Hearty Beef Vegetable Soup

Better than canned, every time!

A cool breeze, listening to the leaves rustling in the trees, a crackling fire, the crunch of  fallen leaves beneath my feet.  Autumn!  My favorite time of year!   The time for hearty meals, stews, soups, fall spices in my baking and candlelight dinners. 

Although, those candlelit evenings are lovely, my husband usually breaks the mood when he walks through the door and asks, "Are we having a séance tonight?"   Yeah, he really is a funny guy!

But, he's always thrilled to see a pot of soup simmering on the stove.  This, easy to make, soup is filled with tender,  juicy beef, healthy vegetables, and it's all simmered in a delicious, rich broth!  Perfect for lunch or dinner.  It looks like a lot of ingredients, but  most of the veggies are frozen, so you just dump them into the broth.  

A friend, and fellow "foodie" gave me this recipe years ago, and it's never failed to please!  It brings back precious memories of Bible study at her home, where she would provide the most scrumptious goodies for us.  What a wonderful time we had together during those meetings, so many years ago.   I remember that group of women so fondly, and especially when I get to make one of Gail's delicious recipes!

Ingredients:

2 lb. stew beef (cut  into small bite-size pieces)
Enough water, plus 2 cans beef broth to make 4 quarts

1 (1lb. 12oz) can tomato puree

1 (6oz.) can tomato paste

1 tsp. sugar

4 c. thinly sliced cabbage

1 1/2 c. chopped onions

2-3 carrots (diced into small pieces)

3/4 c. chopped celery

1 bag frozen lima beans

1 bag frozen cut green beans

1 bag frozen peas

1 bag frozen corn

2-3 potatoes, cubed

1 tsp. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. Basil
1/4 tsp. oregano

2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

Fill large 12 qt. pot with water/beef broth mix, tomato puree, tomato paste and sugar.  Bring to a simmer and add cabbage, onions, carrots, chopped celery, frozen vegetables and potatoes.  Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, brown beef in skillet; then, add to simmering stock and vegetables.

Add parsley, salt and pepper to taste; stir.  Cover and simmer for 2-3 hours to bring out all the flavors.   Stir occasionally.

"I do not want to merely possess faith;  I want a faith that possesses me!"  -Charles Kingsley