Soup Week: Making Stock & Pot Roast Soup

 

Over the weekend I made a couple small batches of soup stock. I made veggie stock and beef stock. Making your own soup stock is not that difficult. I’ve shared how to do this in past posts and on my website.

In my 8 quart stock pot I added a few frozen yellow and zucchini squash, a large onion, carrots, mushrooms, a few handfuls of spinach leaves and 1T salt. I let this simmer for several hours and then cool down. I strained the broth and poured it into quart size canning jars. I currently have the stock in my fridge for use this week. Whatever I don’t use I will freeze. If you make stock and desire to freeze it in canning jars don’t fill your jars as full as my picture shows. You need to give plenty of space for expansion. I fill about ¾ of the way full and freeze them without the lid on. After they are frozen I put the lid on.

The next day I made beef stock. Early in the morning I started by putting a few beef shank pieces and about ½ lb short ribs into an 8 quart stock pot and filled with water. I added one onion, garlic and salt. I let this simmer for 24 hours, divided it into 1 quart jars and then put it in the freezer for about 1 hour so the fat would congeal on the top so I could remove it. Two jars of the stock were used to make last night’s dinner, Pot Roast Soup. The other quart and a half jars are in the freezer.

This soup came as in inspiration to me based on the fact that I had a chuck pot roast in my freezer and wanted to make soup! Plus I know how fast a pot roast goes down in one meal and thought if I made soup with it I could stretch the meat out for 2 meals. The roast I used was about 3 ½ lbs. I put it, frozen, into the crockpot the night before I planned to make this soup. I put it on low and let it cook all night (about 12 hours). By that time it was falling apart tender. I removed it from the crockpot and cut chopped it all up. I put half in the freezer (for a future meal) and used the other half in the following soup recipe.

Pot Roast Soup

2 to 3 T olive oil
1 medium onion
5 to 6 cloves garlic, chopped
2quarts beef stock
1 can (14/15 oz) green beans
2 cups sliced carrots
1 can (14/15oz) diced tomatoes
1T Italian spices (or a equal mix of basil & oregano)
8oz pasta of your choice or cut up red potatoes ( ½ to 1lb )
1 ½ lbs beef pot roast meat, cooked, cut up


In a large stock pot heat olive oil and add onion and garlic. Sauté until onion is soft. Add beef stock, green beans, carrots, diced tomatoes and spices. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes until carrots are soft. Add pasta or potatoes (whichever you choose), bring to a boil, cover, simmer until pasta or potatoes are cooked. Add pot roast meat, taste and add salt & pepper as desired. Serve with garlic bread, cornbread or crackers and enjoy!