Dort’s Vegetable Beef Soup

As I write this on Christmas morning, it’s warmish and humid in north-central Arkansas. And on Christmas Day, no one is thinking of big bowls of hearty soup, right?

But I made my mom’s Vegetable Beef Soup recipe many times over the summer, and it saved me from caving in to fast food or otherwise unhealthy food temptations. Maybe you’d like to have this one handy for the post-holiday hangover – something you can dump in a pot and forget for a while. Or hold onto the recipe for a busy workweek. (Tip: Cook the meat in advance and freeze it. The cooked soup freezes well, too.)

I first posted the recipe on my other blog, Suzy & Spice, but I had a request for it this morning and thought I’d share it here, too. After all, this is the space where you come for stuff that’s good for you and pleasant, amen?

As I wrote at Suzy & Spice last year:

One of the great things about my mom is that she has always gone out of her way to give her kids everything we needed and much of what we wanted (within reason). (I guess that’s a mom’s job, right?)

One of those ways is with food … 

So here’s the recipe from my mom, Dorothy (aka Dort), totally customizable to your and your family’s tastes. I originally cooked it on the stovetop like Mom does, but when I got my programmable slow cooker a couple of years ago, that was a game changer.

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Dort’s Vegetable Beef Soup

My mom shows her love by feeding us. She has made this hearty and healthful vegetable beef soup for years, so I named it after her!

Course

Main Dish, Soups

Prep Time

20-30 minutes

Cook Time

3-4 hours

Passive Time

3-4 hours

Servings

people

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. ground round
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 quarts tomato juice no sugar added
• 3-4 medium yellow squash, sliced
• 1/2 lb. okra, sliced
• 16 ounce bag frozen whole-kernel corn
• 1 small head cabbage, coarsely chopped
• garlic powder to taste
• salt and pepper to taste

Course Main Dish, Soups Prep Time 20-30 minutes Cook Time 3-4 hours Passive Time 3-4 hours Servings people Ingredients 2 lbs. ground round 1 large onion, chopped 1 1/2 quarts tomato juice no sugar added 3-4 medium yellow squash, sliced 1/2 lb. okra, sliced 16 ounce bag frozen whole-kernel corn 1 small head cabbage, coarsely chopped garlic powder to taste salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Crumble ground round in skillet. Add onion, and cook until meat is browned. Drain, then add garlic powder, salt and pepper.
2. Transfer to large soup pot or slow cooker. Add tomato juice and vegetables.
3. Cover and cook 3-4 hours on low heat if using stovetop, or 7-8 hours on low setting in slow cooker, stirring occasionally.

Recipe Notes

OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS:

• Bag of mixed vegetables instead of bag of corn.
• Green beans.
• Red potatoes (cubed) or new potatoes (halved).

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