Category Archives: soup

I had  about a pound of hamburger (ground chuck) which was 80/20(lean) and I had a bunch of awesome veggies so why not? You’ll need some Beef Stock, some tomato paste, some garlic and a few other ingredients and you get this warming wonderful soup for the cold days ahead. I also made awesome little parmesan crisps to serve with soup. It’s hearty enough to eat as a meal and very enjoyable. I love soup as a meal and when it contains protein and vegetables it’s a truly hearty enjoyable meal.

I used orange, red and yellow peppers but green peppers are perfectly fine. I really did use what I had in the house so you should try to do the same. Red Potatoes were perfect because they are thin-skinned and hold their texture and shape well.

Parmesan Crisps are just delicious and pure perfection and all you need is some Parmesan Cheese and I used Silpat but you can use parchment paper which is important in the execution of this recipe. So either Silpat or Parchment.

Ingredients: for Soup

1 – 1 1/2 lbs. of ground chuck, I used the 80/20 mixture because I needed a little of the fat. 90/10 gives you very little fat and since I wasn’t using any other fats I figured it would have better flavor. You can always pour off after browning meat if there is too much fat.

1 small-medium yellow onion, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 can diced tomatoes , 28 oz.

4 cups Beef Stock, and you may need to add more liquid but you can use water

1 whole yellow pepper, seeded and diced

1 whole red pepper, seeded and diced

1 whole orange pepper, seeded and diced . Again I used what was in my house you can use any color peppers you like. Green is perfectly suitable and will give it a nice flavor

3 whole carrots, peeled and I sliced on the diagonal

4 whole red potatoes, depending on their size you may only use 3. I used 4 smallish ones. Cut into chunks

3 tablespoons tomato paste

Kosher Salt to taste, I used app. 1 teaspoon at the beginning and added as needed

Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste as well, I started out with app. 1/2 teaspoon and added more as needed

1/2 teaspoon ground oregano

1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper, more to individual taste

Directions:

In a large Dutch Oven kind of pot ( Le Creuset once again) over medium-high heat, brown up the meat along with the onion, celery, and garlic. When meat is finished cooking and vegetables are soft, drain off as much as the fat as you can. I honestly had almost none. If you do which will depend on the fat content of your meat you will discard the fat . I used 80/20 if you use 90/10 you’ll have even less fat and the meat is a bit dryer. I prefer 80/20 and I had no fat.

Return the pot to the heat and add all of the other ingredients. Stir to combine, then bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, then cover the pot and simmer the soup for a while, you’ll want potatoes to be tender to the fork but not mushy.

I made it in the afternoon, let it simmer for about 1 1/2 hours. I then refrigerated it till the night we were eating it.

Soup was rather thick, and I wanted it a little bit soupier so I added a mixture of extra beef broth and hot water and I heated through. Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking, adding more salt if you need it.

Serve with Parmesan Crisps or sprinkle ground Parmesan into soup.

Parmesan Crisps:

these are as easy as 1 2 3. One ingredient. Wow!! you will just need a rimmed baking tray and I used silpat sheets but parchment paper will work just fine.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

add 1 heaping teaspoon of grated parmesan onto a silicone or parchment paper lined baking sheet. Pat down a little bit and space at least 1/2 ” apart. ( see picture)

Bake for 3-5 minutes till golden and crisp.

Allow to cool for a few minutes.