Since we are in the middle of January, we are in the middle of soup season. There is something amazing and inner peace inducing about a a good bowl of soup. As with any old favorite, there are at least 50 variations to be found and that is if you don’t look to hard. Vegetable beef is an easy to make soup that turns out tasty no matter if you use fresh, frozen, canned, or a combination of ingredients. Here is a variation by a close friend of mine. Feel free to add to or alter as you see fit.
2 lbs. of lean ground beef.
Let’s start with browning the ground beef and draining off the grease. A little oil is good, a lot is a mess. Browning also gives your ground beef a good texture that will survive extended cooking. Now, you are going to need a fair sized pot for this. Remember, you have a lot of ingredients that will all be cooking in a single pot for a while. Once your ground beef is drained, it is the first into the pot.
2 large tomatoes diced or 2 8 oz. cans of diced tomatoes
1 large onion chopped (white, yellow, or red)
12 to 16 oz. sweet corn
12 to 16 oz. cut green beans
12 to 16 oz. crinkle cut carrots
1 small bunch kale rinsed and chopped (or a 5-6 oz. box of frozen chopped kale)
12 to 16 oz. speckled butter beans – Feel free to use what ever type you like, add or substitute.
32 oz. water or broth (beef or chicken)
Salt, pepper, and season to taste.
Basically, everything goes in the pot, fill with water or broth until everything is covered and you have about .5 to 1 inch over the solids. Put on a medium heat and let simmer for at least 30 minutes. My preference is more towards a hour. The lower the heat, the longer the simmer. Soup is not in a hurry. Let it take its time. It is worth it.
Once you have the first batch in the win column, you will be thinking about other things that will be tasty in that soup. Don’t be afraid, do it and enjoy.
The Cooking Today Show 