Laura's Vegetable Beef Soup

Everyone has that one meal that just makes them feel right at home. For me that's Mama's vegetable beef soup. It is without a doubt my favorite thing she makes, the 2nd is mustard potato salad, but that's another post for another day. A hot bowl of this soup can comfort me in a way that not many other foods can. 

My Mama will tell you that this soup couldn't be more simple because everything just gets dumped in one pot, and maybe that's true, but there's something special about this soup. It's hearty and filling and the perfect meal on a cool night. And if you're going to make cornbread, you gotta go with jiffy mix because that's the way Laura does it. 

The best part about this soup is that it's totally flexible. Change it up to make it how you like it. Add or remove some of the vegetables or even remove the beef and make it a vegetarian dish.

However you decide to make it, just make it for people you love. As corny as it may sound, love is the most important part of this soup. I just think about a mama needing to feed her family and cooking up this giant pot of delicious soup. My mother is no great chef, something she will willingly say about herself, but she always made sure to put a good meal on the table, and obviously some of them stuck with me. I hope you'll make this and feel as warm and happy as I do. 

{Makes about 6 to 7 quarts} 


INGREDIENTS

1 pound ground beef (85/15)
1/2 large yellow onion diced 
3 garlic cloves minced 
2-3 russet potatoes peeled & diced 
2 cups peeled & chopped carrots
1 15 oz can corn
1 15 oz can peas 
2  14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes 
16 oz bag frozen lima beans 
2 cups stock
2 cups water
salt & pepper

INSTRUCTIONS 

1) Start browning ground beef in a large soup pot.
*Use 85 or 90% lean. Leave the grease in the pot, it adds flavor.*

2) Add in diced onion and garlic. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir in and cook while breaking apart the ground beef with a spoon or spatula.

3) Add in the potatoes, carrots, lima beans, and all the cans with their liquids. 

4) Pour in enough stock or water to cover the top of the ingredients. 
* I needed 4 cups so I used half water and half chicken stock.*

5) Bring pot to a boil then reduce to simmer.

6) Cover with lid and slow simmer until carrots and potatoes are cooked through, 45 minutes to an hour. 

7) Taste and season with salt and pepper as desired.
*Don't add a lot of salt at the beginning. As the soup cooks, some of it's liquid will reduce which intensifies the flavors. Too much salt at the start can lead to an over salted pot.*

8) Serve piping hot with cornbread or crackers.