QUICK AND EASY VEGETABLE BEEF SOUP FROM TOM WICKLAND

Tom has been making his vegetable beef soup for years.  Tom is the father of my "adopted" daughter, Dede.  Dede and her children love this soup as do I.  However, when ever Tom was asked for his recipe he said he didn't have one.  He just threw the soup together. 

Dede and I both know that if family recipes aren't written down, they can suddenly be lost forever.  Dede and her brothers have never been able to duplicate their late Mom's Potato Salad. 

Dede kept asking for a recipe and her Dad's reply was always the same.  "I don't have one."

A few years ago, Dede and I insisted he write down what he puts into his soup.  We told him that if he didn't, we would barricade US 31, the highway he takes to get to Florida in the winter.  Threats are sometime needed to preserve a family's cooking legacy.

TOM WICKLUND’S VEGETABLE SOUP

To make the soup even easier, used a couple of cans of carrots and a can of potatoes.

1 to 1 ½ lb. beef stew meat

7 bouillon cubes

8 c water

2 medium onions, diced

2 stalks of celery plus some of the heart, diced

1 lb. carrots, 3 to 4 large carrots, sliced

3 to 4 medium potatoes, diced

1 can (16oz) green beans, drain ½ way

1 can (16oz) corn, drain ½ way

1 can (16oz) peas, drain ½ way

2 cans (16oz) diced tomatoes with juice

Ingredients:  Beef stew meat, diced tomatoes, beef bouillon, carrots, onions, celery, corn, green beans, potatoes, salt and pepper. 

 

 

 

To the soup I like to add some beef broth for part of the water, drained dark red kidney beans, chopped red bell pepper, and Lima beans.

 



Put water in large soup pot.  Add bouillon cubes, onions and celery.  Boil for 20 minutes.  Brown meat in a separate pan.  Heavily sprinkle black pepper on both sides of the meat.  Put meat in soup pot and bring to a boil.  Simmer while cutting up carrots, potatoes and opening cans of vegetables.  Add all ingredients to soup and simmer for a couple of hours.  Serve with crackers.

I cut the stew beef in small cubes.

Chop celery, carrots, and onions.

 

 

 

 

 



 Onions, carrots and celery are ready for the soup pot.

 

 

 

Water and beef bouillon.

 

 

 



Soup with bouillon, water, and chopped vegetables.

 

 

 

Brown meat in a hot pan.  Do not over crowd the pieces as the meat will steam and not brown.

 

 

 

 



Sprinkle black pepper on all sides of the meat.

 

 

 

 



Put meat into soup pot.  Use some hot water to get the brown goodness off of the bottom of the pan.  Add to soup.

 

 

 

 



Drain the kidney beans.

Chop potatoes, red bell pepper, and carrots.

 

 

 

 



Open the cans of vegetables and add them to the soup pot.

 

 

 

 



Bring the soup to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer until meat is tender. 

 

 

Soup almost done.

 

 

 

 



Remove some broth from soup.  Taste for seasoning.  Adjust seasoning to your taste.

 

 

 



Enjoy!

 

 

 

 



Enjoy, enjoy and write your family's recipes down for the next generation.