My dad makes the best beef soup, like the best beef soup! Before he moved down South to get away from the snow we used to go to his house for dinner 2 or 3 times a week. He had his standard meals he would cook us. We either had sauce, doctored up from Michaels, a local restaurant, or it was his famous breaded fried pork chops (delicious) always with frozen cauliflower, boiled and buttered, and then the beef soup. Did I mention it is the BEST beef soup.
Now mind you, he was in his late 70’s at the time and did all his own cooking, and at ripe young age of 84, he is still cooking all his own meals, well except for the occasional times that my niece brings him Jumboth (Giambotta).
It starts with a 3 pound chuck roast.
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Washed and cut veggies, as I mention I like big pieces.
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This is how full the pan is when you have everything in the pot.
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About 4 hours later you can see how much it has gone down. This is how your soup develops flavor.
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Here is his recipe, it is simple and delicious. I make a very large pot so there are left overs for the freezer. I hope you enjoy it!
Ingredients
3 lb Chuck roast
8 carrots
1 med bunch celery
1 large onion
~8 oz canned whole tomatoes, smooshed
Your favorite soup macaroni (orzo, anci de pepi, small bowties, broken up thin spaghetti)
Salt and pepper
In a large stock pot, place the whole roast (don’t cut it up) and add almost 2 gallons of water. I never measure my water. I just know how much to add by the pot I always use, but because I wanted to be able to write this recipe, I measured. It was 28 cups of water, exactly. Place it on the stove and bring to a boil.
While the pot is coming to a boil, prep the vegetables. I like my vegetables big so I cut mine into 2" pieces. Wash and cut the celery, leaves and all. For the carrots, it is your choice if you want to peel the carrots or scrub them with a vegetable brush, cut into 2’ pieces. The onion I peel and cut in half. If you prefer, you can cut the celery and carrots into ½" pieces for your soup and chop the onion.
Once the pot comes to a boil, skim the scum off the top. You will see what I mean by "scum" when your pot starts to boil and a foamy substance appears on top. I use a small strainer but a slotted spoon will work also. After you get all the scum off and the water is boiling, add all the vegetables. Give it a stir. Then add your smooshed tomatoes. I like Cento canned whole tomatoes. They only come in a 28 oz. can so I use a little less than ½ the can. Smoosh them with your hand, remove the hard stem piece. Then pour about ½ the juice from the can into the pot. Now add a generous amount of salt and pepper.
Bring it back to a boil then lower the heat so it remains at a soft boil. Medium low heat should keep it there. Make sure it is not covered as you want the steam to escape. Now walk away. Your soup needs to cook for at least 4 ½ hours. It should go down about 3 inches in the pot (see picture above). When it is done, the meat will just fall apart. If your soup tastes blah at this point, let it remain at a soft boil longer. The more it goes down in the pan, the richer the flavor.
Cook the macaroni separately. Drain the macaroni about 2 minutes less than being done. Return the macaroni to the pan you cooked it in and add soup from the pot to finish the cooking time. When the macaroni is done add more broth and some of the meat and veggies and serve piping hot! Okay, so my dad hated hot soup. Truth be told, he put his soup on a plate and ate it. Yes, a plate. But preferable, serve your soup in a big bowl, you want to be sure you have plenty of broth. I serve with a little grated cheese on top and some parsley leaves!
You will be able to freeze your leftover soup from the soup pan without the macaroni in it and make fresh macaroni so it does not get too mushy in the soup. I freeze mine in Ziploc Freezer bags. Eat Delicious!
3 lb Chuck roast
8 carrots
1 med bunch celery
1 large onion
~8 oz canned whole tomatoes, smooshed
Your favorite soup macaroni (orzo, anci de pepi, small bowties, broken up thin spaghetti)
Salt and pepper
In a large stock pot, place the whole roast (don’t cut it up) and add almost 2 gallons of water. I never measure my water. I just know how much to add by the pot I always use, but because I wanted to be able to write this recipe, I measured. It was 28 cups of water, exactly. Place it on the stove and bring to a boil.
While the pot is coming to a boil, prep the vegetables. I like my vegetables big so I cut mine into 2" pieces. Wash and cut the celery, leaves and all. For the carrots, it is your choice if you want to peel the carrots or scrub them with a vegetable brush, cut into 2’ pieces. The onion I peel and cut in half. If you prefer, you can cut the celery and carrots into ½" pieces for your soup and chop the onion.
Once the pot comes to a boil, skim the scum off the top. You will see what I mean by "scum" when your pot starts to boil and a foamy substance appears on top. I use a small strainer but a slotted spoon will work also. After you get all the scum off and the water is boiling, add all the vegetables. Give it a stir. Then add your smooshed tomatoes. I like Cento canned whole tomatoes. They only come in a 28 oz. can so I use a little less than ½ the can. Smoosh them with your hand, remove the hard stem piece. Then pour about ½ the juice from the can into the pot. Now add a generous amount of salt and pepper.
Bring it back to a boil then lower the heat so it remains at a soft boil. Medium low heat should keep it there. Make sure it is not covered as you want the steam to escape. Now walk away. Your soup needs to cook for at least 4 ½ hours. It should go down about 3 inches in the pot (see picture above). When it is done, the meat will just fall apart. If your soup tastes blah at this point, let it remain at a soft boil longer. The more it goes down in the pan, the richer the flavor.
Cook the macaroni separately. Drain the macaroni about 2 minutes less than being done. Return the macaroni to the pan you cooked it in and add soup from the pot to finish the cooking time. When the macaroni is done add more broth and some of the meat and veggies and serve piping hot! Okay, so my dad hated hot soup. Truth be told, he put his soup on a plate and ate it. Yes, a plate. But preferable, serve your soup in a big bowl, you want to be sure you have plenty of broth. I serve with a little grated cheese on top and some parsley leaves!
You will be able to freeze your leftover soup from the soup pan without the macaroni in it and make fresh macaroni so it does not get too mushy in the soup. I freeze mine in Ziploc Freezer bags. Eat Delicious!
Growing up my parents and grandparents served all the meat and vegetables on a separate plate. Then you would add it to your bowl of soup. Sometimes when I am feeling nostalgic and have the kids over for dinner, I will do this :)
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