The Most Flavorful Vegetable Beef Soup in Your Crockpot
My Vegetable Beef soup really ups the flavor ante with a few special ingredients!
When the cold weather sets in there is nothing like a really good bowl of soup filled with deliciousness! My family says I have ruined them for ever eating canned soups again, because I’m always looking for ways to boost the flavor. For this vegetable beef soup, there are a several keys for unlocking the flavor.
Sear The Beef
I love to sear the beef chunks in a super hot cast iron skillet. Just preheat the skillet with some vegetable oil until hot. Add the beef and season with Montreal Steak Seasoning. Sear the meat in several batches to avoid overcrowding the skillet. You want the beef to get a nice brown crust on it.
Once its done, add it to the crockpot, then sear the next batch. When all the meat is done, deglazed the pan with some red wine. Scrape up all the charred bits from the bottom of the pan. That’s flavor right there. You can also use beef broth or even water if you prefer not to use wine. Add this liquid to the crockpot.
Amp Up The Flavor
I use a beef base mixed in water for the broth. But here is where you can really amp up that flavor. First of all, I usually go heavy on the beef base. So if for 5 cups of water, the beef base says to use 2 tablespoons of of base, I’ll add 3 tablespoons.
Next I add 3 tablespoons each of tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce. Mix this all up in a measuring cup first to be sure all the flavor get evenly distributed.
Put It All Together
You’ve added the seared meat and the deglazing liquid to the crockpot, now add the flavorful broth, the bay leaves, garlic and onions.
Cook on low for 5 hours. At this time I add the frozen vegetable mix. Continue to cook for another 3 hours. And you will have the most delicious flavorful vegetable beef soup you’ve ever tasted.
So here are the secrets to the most flavorful vegetable beef soup ever:
- Sear the beef in an iron skillet
- Deglaze those charred bits – yum!
- Flavor boosters are beef base, tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce
And best of all, the slow cooking of the crockpot results in tender chunks of beef, and that broth has time to develop into a rich broth. OMG, grab your bowl and a big spoon, you’re going to want to get every drop of this soup!
The Most Flavorful Vegetable Beef Soup in Your Crockpot
Recipe Type: Soup
Author: Cobani Bleu
Don’t skip searing the beef, and be sure to use all the flavor boosters for this delicious soup.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 pounds stew meat or chuck roast cut into cubes
- Montreal seasoning
- Splash of red wine – 1/4 cup, you can use beef broth or water if you prefer
- Frozen vegetables – I used 2 12oz bags of a soup mix that includes corn, lima beans, green beans, peas, okra and potatoes. You can use whatever kind of veggies you like.
- 3 clove of garlic, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 tablespoons of beef base
- 3 tablespoons of tomato paste
- 3 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
- 5 cups of water, or enough to cover ingredients by 1/2 inch
Instructions
- Heat a cast iron skillet with vegetable oil on high heat.
- Add half the beef to the skillet and season with Montreal seasoning.
- Sear the beef until you have a nice golden crust on all sides. Once done, add to the crockpot and sear the second batch of meat.
- Once the meat is done, add a splash of red wine to the skillet to deglazed the pan. Be sure to use a spatula to scrap up all the charred bits. Add this liquid to the crock pot.
- In a large measuring cup add some hot water, the beef base, tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce and use a whisk to combine. Add additional water to equal 5 cups. Add to the crockpot.
- Chop the onion and garlic. Add to the crockpot with the bay leaves.
- Set crockpot to low. After about 5 hours, add the frozen vegetable. Continue to cook for a total of 8 hours.
- Enjoy!
