When the weather gets cooler, one of my favorite go to meals is a hearty bowl of soup. Not only is it warming and satisfying, but its simple, easy and can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator.

I created this recipe based off a family favorite I used to make before I started cooking with mostly fresh produce. The original recipe combined several canned foods such as broth, soup, veggies and Rotel tomatoes with a 1 1/2 pounds of ground meat. I still use a few canned goods, but now add lots of fresh veggies and fresh bone broth if I have it on hand.

Even though I am working with fresh veggies, this soup is still really simple to make and the cook time is the same. I personally think it taste better that the original recipe and I know that it’s definitely healthier than the original version.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds of ground meat (I use elk or venison, but turkey and beef are great too)
• 1/2 of a large red onion chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic chopped
• 7-10 medium carrots peeled and cut into bite sizes pieces
• 1 medium sweet potato cut into half inch cubes
• 24-32 ounces bone broth, chick, beef, or vegetable broth
• 1 (15 ounce) can of red kidney beans or black beans
• 1 (10 ounce ) can or diced tomatoes with green chilies
• 1 (15 ounce) can of green beans
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

• Cook the ground meat until done in a large pot such as a stock pot or dutch oven. Drain of fat if necessary. (You can skip this step if you are working with meat that has no added fat.)
• Add all the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
• Cover pot with a lid and reduce heat to simmer. Stir occasionally.
• Cook for approximately 45 minutes or until carrots and potatoes are tender or until you just can’t stand the delicious aroma any longer and have to try a bowl!

Makes 6-8 servings depending on the size of your bowl.  😉 

This is one of those recipes that is extremely flexible. If you like your soup to have more liquid, then use more broth. While I prefer the contrast of flavors the sweet potatoes bring, you can use white potatoes instead. You can also add peas or corn to this soup. For an extra power punch, mix in a handful of spinach or kale to your bowl and top it off with some avocado slices.

Have fun with it and make sure to share your variations to this soup in the comments below!

Special thank you to my son, Bo, for taking the pictures for this post. This happens to be his favorite soup!