Vegetable Beef Soup

I love soup. Love, love, love it. I could eat it every day. Unfortunatly, my family doesn’t feel the same way, but this soup is always a hit. Though I tend to increase the amounts of all the veggies and my soup ends up more like a stew. Or casserole. But, hey, it tastes yummy no matter how “soupy” it really is. I also love this recipe because you almost always have the ingredients in your pantry and freezer. And you can always sub out some veggies for others, though I think this combo is perfection in a bowl.

Ingredients:

• 10 cups beef broth
• 1 1/2 lbs lean beef cubes (or use round steak or chuck roast and cube it)
• 2 tbs olive oil or fat of choice (coconut oil here, whoop!)
• 2 (17oz) cans of diced tomatos (or 1 28 oz can)
• 1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup sliced celery
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 8 oz frozen whole kernel corn
• 8 oz frozen sliced okra
• 1/2 to 1 cup elbow macaroni (optional)
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp oregano
• 3/4 tsp thyme
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 bay leaf

In a large stock pot, brown the beef in your fat of choice. Add everything else except the okra and macaroni (if using). Bring to boil and reduce heat to simmer for 1-1 1/2 hours. Add okra/macaroni, bring to boil and cook until done (usually about 20 minutes).

This recipe freezes really well, esp if you don’t use the noodles.