Vegetable Beef Soup

Imagine it's cold outside, and maybe even raining. What can you prepare for dinner? While chili or beans are good options for a cold winter's day meal, maybe you should give this recipe a try also. This is a soup my dad used to make, and I've taken it and made it my own. I hope you try it, and I hope you enjoy it as much as me and my family do.

2 lbs stew meat
1 large can tomato juice
2 15-ounce cans tomato sauce
1-2 12-ounce cans tomato paste
4-5 lbs potatoes, diced
2 cans lima beans
2 cans sweetened corn
2 cans garbanzo beans
salt, season all salt, pepper

First, cut the stew meat into bite size pieces. Some will be in half, others in thirds, and still others may be in fourths. There's no science to it, just cut it up.

Place in a very large stew pot. Add 3-4 Tbsps of season all salt and 2-3 Tbsps of pepper. This seems like a lot, but you will be filling up this entire pot before you're done. Just cover the stew meat with water.

Put on large stove eye on high heat. Once it begins to boil turn down between medium and medium-high. Allow to cook until water reduces and stew meat is cooked through.

Next add the tomato juice, tomato sauce, and one of the tomato paste cans. This will thicken the sauce of the soup, but if you need the second can of paste to thicken more then add it.

Allow to cook for 30 minutes. While it cooks, peel and dice the potatoes. Add carefully to the tomato and meat mixture.

Cook on medium-high heat stirring frequently to prevent the potatoes sticking until the potatoes are fork tender. If stew is boiling too much, then turn heat down to medium. This should take 1-2 hours to get the potatoes cooked. Remember, stir often and be sure to reach the bottom of the pot. Once the potatoes seem to be getting close to done, open and drain the lima beans, corn, and garbanzo beans.

Once the potatoes are tender, add the corn, garbanzo beans, and lima beans. Cook for 30 minutes to an hour until beans are cooked and tender.

Salt and pepper to taste. Serve in your favorite bowl with a heaping pile of saltine crackers.

Savor and enjoy!