Our Central Texas weather has been all over the place lately, and I am actually looking forward to these chilly nights we have ahead of us! I love the brisk morning air, the sunny days, and a fire in the fireplace at night. And cooler weather always has me wanting hot filling meals like soups and stews. This recipe was born out of being a very tired new mama with mouths to feed and not much time to cook. For meals such as this, I try to freeze and can our extra seasonal veggies throughout the year. It makes cooking meals like this a breeze as so much of the work is already done! This soup takes less than 30 minutes of prep and I can toss it all in the crockpot and forget about it. Or, I can put it on a low simmer on the stove top and stir occasionally as I complete other tasks in the kitchen. I love to serve this with homemade dinner rolls or Jared's favorite... CORNBREAD!
So, if you're in the mood for soup over the next couple days try this out and let us know how you like it! And as always, these recipes are just a guide. If you like more of one thing, less of another, or decide to add something different all together let us know! We love hearing how you've turned our products into something delicious.
{Recipe} Vegetable Beef Soup
INGREDIENTS
1 pound ground beef
1.5 (32 ounce) jars beef broth
2 stalks celery, diced
2 large juicing carrots, diced
4 Yukon Gold potatoes, diced
1 (12 ounce) bag frozen green beans
1 C frozen peas
1 (16 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
2 (16 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
2 TBSP tomato paste
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1TBSP dried parsley
salt and ground black pepper, to taste
DIRECTIONS
Brown meat in a large heavy bottomed pot (I use a 5qt dutch oven) over medium heat.
Add onions and garlic and sauté until translucent, then toss in the carrots and continue cooking 5 minutes.
Pour in the broth to deglaze the pan, scraping up the browned bits at the bottom.
Next add in the potatoes, celery, tomatoes (with their juice), and corn. Bring to a boil
Stir in tomato paste and seasonings and reduce heat.
Simmer over low heat for an hour. Add in the frozen peas and green beans approximately 15 minutes before serving.
*** If utilizing the crockpot, simply brown your meat and combine with all other ingredients in the crockpot. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 6.