This very good thick soup is a recipe from Sam's Town Gambling Hall in Vegas.
It really is better the second day so try to plan ahead. It's also very forgiving- I just made it again after a long time and too late, found that not only did I not have celery or carrots on hand, but I'd thawed a package of ground chuck instead of a steak. It still tasted great. I did have some cabbage so I threw in a handful, finely shredded, to make up for the missing veggies. Use tortellini instead of ravioli if you like, as I did this week.
Toss 1/2 lb sirloin, cut in 1/4" dice, with 2 TB flour in a bowl. Melt 1 TB butter in a large dutch oven over medium high eat. Cook til beef is browned, transfer to another dish. (Or, brown 1 lb ground chunk and use it instead!)
To the big pan, add 1 celery stalk, 1 carrot, and one onion, all chopoped, with 1 TB garlic, 1/2 tsp thyme and 1/2 tsp pepper. Cook, stirring, about 3-5 minutes, until veggies are lightly browned. Add about 30 oz (more or less) of beef broth, 28 oz canned diced tomatoes in juice, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1 c. water with the cooked beef. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium for about 30 minutes, til veggies are tender. Then add about 9 oz refrigerated beef ravioli or tortellini. Cook 10 minutes, stir occasionally. If using frozen pasta, let it thaw first.
In a cup, combine 2 TB flour with 1 TB cornstarch and 2 TB water- whisk til smooth. Add to soup and boil 1 more minute. Makes 8 cups. And really, try to wait til the next day to eat it. Just cool a bit and refrigerate til the next day. You might try it with some Parmesan cheese sprinkled on the top.
Toss 1/2 lb sirloin, cut in 1/4" dice, with 2 TB flour in a bowl. Melt 1 TB butter in a large dutch oven over medium high eat. Cook til beef is browned, transfer to another dish. (Or, brown 1 lb ground chunk and use it instead!)
To the big pan, add 1 celery stalk, 1 carrot, and one onion, all chopoped, with 1 TB garlic, 1/2 tsp thyme and 1/2 tsp pepper. Cook, stirring, about 3-5 minutes, until veggies are lightly browned. Add about 30 oz (more or less) of beef broth, 28 oz canned diced tomatoes in juice, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1 c. water with the cooked beef. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium for about 30 minutes, til veggies are tender. Then add about 9 oz refrigerated beef ravioli or tortellini. Cook 10 minutes, stir occasionally. If using frozen pasta, let it thaw first.
In a cup, combine 2 TB flour with 1 TB cornstarch and 2 TB water- whisk til smooth. Add to soup and boil 1 more minute. Makes 8 cups. And really, try to wait til the next day to eat it. Just cool a bit and refrigerate til the next day. You might try it with some Parmesan cheese sprinkled on the top.
