favorite big-batch soup

a favorite soup with cream cheese & chives

This is a favorite soup. It takes a half-hour to make, an hour to simmer, and that's it, dinner's covered for the next few days. Done. Surprisingly, it needs very little seasoning and mixings can be added at serving time. Mixings could be pesto, sour cream, cheese, cream cheese, salsa, herbs, and sometimes when there's not much left, I stretch it by adding a fried egg topped with cheese, a la ratatouille. Every meal can be different. It's quite a lot of soup and, of course, it's better the next day. 

It's based on a recipe by Nutritionist Ann Louise Gittleman but at this point, I feel like it's morphed into my own. This is what the frozen tomato sauce from our homegrown tomatoes goes into. This is what weeds and greens and vegetables from the garden go into. And this is what all the odd bits & pieces in the fridge go into.

I've only used grass-fed ground beef but I don't see why a person couldn't substitute another meat or a soy product.

A Favorite Soup

2 lbs. grass-fed ground beef or other protein
2 16 oz. cans or the equivalent of tomato something: sauce, puree, chopped, whole
3-4 cups water, depending on how much liquid you want
1 onion, chopped
1-2 green and/or red peppers, chopped
2-3 stalks celery, chopped
4-5 cloves garlic, chopped
2-4 cups any chopped vegetables--green beans, squash, mushrooms, cabbage, etc.
1 vegetable bouillon cube, salt-free (optional)
2 cups greens--spinach, nettles, lamb's quarters, Swiss chard, etc.

Brown the protein, slowing adding the onions, peppers, celery and garlic. Then add all the remaining ingredients except for the greens. Cover and cook over low-medium for an hour, stirring often, and adjusting liquid. Add the greens 5-10 minutes before serving time. We salt & pepper at the table.

Also posted at Food Renegade.