I love a hot bowl of vegetable soup when the weather is cold. It seems to warm you from the inside out and that's a good thing when you live in the cold climate as I do. I usually make this soup on the weekend when I don't have to go into work, so it has time to simmer on the stove top and the flavors have time to blend.
I made a big kettle this weekend, enough so that I can take it for my lunch at work for the week and also to share with the rest of the family. It wouldn't be fair if I saved it all for myself, since my family enjoys it as much as I do.
Usually when I make my vegetable soup I don't use herbs or spices of any sort. I like to use some beef bullion and some salt and pepper and leave it at that, but since I have started my blog I am determined to try new things. So once again I have stepped out of my cooking comfort zone and tried to change things up again a little bit.
I decided to add a little rosemary and bay leaf in this soup and what a difference it made. Everyone said that it was some of the best vegetable soup that I have made. I guess I found a new way to make vegetable soup. I sure am glad that I started my blog and I think my family is too. We have been trying things that we would not have normally tried and it has been a great experience.
Hearty Vegetable Soup
2 to 3 Beef soup bones
2 1/2 quarts water
3/4 cup barley
2 medium onions
1 cup carrots
3 stalks celery
3 medium potatoes
14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes
3 beef bouillon cubes
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon rosemary
salt and pepper to taste
In a large soup kettle cook soup bones until meat is done. Remove bones from kettle and strain the broth (I like to strain the broth once the bones are cooked). Remove meat from the soup bones and add back to the broth. I like to chop my vegetables so that I have about bite size pieces, but you can cut to the size that you like. Add the vegetables to the beef broth, once the vegetable are added it is time to add the bouillon, rosemary, bay leaf and the salt and pepper to taste. Bring this to a boil and turn down to simmer. I like to simmer for a good hour, but be careful not to over cook, because the vegetables will become mushy.
(Note: If you like to have more meat in your soup you can use a small roast beef instead of the soup bones).
I love vegetable soup although I am not sure where to get the beef soup bones. I bet that give this some great flavor. We always add a little bit of thyme to my soup. Rosemary and Bay Leaf are great herbs to add. Very nice!
ReplyDeleteI am not much of a soup person, I have to admit, but I do agree, that a bowl of hot soup is good for cold/rainy weathers!
ReplyDeleteI like vegetable soup too;)
i love that my blog has got me cooking so so many things i just wouldn't have attempted! this looks yum ;)
ReplyDeleteI love vegetable soup. Lots of onions it. Just the way I like it.
ReplyDeleteI quite often make a big pot of vegetable soup - it's a good way of getting veg into my family lol.
ReplyDeleteThere is something very comforting about soup. If I'm feeling sad, under the weather or just plain cold I have a bowl of soup and I usually feel the better of it. :))
Your soup looks and sounds delicious and all of your photos look very good. Thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving a comment.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a great hot soup! Very hearty and comforting!
ReplyDeleteI've never made a beef broth from bones before. Come to think of it, I've never actually bought beef on the bone. Do you buy your meat on the bone? Or do you buy just the bones from a butcher?
ReplyDeleteI love vegetable soups!! so comfort! gloria
ReplyDeleteMary and Becki, I should explain the soup bones. As I stated in my profile I grew up on a farm, now my brothers run the farm. With growing up on the farm we have always done our own butchering. But I am sure if you went to your butcher and asked for soup bones or soup meat that they would be able to help you with that.
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