Ingredients (~6 servings)
- 4 1/2 tablespoons salted butter, divided
- 1 1/2 lbs beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 1/3 cup diced roasted red peppers
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 1/2 cups beef stock
- 3 cups water, plus more as needed
- 2 medium potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 1/2 cups frozen mixed vegetables (carrots, corn, peas, green beans)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon dried sage
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Sear the Beef
Pat the stew meat dry with paper towels and season it with salt and pepper.
Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of the butter. Once it melts, add the stew meat in a single layer.
Don’t overcrowd the pot; sear the meat in batches if you need to.
Let the meat brown on all sides without moving it too much. This creates a good crust. Once browned, transfer the meat to a bowl and set it aside. Lower the heat to medium.
Sauté the Aromatics
Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter to the pot. Once it melts, add the diced onion and roasted red peppers. Cook for ~4-5 minutes, until the onion softens.
Add the minced garlic and cook for another minute until you can smell it. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for ~1-2 minutes. This helps deepen the tomato flavor.
Deglaze and Simmer the Soup
Pour in the beef stock. Use a wooden spoon to scrape all the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. This is where a lot of the flavor is.
Add 3 cups of water and return the seared beef to the pot. Bring the liquid to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and let it cook for ~3 hours. The meat should be very tender when it’s done.
Keep an eye on the water level as it simmers. If the liquid reduces too much and the meat is no longer covered, add another cup of water to the pot.
Add the Vegetables
About an hour before you plan to serve, add the cubed potatoes to the pot. If the liquid level is low, add another cup of water. Bring the soup back to a simmer.
After ~40 minutes, the potatoes should be fork-tender. Add the frozen mixed vegetables and continue to cook for the last ~20 minutes.
The potatoes will start to break down a bit, and their starch will naturally thicken the soup. Taste and add more salt if it needs it before serving.
Hearty Beef and Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
Ingredients (~6 servings)
- 4 1/2 tablespoons salted butter divided
- 1 1/2 lbs beef stew meat cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 1/3 cup diced roasted red peppers
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 1/2 cups beef stock
- 3 cups water plus more as needed
- 2 medium potatoes cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 1/2 cups frozen mixed vegetables carrots, corn, peas, green beans
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon dried sage
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Pat beef dry and season with salt and pepper.
- Melt 1.5 tbsp butter in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear beef in batches until browned. Remove to bowl.
- Reduce heat to medium, melt remaining 3 tbsp butter. Cook onion and roasted peppers 4-5 minutes.
- Add garlic, cook 1 minute. Stir in tomato paste, cook 2 minutes.
- Add beef stock, scrape bottom. Add 3 cups water and return beef.
- Simmer covered on low 2 hours.
- Add potatoes, additional water if needed. Simmer 40 minutes.
- Add frozen vegetables, cook 20 minutes until potatoes are tender and breaking down.
- Season to taste.
