Serves 4: Recipe can be divided in half to make two servings, one for now – and one for later!
It’s starting to feel more and more like fall out there, and when the temperatures begin to drop, nothing sounds more comforting than a hot bowl of crock pot vegetable beef soup for dinner.
This versatile recipe for Vegetable Beef soup can be prepared on the stovetop, or entirely in a crock-pot. It keeps very well, and is just as good the second day – if not better than it was the first.
There are also several options as far as preparing this dish from mostly fresh or frozen ingredients, making this an ideal meal for drivers. This recipe can fit itself into any schedule scenario, whether one would like to prepare the dish at home – and pack up the leftovers for the road, or make it between stops while driving!
Ingredients:
1 lb – Beef (Stew meat – cut into smaller, bite-sized pieces, or a steak – cubed.)
2 cans (16 oz. each) – Petite or Crushed Tomatoes
1 cup – Chopped Carrots
1 cup – Diced Onion
1 cup – Frozen Corn
1 cup – Green Beans
2 cups – Chopped Potatoes (2-3 small potatoes)
1 – Beef Bullion cube dissolved in 1 cup hot water (or 1 cup beef broth/stock)
1 tsp – Dried Sweet Basil
¼ tsp – Garlic Powder
Pinch – Celery Seed
Salt & Pepper to taste
Preparation:
1. Chop all vegetables (one could also use 4 cups of frozen mixed vegetables if on the road or in a hurry).
2. Cut beef into small, bite-sized pieces (most supermarkets have stew meat that can be purchased pre-cubed). If cooking at home, on a stovetop, or if you have a skillet that you use in the truck with an inverter – add 1lb of chopped stew meat lightly seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste. Brown the meat and onions in the pan/skillet, and add to the crock-pot set to high heat. If a skillet isn’t something that you bring with you on the road, this step isn’t necessary – the uncooked beef can be added to the crock-pot. Browning it beforehand simply seals in moisture, and adds flavor to the soup.
3. The next step is to add in the beef broth. Dissolve 1 Beef Bullion cube in 1 cup of hot water (or 1 cup of beef broth/stock), and pour into the pot.
4. Add all of the chopped (or frozen mixed) vegetables, the two cans of petite/crushed tomatoes, and season with 1 tsp basil, 1/4tsp garlic powder, and a pinch of celery seed – salt and pepper to taste.
5. Allow the stew to cook in the crock pot on high heat for 1 hour.
6. If the beef was browned before it was added to the pot – adjust temperature to low setting, and cook for 5-6 hours – or until potatoes are tender. (If all of the raw ingredients were added to the pot at the same time, you will want to continue cooking on low for a total of 8-9 hours.)
