30-minute Beef and Vegetable Soup

Y'all know how crazy I am about soup, and I'm thrilled that we're heading back into SOUP SEASON! Whoop whoop! So, Andy and I went to the farmers' market this morning and loaded up on all sorts of goodies, and when we came home, after I did a complete clean out of my closet and drawers and packed away all my summer clothing, I decided to make soup. I had this recipe from Cook's Country for a quick beef and vegetable soup that looked worth trying. I made a few alterations to it, but whipped it up in roughly 30 minutes, and it is quite tasty. I don't think I've ever made a beef soup with ground beef, but it's really good.

Now, in case you want to know the original recipe, it called for a 14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes, where I used fresh heirloom tomatoes instead, and the recipe did not call for Worcestershire sauce or lemon juice. But, I gotta tell you ... if you take nothing else away from this post, don't leave out the lemon juice! On any broth-based soup, if you finish it with a little squirt of fresh lemon juice, you'll amplify the taste like nobody's business! It wakes up the taste buds and brings out every other flavor in the soup. Seriously, don't leave out the lemon juice! Okay, enough talking ... let's get to that recipe. And in case you're wondering, there is no typo when you don't see oil or butter in the ingredient list. You don't need it in this soup ... it is flavor packed ... cuts down on calories, too.

30-minute Beef and Vegetable Soup
Ingredients:
1 lb. 90% lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 tsp dried oregano
Salt and pepper
4 cups beef broth
14.5 oz. fresh tomatoes cut into chunks (plus all the juices!)
8 oz. Yukon Gold or small white potatoes (NOT Russets), cut into 1/2-inch pieces
6 oz. fresh green beans, trimmed and cut on bias into 1-inch lengths
2 tbs fresh parsley
1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp fresh lemon juice (FRESH is key)

1. In Dutch oven over medium-high heat, cook onions, beef, carrots, oregano, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper until beef is no longer pink, about 6 minutes.

2. Add broth, tomatoes, and their juice, Worcestershire sauce, and potatoes. Bring to boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer, covered until potatoes are almost tender, about 10 minutes.

3. Add green beans and cook, uncovered, until vegetables are tender and soup has thickened slightly, 10-12 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add lemon juice and stir to combine. Serve, sprinkled with parsley.