My version of Beefy Tuscan Vegetable Soup is made with beef leftover from collecting beef bones. I boil the bones, cool them, strain them reserving the stock for the soup and then pick through the bones to get the meat. So, it’s a little labor-intensive plus takes two hours to make because I put the stock in the refrigerator to allow the fat to rise to the top and congeal. I’m telling you this up-front, so that when you print this recipe, you understand this. But, the good news is – you don’t have to do it MY way!
That’s right! You don’t have to do it my way, but can substitute beef broth or stock purchased from your grocery store! Are you clapping right now; doing the happy dance?
I’m in the advanced stages of middle-age (as in over-the-hill) and come from the generation where you still make soup from scratch. My father, my primary culinary professor, made soup from scratch, so I learned from him. Plus, I suffer from migraines and a lot of pre-made soups, broths, stocks including bouillon cubes, have MSG in them, which is a sure-fire migraine trigger for me. I practice avoidance {grin}.
So, I collect bones.
I have chicken bones, beef bones, pork bones, turkey bones. I haven’t (yet) resorted to saving fish bones! They’re just too tiny! I think I’m developing a reputation as “the bone collector” in my family! Whenever we have a piece of meat that has bones in it, I stash the bones in the freezer and save them until I have enough to make soup. Or gravy. Or a casserole. Or burritos. Or soft tacos. Or chicken and dumplings.
Yep, I’ve made gravy from bones – stay tuned for that post! Anyway, I’m sharing this little tidbit of information because it really is kinda funny. I have an extra freezer in our garage and one whole shelf is bones! Here’s a picture:
It looks like the shelf is bowing because of the weight of the bones, but it’s not. This picture was taken with my iPhone instead of my fancy, dancy camera!
Anyway, this soup is delicious and extremely satisfying on a cold winter day (yes, on occasion, we have ‘cold’ winter days; at least what we consider cold, which is about 50 degrees Fahrenheit! I know – we are complete wusses!). It’s chock-a-block full of vegetables, both canned, fresh and frozen (I use whatever I have on hand and on this day, I used all three!).
Here’s the recipe:
Beefy Tuscan Vegetable Soup
Full of vegetables, this soup is nutritious plus delicious!
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour 30 mins
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Soup
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 1 pound beef bones plus any saved meat bits (you can substitute three 32 ounce cartons of beef broth or stock)
- 1 1/2 gallons of water (don’t use water if you are using store-bought broth)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 small yellow onions (or 1 large onion), peeled and diced
- 3 stalks of celery, trimmed and diced
- 4 carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 medium-sized russet potatoes, peeled and diced
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 2 cups cooked beef, chopped into bite-sized pieces (I used leftovers from a rib-eye roast)
- 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes or diced tomatoes
- 1 cup frozen corn (can use canned corn or fresh corn)
- 14 ounces frozen cut Italian green beans
- 1 15 ounce can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 15 ounce can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 6 ounce can of tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, stripped from stems
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Salt to taste
- 8 ounces dried pasta, such as lumaconi, shells, macaroni, rigatoni
Instructions
- In a large stock pot, place bones, meat bits and cover with 1 1/2 gallons water.
- Bring to boil, reduce heat to medium and cook 1 hour.
- Remove bones and meat from stock with a fine-mesh sieve, placing bones and meat in a pan to cool.
- Refrigerate beef stock while you prepare the rest of the soup to allow the fat to rise to the top and congeal.
- Once beef bones have cooled to the touch, remove meat bits from bones, reserving chunks of beef and discarding bones and fat.
- If needed, cut beef into smaller pieces.
- Once beef stock has cooled and fat has risen to the top, skim fat from stock and discard.
- Return stock pot to stovetop and bring stock back up to a boil.
- Reduce heat to simmer and add reserved beef to stock in stock pot.
- While stock is simmering, in a separate skillet, heat olive oil.
- Add diced onions, potatoes, carrots and celery, stir to combine and sauté about 8 minutes.
- Add salt, pepper, garlic, oregano, sage and thyme and stir to combine and cook 2 minutes more.
- Add sautéed vegetables and herbs to soup pot.
- Add canned tomatoes, corn, frozen beans, canned beans.
- Add tomato paste to soup and mix well.
- Continue simmering 15 minutes, taste and correct seasoning (by adding more salt, if needed).
- Add pasta and cook about 8 minutes more.
- Serve.
Tootles,
Related Posts:
(other soup recipes)
I already pinned this but I just had to tell you again how delicious it sounds. Can’t wait to try this!
Thanks, Amee! That’s so kind of you to say! And, yes, it is delicious…hot and comforting on a cold winter’s day!