Recipe: Mom’s Southern Vegetable Beef Soup

Growing up I was blessed to have a Mother and Grandmother that were true southern cooks. This is my Mother’s soup recipe and of course I tweaked it just a little bit. One thing that is true about most homemade soups, they taste better and better each day. Overnight the soup tends to “season itself.” So if you think this soup is good the first night, hopefully you made a big enough batch for several days of leftovers, because it just gets better and better.

MOM’S SOUTHERN VEGETABLE BEEF SOUP

• 24-36 oz free range ground beef (or turkey)
• 4-32 oz carton’s free range chicken broth
• 2 medium onions chopped
• ½ green cabbage chopped
• 2 cups cauliflower chopped
• 2 med squash cut into ¼ inch slices then cut in half
• 1 c frozen okra
• 1-15.25 oz can white corn (yellow will work)
• 1-10 oz bag frozen lima beans
• 2 cups field peas or black-eyed peas
• 1-14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 6oz. can tomato paste
• 2 tsp salt (or to taste)
• 1/8 tsp ground pepper

Pour chicken broth into an 8 quart stainless steel soup pot. Add all vegetables. Mix tomato paste with water to make a smooth and creamy sauce. Stir sauce into the chicken broth and vegetables.

In large skillet brown meat thoroughly, drain off excess oil then add to soup. Stir in salt and pepper. Bring to boil the simmer for 3 hours. Serve with cornbread*

*To save time try Arrowhead Mills or Bob’s Red Mill Cornbread Mix. Sweeten with Health Masters Stevia.