This recipe actually originated with my great, great grandmother, Riley…well over 100 years ago. She used to make it for my grandmother, Dorothy, when she was a young girl.
Click this link for the original recipe, and below is the updated recipe I made tonight.
While it is always absolutely delicious when my grandmother makes it according to the original recipe, I wanted to update it a bit and boost certain flavors.
Start with a large covered pot. Stock pot size, preferably.
- 2 lb organic, grass fed ground beef – brown it on medium along with 3 tbsp minced garlic and 2 tbsp dried, minced onion.
- add generous amounts of cracked black pepper and garlic salt, to taste
- add 1.5 boxes or 3-4 cans beef broth
- 1 large can crushed tomatoes
- 1 can organic diced tomatoes (undrained)
- 1 can green beans (undrained)
- 2 bags frozen mixed vegetables
- 1-2 stalks organic celery, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
Optional; add any or all of the following, to taste:
- oregano
- thyme
- celery seed
- cumin
- coriander
- onion powder
- garlic powder
- red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper (go easy)
- 1 baking potato, cut in to bite sized pieces
- 2-3 bags Success rice (uncooked)
- add more beef broth or water if necessary
Heat to a boil then reduce to simmer, covered, for about two hours.
This recipe makes a lot of soup, so unless you have a really large family, plan on plenty mass quantities of leftovers…possibly even enough to freeze and/or share with a neighbor.
It’s also very adaptable so if you’d like to make a vegetarian version, replace the beef broth with vegetable broth and/or water, omit the ground beef, and up the veggies. You could also add potatoes, rice, and/or pasta in order to make it heartier.
Don’t be afraid to play around with it! I do, every time, and so far I’ve never gone wrong.
Oh, and one more tip. The more you warm this over, the better it is.
Enjoy!
