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Saturday, March 3, 2012

All Day Vegetable Beef Soup

Homemade vegetable soup is a bowl full of love and caring.  It is a bowl of "good for you."  It is also a bowl of easy to make.  Both children came home yesterday to spend the weekend celebrating a family birthday.  The day dawned gray and drippy as so many winter days this year.  It was the perfect day for All Day Vegetable Beef Soup.  



I always start this soup sometime mid morning and just let it simmer all day on the stove.  After a while, I may turn it off and let it set for an hour and then turn it back on.  The beauty of this soup is that you can't really overcook it.  It just keeps getting better as the flavors meld and it cooks down.  It is also fabulous reheated.

So yesterday morning I pulled down my old pressure cooker pot, which is very heavy and prevents any possible scorching.  Then I got to work.  The most time-consuming part of the process for me is trimming and cutting up the chuck roast.  I always buy a roast instead of pre-cut soup or stew beef.  I like to know what I'm getting, and I believe the quality of the meat is better with a whole roast.  I am also kind of obsessive about trimming as much fat as possible from the meat.



Once the meat and onions are browned and all the ingredients are in the pot, the soup virtually minds itself.  Just check back now and then to stir and/or adjust the lid.  I leave the lid partially askew to allow steam to escape and to prevent the soup from boiling.  The key is to simmer the soup over a long time, which makes the meat melt-in-your-mouth tender.  And being from the South, I don't mind my vegetables soft.

Turns out, the All Day soup was an especially good choice yesterday.  The daughter got caught in a snowstorm and there was a wreck on the interstate.  The road was closed and she was stuck for some two hours waiting for the accident to be cleared.  No problem, the soup didn't mind waiting, and neither did we.


All Day Vegetable Beef Soup

3-3 1/2 pound chuck roast
1 medium-large onion, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
2 carrots, sliced
1 28-ounce can tomatoes, cored and rough chopped
1 1/2 cups frozen green peas
2 cups frozen green beans
2 cups frozen lima beans
3 cups frozen corn
1 large russet potato, diced (about 2 cups)
9 cups water
2-3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried parsley
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried thyme

Trim fat from chuck roast and cut meat into bite-sized pieces.  Heat skillet over medium high heat, add meat and onions.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Brown meat and onions, stirring frequently.  Transfer browned meat/onion mixture to large, heavy stockpot using a slotted spoon to allow fat to drain.

Add tomatoes, carrots, frozen vegetables and potato to pot.  Add water and stir to combine.   Stir in herbs.  Cover with lid set slightly askew and cook over low heat about six hours or more.  Stir occasionally.  Add more water if needed.


13 comments:

  1. This looks so good, I am copying the receip and planning to prepare it for tomorrow! THABNK YOU!!xo!

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  2. oh man does that look good. we LOVE soup.

    heads up, i nominated you for a leiber award!
    http://batesmercantileco.blogspot.com/2012/03/and-that-award-goes-to.html

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  3. So glad your kids made it home safe and sound. :) We love soup here and eat it at least a couple times a week. I adore vegetable stew, minus the beef. ;) How do you get that 'printable recipe' link up? Where exactly is it directed to? I love it, it makes adding new recipes a breeze! :))

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  4. Looks fabulous! Perfect for us too. It's a gray part rain, part snow kind of day here. Definitely a soup day!

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  5. Looks wonderful!! - I love soups that are loaded and more like stew! Thanks again.

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  6. This looks like a hearty, delicious and comforting soup. We love soups like this at my place.

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  7. This looks so good. I make a soup very similiar to this but I've always just put ground beef or deer in mine - I've never tried getting a roast and cutting it up, I will have to do that next time.

    -Pamela, InspiredByFelicity.blogspot.com

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  8. Thanks for sharing this great recipe! We love soups in this house. They are healthy and delicious!

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  9. This looks delicious! I'll have to give it a try soon!

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  10. Hi, Lynette,

    Happy to meet you through LinkedIn! Will try this recipe. The photos are great!
    Illinois... we're practically neighbors!

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  11. Hope you will find recipes you like in my blog, too!

    Margaret, http://imturning60help.blogspot.com//

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  12. This looks tasty. I have saved the recipe to try :) Maggie xx

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  13. I am going to make this at some point this week. I am bookmarking this page! :D Thanks for visiting my blog. I am your newest follower!

    xo,
    Ricki Jill

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