked roast and any veggies (from leftover pot roast), chopped into smallish chunks
about 32 oz beef broth, either homemade or store bought
14 oz can stewed tomatoes
3 carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds
3 potatoes, peeled and cut into large dice
3 celery stalks, chopped
bag of frozen soup vegetables (I buy the soup medley mix)
small head of cabbage, chopped
small white onion, diced
1 bay leaf
pinch of Italian seasoning or Herbs de Provence
salt/pepper to taste
any other misc veggies you want to add
(broccoli, asparagus, mushrooms, etc, I clean out the vegetable bin and add what I want to use up)
water

In a large stock pot, place the meat, all of the vegetables, the stewed tomatoes, bay leaf, spice, salt & pepper, beef broth and enough water to just cover the vegetables.

Heat the pan to boiling and then turn the heat down to low. Cover and let simmer on low heat for about 2 hours.
Don't worry about the soup pot looking crowded with too many veggies, they will put off liquid as they cook and shrink down. Season to taste and serve. Makes excellent leftovers and can be frozen for future use.This recipe makes a generous amount of soup. At least enough for 8 -10 servings. Freezes well.