I remember the very first thing I ever cooked. It was this delicious beef and vegetable soup, a simple recipe my godmother taught me almost 15 years ago. It’s easy, filling, inexpensive, makes great leftovers, etc., etc.–everything you want in a soup recipe!

Ingredients:

1 lb beef stew meat

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 yellow onion, chopped

4 potatoes, diced into 1/2 inch cubes

3 turnips, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch cubes

1 bag of baby carrots, sliced

5 stalks of celery, sliced

1 can of green beans, drained

1 can of corn, drained

1 small head of cabbage, torn into bite-sized pieces

2 bottles of V8 or regular tomato juice

kosher salt and black pepper

loaf of French bread for serving

Recipe:

In a large stock pot over medium heat, brown the stew meat with the garlic. After the meat has browned, add the onion. Cook until the onion starts to get soft and translucent.

Add one bottle of V8 juice, the potatoes, and the turnips. Stir and heat through.

Add the other bottle of V8 juice, the carrots, and the celery. Add 2-3 cups of water, depending on the thickness of the broth. Heat through, then lower the heat to medium-low. Simmer, covered, for 45 minutes.

Taste a bite of carrot and potato to test the texture. As soon as they get to the point where they’re just a little bit crunchier than you would want them to be in the soup, add the green beans, corn, and cabbage. Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes or until cabbage is the texture you want. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as desired.

Serve hot with a piece of French bread. Yum!

Do you remember the first recipe you ever cooked? Any family favorites that were passed down to you? Please share in the comments!