One of the greatest things about soup is its versatility. Not just for cold winter days, any time you have an amount of odds and ends in your fridge or vegetable bin, there’s likely something great you can make from it. Starting with a rather unorthodox protein (leftover beef short ribs!) and a base that includes V8 vegetable juice, this is a completely re-usable framework for making this soup your own.
No beef ribs? No problem. Leftover beef roast or steak, pork, fish or chicken work well in this recipe (perhaps switch out the beef broth with chicken or vegetable broth to match your protein). Don’t have some of the vegetables? Again, not an issue. Substitute what you have. What Eating Plebian has here is a basic framework combination that works particularly well.
Special Equipment:
5 qt or larger Dutch oven or heavy pot
Ingredients:
- 1.5 lbs beef ribs, roast or steak with bones removed and fat trimmed, cubed
- 3 to 4 cups low sodium beef broth
- 24 oz V8 low sodium vegetable juice
- 1/2 to 1 tsp kosher salt, to taste
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 2 Tbsp cooking oil
- 3 to 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- 1/2 cup green peas (fresh, canned or frozen)
- 1/2 cup corn (fresh, canned or frozen)
- 1 can green beans, drained
- 1/2 small cabbage, cored and chopped
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 3 bay leaves
Directions:
Set a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium heat. Add the cooking oil and the onion, celery and carrot, and stir frequently until the onion turns translucent, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the garlic and continue to sauté for another minute.
Add the beef and continue to cook for another two minutes. At that point, add the peas, corn, green beans, three cups of the beef broth and 12 ounces of the V8 juice. Add the thyme, bay leaves and oregano, and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, covered, for one hour, stirring occasionally.
Add the cabbage and the other half of the V8 juice, and optionally add the remaining beef broth just to cover the cabbage. Simmer for another 30 minutes.
Add the salt and black pepper if needed, to taste. Serve with fresh or French bread or Italian loaf.
Serves 8
