Truly Thrifty and Tasty Beef Soup

Although this is not a photo of my soup, it looks very similar.

I have a question for all of you frugal cooks: is $1 per serving actually a deal?  I read this all the time in women’s magazines and, to be honest,  I cringe. If you have a family and eat anything other than the given dish, you run way past $1 per person very quickly.

So that got me thinking about making common dishes for even less.  Yes, it does take a little more time, but once you know the basics, it isn’t bad at all. This is how our mothers and grandmothers did it, which means you and I can, too. To start, I thought I’d share a recipe for the soup I threw together last night. You can make adjustments according to your family’s tastes and what you have in your pantry or freezer.  I’ve added a few comments to show how you can make it VERY inexpensively.  I estimate you can easily prepare this for $.50 per serving or less if the soup bone is your only major purchase.  Let me know how yours turns out!

Beef and Noodle Soup (with Vegetables, if you like)

1/2 of a large onion, chopped

1 beef soup bone 

         I get mine from a farmer who pasture-raises his cattle, so it’s a little more expensive – but with much  healthier meat and bone marrow.

8 cups of water or broth

        I used water and added 7 T. of Better Than Boullion soup base, which is totally worth every dime and healthier than cubes. Broth you make yourself from a bone-in piece of meat  is obviously cheaper, but be sure to use a good broth recipe and cook it down to concentrate the flavor.

8 oz. noodles

You can use any type of noodles you wish. I used gluten-free quinoa elbows because that’s what I had in the pantry. The least expensive option is to make your own noodles. I’ll post a recipe for them soon.

Vegetables

This is entirely up to you. Adults like the veggies, kids might balk. You can add 1/2 to 1 cup of each of your favorites. Of course, for the sake of thriftiness, use from your garden!

Brown the  soup bone meat (keep the bone in) in a small amount of hot oil in a Dutch over, along with half a large onion (more if you like onions).  When onions are transparent and meat on bone is browned, add water. Heat to boiling, then reduce to simmer until meat is tender. (This time varies greatly. I use pastured beef, which takes longer to tenderize. I also tend to throw things in frozen, so add time there, too.)

Add veggies, and continue simmering until tender. (Time on this, too, will vary depending on your vegetables. Obviously peas and green beans take mere minutes, but potatoes and root veggies will take a half hour usually. Add the fast ones later so they don’t get mushy.)

Add noodles and cook according to  directions.

Serve! Makes 8 servings.  And don’t forget to give the dog the bone.

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