Steak and Potato Soup

I’ve been on a mission lately to use up the odds and ends of things in my freezer. It’s made for some interesting meals, some more successful than others ;)

This improvised soup was definitely one of the great ones! I started with a good sized piece of sirloin steak to use up and added some frozen peas with fresh carrots and potatoes. Other vegetables such as spinach, mushrooms, corn and green beans would be great in this soup, as well.

One of the tricks to getting great flavour in this soup is to be sure to let the meat brown. Often when browning meat, the pot will end up with a lot of liquid in it from the meat. You really need to just be patient and keep cooking until all the liquid is gone and you can get that great browning on the meat and the bottom of the pan. This step will make all the difference in the flavour in your finished soup.

Be sure to taste and season your soup with salt and pepper if needed (a lot depends on the saltiness of your chicken broth), adding a bit more of any of the other seasonings as needed. I thickened my soup at the end with a bit of cornstarch mixed with water since that’s the way my family seems to prefer it, but feel free to leave it thinner if you like.

Summary: This soup is a great soup for the cooler weather months and is hearty enough to be a meal. Add any vegetables you like (fresh or frozen). Beans, mushrooms, corn or greens such as spinach would be great in this soup to up the vegetable count. Serve with a crusty bread.

Ingredients

1-2 Tbsp. olive or vegetable oil
2 1/2 – 3 cups uncooked. diced beef steak, trimmed of fat and cut into cubes (you don’t want them too big as this is a soup and not a stew. I like to keep them smallish and no bigger than the size of the potato pieces)
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
3 small potatoes, diced (no need to peel unless you prefer, cut the same size as the beef pieces)
2 carrots, diced
1 – 1 1/2 cups frozen green peas or beans
4 cups chicken broth
1/4 – 1/3 cup ketchup
Pinch of thyme and steak spice
Splash of Worcestershire and/or HP sauce (or other steak sauce)
(Optional, to thicken soup at end, if desired)
1-2 Tbsp. cornstarch mixed with 2-3 Tbsp. water

Instructions

Heat oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add beef cubes and cook, stirring until any liquid has cooked off and meat is browned (be patient and allow liquid to cook off, as the browning process at the end is what will provide great flavour for your soup.)
Once liquid has evaporated and meat is browning, add onion and cook, stirring until onion is tender (you can add another splash of oil if it need it to prevent sticking). Add garlic and cook a minute, until softened and fragrant.
Add chicken broth, potatoes and carrots, ketchup, spices and Worcestershire and/or steak sauce. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add frozen peas or bean and cook a further 5-10 minutes. If desired, thicken soup with cornstarch mixed with water and cook until thickened.

Prep time: 10 min | Cook time: 20 min | Total time: 30 min

Number of servings (yield): 4

Photo

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Mushroom Beef Barley Soup

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