Good old fashioned vegetable beef soup, shortcut with lean sirloin in a beef and tomato base, with onion, celery, carrots, potatoes, corn and whatever leftover or frozen veggies you have on hand.
Southern Quick Fix Vegetable Beef Soup
Noticing that I had some sirloin tip steak in the freezer and deciding on making up a batch of vegetable beef soup with it today, sure reminded me of my Grandma.
She passed on a couple years back at the ripe age of 97 and boy she sure was a great cook. When I think of vegetable beef soup I think of her and how every time she'd cook up a batch she'd always say "you just can't find a good soup bone anymore." I remembered as a young gal not at all interested in cooking at the time, I thought, "you can buy bones at the grocery??" but I always just smiled.
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She had not had an easy life, raising a slew of boys as a single working mother back in those days, but she was a sweetheart who was loved by many, all of whom called her affectionately, Miss Mac. As an adult, I was always honored to just sit with her and listen to her stories, whether it was over a simple cup of coffee, as much as I did when she had cooked a meal for the whole family.
She's right though ... you really can't hardly find a good soup bone anywhere these days.
Grandma Mac never had any recipes written down and I sure wish she had, because she had a killer chicken spaghetti - a homemade version made from a hen, and not the kind of cheesy chicken spaghetti most folks think about - a recipe I have done my best to replicate. Well, close as I could anyways. Anyway, this soup isn't quite Grandma Mac's exact recipe either, but it is close enough to bring back some mighty fond memories of her.
I wrote this for sirloin or tenderloin tips for a quicker cook time, but when I have time, I love to substitute a braising roast or stew meat instead, adding in those beef bones for that slow simmer. Just allow for a longer cooking time before adding in your potatoes and/or vegetables. If you want to let the soup low simmer for awhile, wait to add the potatoes until about 20 minutes before serving.
For an added layer of flavor, roast off the beef bones first. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Toss the bones in oil and roast, turning about every 15 minutes, for about 40 to 45 minutes or until nicely browned. Take care not to burn the bones as they will make the stock bitter. Remove, transfer the bones and any drippings to the soup pot.
Here's what you'll need to make my Quick-Fix Vegetable Soup:
- 1-1/2 pounds beef sirloin tip steak or tenderloin tips
- 3 tablespoons cooking oil
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- 1 cup chopped potato
- 1/2 tablespoon chopped garlic
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of Creole or Cajun seasoning (like Slap Ya Mama) or to taste, optional
- 4 cups water
- 4 cups beef stock or broth (Kitchen Basics recommended)
- 2 teaspoons beef base (like Better than Bouillon), or bouillon
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 1/2 cup frozen corn
- 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 2 cups dried egg noodles, cooked
Here's how to make it!
Heat oil in a soup pot over medium high heat.
Cut steak into bite size pieces.
Add to oil and cook over medium high until nicely browned, about 10 minutes.
Prep the mirepoix.
Add onion, celery, carrots and potatoes to pot and sauté for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook another minute.
Add potatoes.
Stir in the salt, pepper and Creole or Cajun seasoning.
Add beef stock.
Add water and beef base.
Add tomatoes.
Add the frozen vegetables, return to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.
Bring just up to a boil.
Stir in parsley, taste and adjust seasonings as needed, reduce to a simmer and hold over low heat until serving.
Meanwhile, prepare egg noodles separately, spoon cooked noodles into a serving bowl, and ladle the soup on top.
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