Hearty Beef and Vegetable Soup
By America's Test KitchenPublished on March 14, 2013
Yield
Serves 6 to 8 (Makes about 3 quarts)
Ingredients
<B>Broth</b>
3 pounds blade steaks (about 8 steaks)2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 tablespoon tomato paste 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth 4 cups low-sodium beef broth 2 cups water 1 head garlic, top third cut off and discarded, loose outer skins removed2 bay leaves ½ teaspoon dried thyme<B>Soup</b>
1 tablespoon unsalted butter 1 medium onion, chopped fine2 medium carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise, and cut into ¼-inch half-moons1 can (14 ½ ounces) diced tomatoes, drainedChopped fresh parsleyBefore You Begin
It may be impossible to please all of the people all of the time, but that doesn't mean you can't try. You can use the ingredients as included in the main recipe, or you can use vegetables you like and/or have on hand; options are listed after step 5.
Instructions
- For the broth: Season blade steaks with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add half of steaks and cook until well browned on both sides, about 8 minutes. Set steaks aside on plate. Repeat with remaining tablespoon oil and steaks.
- Pour off fat from Dutch oven and return to medium-high heat. Add tomato paste and cook, mashing paste with wooden spoon, for 30 seconds. Add chicken broth, beef broth, and water, and scrape browned bits from bottom of pot with wooden spoon. Return steaks and any accumulated juices to pot. Add garlic, bay leaves, and thyme and bring to simmer, using wide, shallow spoon to skim off foam or fat that rises to surface. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently (do not boil) until meat is tender, about 2 hours.
- Transfer steaks and garlic head to rimmed plate to cool. Once cool enough to handle, shred meat into bite-sized pieces, discarding any fat. Using tongs, squeeze garlic cloves into small bowl. Mash with fork until paste forms. Pour broth through fine-mesh strainer. Return shredded beef and garlic paste to broth. (Broth can be refrigerated for 3 days or frozen for 2 months.)
- For the soup: Melt butter in clean Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and carrots and cook until onion is softened but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and broth. Bring to simmer, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until carrots are tender, about 20 minutes.
- To serve, adjust seasonings with salt and pepper and sprinkle with parsley.
Yield
Serves 6 to 8 (Makes about 3 quarts)Ingredients
<B>Broth</b>
3 pounds blade steaks (about 8 steaks)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon tomato paste
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
4 cups low-sodium beef broth
2 cups water
1 head garlic, top third cut off and discarded, loose outer skins removed
2 bay leaves
½ teaspoon dried thyme
<B>Soup</b>
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 medium onion, chopped fine
2 medium carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise, and cut into ¼-inch half-moons
1 can (14 ½ ounces) diced tomatoes, drained
Chopped fresh parsley
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
<B>Broth</b>
3 pounds blade steaks (about 8 steaks)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon tomato paste
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
4 cups low-sodium beef broth
2 cups water
1 head garlic, top third cut off and discarded, loose outer skins removed
2 bay leaves
½ teaspoon dried thyme
<B>Soup</b>
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 medium onion, chopped fine
2 medium carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise, and cut into ¼-inch half-moons
1 can (14 ½ ounces) diced tomatoes, drained
Chopped fresh parsley
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
<B>Broth</b>
3 pounds blade steaks (about 8 steaks)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon tomato paste
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
4 cups low-sodium beef broth
2 cups water
1 head garlic, top third cut off and discarded, loose outer skins removed
2 bay leaves
½ teaspoon dried thyme
<B>Soup</b>
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 medium onion, chopped fine
2 medium carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise, and cut into ¼-inch half-moons
1 can (14 ½ ounces) diced tomatoes, drained
Chopped fresh parsley
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
When developing a Hearty Beef and Vegetable Soup recipe, we wanted to “doctor" typically tinny canned beef broth to serve as the base for our soup. To accomplish this, we enriched a blend of canned beef and chicken broths with meaty but lean blade steaks. We seared the steaks and simmered the broth in the same pan, so the broth would benefit from the fond—the brown bits left in the pan after the meat was seared. Adding the vegetables once the broth was ready ensured it tasted beefy, not vegetal. Finally, tomato paste gave our Hearty Beef and Vegetable Soup both depth and sweetness.
Before You Begin
It may be impossible to please all of the people all of the time, but that doesn't mean you can't try. You can use the ingredients as included in the main recipe, or you can use vegetables you like and/or have on hand; options are listed after step 5.
Instructions
- For the broth: Season blade steaks with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add half of steaks and cook until well browned on both sides, about 8 minutes. Set steaks aside on plate. Repeat with remaining tablespoon oil and steaks.
- Pour off fat from Dutch oven and return to medium-high heat. Add tomato paste and cook, mashing paste with wooden spoon, for 30 seconds. Add chicken broth, beef broth, and water, and scrape browned bits from bottom of pot with wooden spoon. Return steaks and any accumulated juices to pot. Add garlic, bay leaves, and thyme and bring to simmer, using wide, shallow spoon to skim off foam or fat that rises to surface. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently (do not boil) until meat is tender, about 2 hours.
- Transfer steaks and garlic head to rimmed plate to cool. Once cool enough to handle, shred meat into bite-sized pieces, discarding any fat. Using tongs, squeeze garlic cloves into small bowl. Mash with fork until paste forms. Pour broth through fine-mesh strainer. Return shredded beef and garlic paste to broth. (Broth can be refrigerated for 3 days or frozen for 2 months.)
- For the soup: Melt butter in clean Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and carrots and cook until onion is softened but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and broth. Bring to simmer, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until carrots are tender, about 20 minutes.
- To serve, adjust seasonings with salt and pepper and sprinkle with parsley.
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