Quick Beef-Vegetable Soup and Cornbread

I’ve totally gone off menu plan, but soup sounded so lovely. I had a rotten day yesterday, with a doctor’s visit that didn’t go well (no answers) and a bit of a panic attack (Ford Expeditions were NOT made for parking garages), and comfort food just sounded like the way to go.

I decided to make Quick Beef Vegetable Soup and some cornbread. It went a long way towards cheering me up!

Beef Vegetable Soup

Beef Vegetable Soup and Cornbread

1 tablespoon oil
1/2 pound chuck roast, cut into bite-sized bits
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 quarts water
6 tablespoons beef base*
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried thyme
a pinch of dried oregano
1 bag mixed vegetables (or leftover veggies)
1/2 pound of bite-sized pasta

In a large soup pot or dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the meat and brown on all sides. Add the garlic and cook until the garlic is translucent, about 3 minutes. Mix the water and the beef base and add it to the pot and scrape up the little bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the herbs and simmer for as long as you’d like, but at least 15 minutes, adding water if the flavor gets too concentrated.  About 10 minutes before serving, bring the soup to a boil. Rinse the veggies in a colander under cold water to thaw, and add them and the pasta to the pot. Boil until the pasta is cooked. Add salt and pepper to taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary.

* I used to use Tone’s Beef Base, but the only store I’ve ever found it at is Sam’s Club, and now I have a Costco membership instead. This time, I used Better Than Bouillon, but I didn’t like it quite as much. It tasted… well, kind of bouillon-y. Of course, you can replace the water and beef base with real beef stock, if you have it.

Cornbread

1/2 cup melted butter
2/3 cup white sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

Heat the oven to 375°. Butter an 8″ pan.

Mix the butter, sugar and eggs together in a medium-sized bowl. In a measuring cup, mix the buttermilk and the baking soda (if you don’t have baking soda, you can stir a teaspoon of vinegar into regular milk, or use buttermilk powder mixed with regular milk) and then stir it into the egg and butter mixture. Add the corn meal, flour and salt. Stir just until mixed. Pour into the baking pan and bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

This is a dense, heavy corn bread, not the cake-like kind. It’s also perfect with a can of corn stirred into the batter, and served alongside beans.