Greg DuPree
Is there anything easier or more comforting than a bowl of beef and vegetable soup on a cold winter’s evening? When time permits, most cooks enjoy making a pot of savory soup from scratch; braising meat, chopping fresh vegetables, and letting it simmer on the stove for hours while fresh bread bakes in the oven. But on a busy weeknight, there just isn’t enough time for all that work. Let convenience products from your grocery store help you stir up a batch of satisfying soup. Season and brown cubed stew meat, and then add vegetable broth, canned tomatoes and frozen vegetables, such as corn, beans, and okra. In just 40 minutes your family is crowded around bowls of steaming soup on the table. Add a loaf of hot crusty bread to help sop up the good broth. This recipe uses a frozen seasoning blend, such as Pictsweet. This is simply a convenient mix of precut onions, celery, and green and red peppers that will save you time. Feel free to cut your own if you prefer, or if you can’t find this frozen blend in the grocery store. This recipe is very user-friendly. Feel free to substitute your favorite beans and frozen vegetables.
How to Make It
Step 1
Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high. Add stew meat, seasoning blend, and garlic, and cook, stirring often, until meat is browned and seasoning blend is tender, about 8 to 10 minutes.
Step 2
Stir in vegetable broth, tomatoes, corn, okra, lima beans, green beans, pepper, and thyme, and bring mixture to a boil over medium-high; reduce heat to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
Step 3
Stir in pasta, and cook, stirring occasionally, until pasta is tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Top each serving with 1 to 2 tsp. basil pesto, if desired.
