What Herbs Go Best With Homemade Vegetable Beef Soup

French market vegetable beef soup is a meal in itself. It's got everything from the market in it including chunks of beef, carrots, onions, celery, tomatoes, pearled barley, corn, green beans, red wine, potatoes. Herbs de Provence, paprika and rich beef broth round out the recipe.

French Market Vegetable Beef Soup

From an enchanting trip to the south of France, I created French market vegetable beef soup. It's hearty and delicious. I use a French herb blend called Herbs de Provence for  lovely flavor. It was always a favorite with my personal chef families.

Classic French Herb Blend: Herbs De Provence

A few summers ago we were in beautiful Provence for a photography workshop. One of the highlights was shooting the lavender fields. Rolling hills, oceans of lavender as far as you could see. It was amazing. Traveling through Provence we saw little clay jars and cotton bags of a dried herb blend called Herbs de Provence in every village.

It's a blend of herbs that bloom in the hillsides of Southern France in summer including thyme, rosemary, lavender, fennel, sage, marjoram and savory. It's available here and great for roast chicken and pork, stews, roasted red potatoes, vegetables and many other recipes. It's always in my herb and spice arsenal and it's what I use in this soup.

Pressure Cooker Method

Once your prep work is done the soup cooks quickly because pressure cookers save time. When the lid is secured and you've brought it to high pressure it takes just minutes to complete. Without a pressure cooker or Instant Pot you can make it stove top and any extra freezes well.

Standard Method

If you don't have a pressure cooker, cook soup in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven and simmer over low heat, covered, until the beef and vegetables are tender and the flavors are blended. It will just take longer than the pressure cooker version.

Ingredient Notes

Broth note -  I buy frozen beef bone broth. For extra rich broth and big beefy flavor reduce 8 cups of broth to 4 cups before starting the recipe.  Skip the cans and boxes which often have high sodium and unhealthy ingredients.

Barley note - If you eat gluten-free, skip the pearled barley as it contains gluten. You could substitute a little cooked brown rice, but the soup is fine without it for a grain-free soup.

Frozen vegetables note - Adding frozen vegetables pumps up the vegetable content, texture and healthy profile of the soup. Use an organic blend which includes corn, carrots, green beans, peas.

For another French-inspired dinner try these steamed mussels in white wine, also known as Moule Marinere.

Nutrition Facts

French Market Vegetable Beef Soup

Amount Per Serving

Calories 195 Calories from Fat 45

% Daily Value*

Fat 5g 8%

Saturated Fat 1g 6%

Sodium 370mg 16%

Potassium 899mg 26%

Carbohydrates 29g 10%

Fiber 5g 21%

Sugar 3g 3%

Protein 7g 14%

Vitamin C 20mg 24%

Calcium 42mg 4%

Iron 2mg 11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

French Market Vegetable Beef Soup

A hearty meal in a bowl with tender beef, lots of vegetables, herbs and rich broth. This recipe is done in a pressure cooker but can be made without one. See notes for standard cooking method. If you follow a gluten-free diet, skip the barley.

Course: Soup

Cuisine: French

Keyword: beef, Soup, Vegetable

Servings: 6

Calories: 195 kcal

• ¾ pound top sirloin cut into small cubes
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil divided use
• 1 medium onion diced small
• 3 large garlic cloves chopped fine
• ½ cup dry red wine optional
• 4 cups low sodium rich beef broth try the frozen
• 2 teaspoons Herbs de Provence see note below to sub
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 bay leaf
• 1-14 ounce can petite diced tomatoes juice and all
• 2 medium carrots peeled, chopped small
• 2 celery stalks peeled, chopped small
• 2 medium red potatoes skin on, chopped medium
• ¼ cup pearled barley skip for gluten-free diet
• 8 ounces mixed frozen organic vegetables green beans, corn, peas and carrots
• ¼ cup fresh chopped parsley
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Garnish

• Parmesan cheese optional

• Set a pressure cooker over medium to medium-high heat and brown meat in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the tomato paste and stir with the meat to coat and caramelize a bit. Set meat aside.

• Add second tablespoon of olive oil and sauté onions until soft and translucent. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add wine to deglaze pan and reduce wine by half. Add all remaining ingredients, water through potatoes and the browned meat as well.

• Lock lid in place and bring up to high pressure; begin timing for eight minutes. When done, bring pressure down with the quick release method, moving the pot to a sink and running cool water over it. You will hear the pressure release in about 20 seconds. Remove bay leaf and stir in frozen vegetables and parsley. Garnish with cheese and enjoy (optional).

Standard cooking method:i f you do not have a pressure cooker, brown the meat in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven and follow the rest of the directions. Instead of cooking at high pressure, simmer over low heat with a lid on until the beef and vegetables are tender and the flavors are incorporated.

Herbs de Provence substitution: You can substitute other dried herbs blends, such as Italian blend or just use dried thyme, oregano and a little rosemary. Use what you have, but try the Herbs de Provence sometime. it's delicious.

Calories: 195 kcal | Carbohydrates: 29 g | Protein: 7 g | Fat: 5 g | Saturated Fat: 1 g | Sodium: 370 mg | Potassium: 899 mg | Fiber: 5 g | Sugar: 3 g | Vitamin C: 20 mg | Calcium: 42 mg | Iron: 2 mg

Let us know how it was!

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Source: https://afoodcentriclife.com/french-market-vegetable-beef-soup-provence/

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