Veggie Soup

Photo courtesy Taste of Home

    When I first started cooking, my version of vegetable soup consisted of some ground beef combined with a can of mixed vegetables. Agh! It was very lame. Unfortunately, I've not gotten much better. I can do stews of many varieties and different soups, but every time I try a veggie soup it's just too bland and boring for me. One of the guys at work shared his mom's recipe which he claims is "the bomb." That says a lot for a guy who doesn't like veggie soup.

Veggie Soup

Recipe courtesy Diana Spear

2-1/2 lb. beef rump roast

browned on all sides in virgin olive oil

2 qts. cold water

1 tsp. salt

Place the beef in a large soup kettle and cover with cold water. Add salt, cover and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 3 hours, until beef is tender.

Remove meat and trim off fat. Cut into serving size pieces and return to the beef broth water.

Add the following - 

2 qt. Campbell's tomato juice

1 can beef broth

1 or 2 cans cut green beans, drained

1 can corn niblets

6-7 medium potatoes (peeled and cubed)

1/2 qt. hot water

1 1/2 tsp. dried basil

3 T. chopped parsley

1 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

salt and pepper to taste

Cook for about 30-45 minutes until potatoes are fork tender.

 Makes about 1 1/2 gallons.

Optional veggies

2 cups frozen lima beans

1 small onion, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 cup carrots, sliced or cubed

1 small can of tomato juice if needed.

*Leftovers may be refrigerated