Carol’s Homemade Vegetable Beef Soup Recipe

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Ingredients:

• One large or two small slices beef shanks – cross-cut (I try to get the bone-in shanks with plenty of meat on them).
• 1 cup fresh green peas
• 1 cup fresh green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 zucchini squash, sliced into rounds about 1/4″ (you can cut the rounds into half-circles if you like)
• 1-2 yellow crookneck squash, cut like the zucchini
• 1 cup diced yellow onions
• 2 stalks of celery (strings removed), cut across the stalk into chunks. I try to make my chunks about 3/4 inch long, but you can always make them a bit larger or smaller.
• About one-half cup of pearl barley (I use the faster-cook variety, which cooks in about 10-15 minutes, but depending on how much time you have, you could use the harder barley. Allow extra cooking time.) If you’re doing a diet that’s grain-free, just leave out the barley.
• 3 large carrots, peeled and cut into sliced rounds or chunks. I cut mine about 3/4 inch long. If the carrots are large enough in diameter, I cut the rounds into half-circles.
• 1 parsnip, peeled and cut like the carrots (optional). Can substitute one small to medium potato, peeled and diced, instead of the parsnip. Peeling and dicing a turnip is another option.
• 1 12-oz. can of diced tomatoes in juice (Fresh tomatoes work well also, but they take longer to cook and also more time to wash and cut into small pieces. This is one time when I gladly use canned.)
• Salt and pepper (about 1/2 teaspoon of each, or to taste)
• A couple shakes of garlic powder (granulated garlic) – this is optional. I don’t use too much garlic as it changes the flavor from what I would expect. A little bit, though, will add savor.

That’s what I put into my soup. You can vary the recipe easily to your personal tastes. I find this combination of veggies works quite well and gives a hearty, but not overly heavy soup. Sometimes I add 1/2 cup (or a bit more!) whole kernel corn (usually the frozen variety). Another option is to use a bag of frozen mixed vegetables. This does change the taste a bit because the vegetables are different in the mixed bag and they do influence the flavors. I don’t use potatoes in mine as I try to keep the carbs a bit lower to fit some dietary restrictions. I use parsnips instead – I have on occasion used turnips for the same purpose, but I and my husband prefer the parsnip taste to the turnips. Feel free to add or subtract one or more vegetables to suit individual preferences!

How to prepare:

• Place the beef shanks in a large heavy pot or stock pot (at least 6 quarts) and add enough water to cover plus a bit more. In my pot, this is about 4 – 6 inches of water, sometimes more.
• Add the salt and pepper to the water.
• Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a solid simmer and cook for at least one hour, preferably more (2 hours is what I usually do). Skim off foam as you go. If the water volume gets too low, add more cold water and turn up the heat until it’s simmering nicely.
• While the meat is cooking and the stock is “making,” prepare the vegetables. Chop, dice, slice – whatever you prefer – and add or eliminate some of the ones listed in this recipe. I think this soup comes out well with almost any selection of vegetables, as long as the vegetables will cook within an hour or two of adding them to the broth. Sometimes (as in the picture) I add small florets of cauliflower to the veggie mix. Broccoli could work here, too. You can save a lot of time if you use a food processor, like the one I have.
• The timing here is important, because you want the beef to be nice and tender and easy to pull apart (and off the bones). The stock should have at least a little color – not necessarily a lot. When it has cooked at least one, preferably two or more hours, remove the pot from the heat and remove the beef shanks to a separate plate or pot.
• Now, separate the meat from the bones, picking it apart and removing fat, gristle, etc. Once you have all the meat removed, add it to the stock and bring it back to a boil. Discard the bones, fat, etc., or save them for some other use.
• Return the shredded meat to the stock. Add the chopped vegetables in no particular order, although you might leave the squash and zucchini for the last ones (they don’t need to cook as long). I just put everything in at once, or as quickly as I process it and have it ready to add.
• Add the canned diced tomatoes and juice.
• Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer or very low boil. I don’t usually cover the pot, but you may find it necessary. As water evaporates, I add more to make sure there is “enough” volume in the pot. Stir occasionally. However, you do want to let the liquid volume reduce some, so don’t be in a hurry to add too much water unless the volume is really down from where it was at the start.
• After about 1 1/2 hours, or more (!), check the taste and “done-ness” of the vegetables. If the soup doesn’t have that rich vegetable soup flavor, keep cooking and let the liquid volume reduce some. The cooking time is dependent on many factors, including the vegetables you choose, the meat, the pot (size and composition), and even the altitude.
• Because I use quick-cook barley, I usually add it later, maybe about 30 minutes or so before the soup should be done. It doesn’t really matter. You can add it sooner. Just don’t wait until the last minute!
• The aroma should be pretty fantastic. Just ladle the soup out into your favorite soup bowls, cups, or mugs, or serve it in a tureen at the table so you can help yourselves!

This soup is great with any crusty bread (even better if it’s warm bread), or a small salad. The Beer Bread mix I found at Trader Joe’s is a super combination.

Read more about this soup and the beer bread here in my post.

If you’re in need of a good stockpot, I think one of these would serve well. Check them out!

I think it’s hard to miss with Cuisinart products. The one above is stainless steel, no nickel, with a glass cover (so nice to see what’s cooking!) and it’s an 8 quart pot which will hold a LOT of soup!
Or – you might like this one, which is a bit smaller but a great pot for soup, stew, or pot roast, too.

Either one of these pots would serve well for soup or a myriad of other uses. The Le Creuset model above, shown in blue, is porcelain coated and porcelain lined, so it’s a great finish for a soup/stock pot. No metal ions leaching out into your soup! Le Creuset is a 6 quart pot – it’s available in a number of colors, or if you want a larger pot, there are a number of the same pot in larger sizes to choose from as well.

I love sharing my favorite recipes and I want to hear about yours! Please comment below and tell us more – and let us know if you made the soup and how you liked it.

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