Easy Vegetable Beef Soup

Have I mentioned I detest cold weather? Temperatures have hit in the single digits for the past two days in Northeast Arkansas. I’m accustomed to being able to dash out to the grocery store with only a sweater and a warm scarf, but not when the wind chill is below zero. Yesterday I bundled in so many layers I could hardly move, and my Ugg boots became functional, rather than fashionable.

Weather this cold calls for some seriously warming food, so I made Vegetable Beef Soup to knock out the chill. This recipe is my own, so give it a try and let me know what you think.

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Easy Vegetable Beef Soup

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 – 2 pounds stew beef (I like to use rib eye steak), trimmed and cut into bite size pieces
Salt and pepper to sprinkle beef
All purpose flour for dredging beef
1 (46 oz.) can tomato juice
1 (10 oz.) can diced tomatoes and green chiles
1 (14.5 oz.) can beef broth
1 (29 oz.) can mixed vegetables, drained (I like Veg-all because of the good variety of vegetables)
1/4 teaspoon basil
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 bay leaf

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat, add onions and garlic, sauté until tender. Transfer onions and garlic to a large dutch oven. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil to the skillet. Sprinkle the beef with salt and pepper, then dredge in flour. Brown the beef lightly in a single layer over medium heat in the olive oil. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beef to the dutch oven with the onions and garlic. Add tomato juice, tomatoes and green chiles, beef broth, vegetables, basil, thyme, salt, and bay leaf to the dutch oven. Stir all together, and heat to boiling. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Remove bay leaf before serving.