Old-Fashioned Beef Vegetable Soup

By srumbel

Chilly days require warm tummies and a bowlful of beef vegetable soup does a great job of that!
from gratefulprayerthankfulheart.com

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs. stew beef, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 + tablespoons oil
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 celery ribs, chopped
• 3 large carrots, peeled and chopped
• 4 cups water
• 4 cups beef broth
• 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 4 cups cabbage, coarsely chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup corn (I cut from the cob but frozen or canned corn works too)
• 1 cup fresh or frozen green beans
• 1/2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce (optional)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 Tbs. brown sugar (optional)
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup small dry pasta, cooked and drained

Preparation

Step 1

Blot beef cubes dry with a paper towel. In a large pot or dutch oven, saute meat in small batches, in oil on medium-high heat until all sides are brown. Set aside.

Saute garlic, onion, celery and carrots in oil, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add browned beef, water, broth, tomatoes, cabbage and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered until beef is tender, about an hour. Add corn, green beans, hot sauce, salt, pepper and brown sugar to soup; simmer 10 minutes more. Stir in cooked pasta and heat through.
Yields 4-quarts