Homemade Beef Bouillon and Tomato Soup

For the last year I have really tried to abide by the 80/20 rule for feeding myself and my family – meaning eating 80% real food and 20% processed (cereals, frozen meals, snacks). Part of this has meant I have had to replace some store bought processed mixes with homemade ones such as onion soup mix, ranch dressing mix, salad dressings, taco seasoning, etc. (Guess what? Not only are those homemade varieties better for you, they are generally MUCH cheaper, customizable, and make a lot so you are not having to make them more than once a year.)

I was “cleaning” up a recipe recently that had three different cans of Campbell’s soups plus beef bouillon. I figured out a way to replace the soups with homemade alternatives after doing some thinking and research (beef consommé was one of them). However, replacing the beef bouillon was something I wanted to do for sure.

When you plop one of those hard cubes in a pot, do you think about what is in it? Sure there’s some onion powder and cooked beef and salt, but if you read the list of 20+ ingredients you will read some things that you wonder why it is in there. In the popular Wyler's brand there are three ingredients that included wheat or gluten: hydrolyzed corn gluten protein, wheat gluten protein, and hydrolyzed wheat gluten.

So all gluten free eaters and those who have a desire to eat healthier, listen up! I have a simple, delicious, 5-ingredient beef bouillon cube recipe that can replace the non-food version. This is also beneficial to those with other dietary restrictions.

Homemade Beef Bouillon
printable recipe here

3 cups celery, chopped finely
3 cups carrots, chopped finely
2 onions, chopped finely
2 tablespoons kosher salt (or less if you’re on a low salt diet)
½ lb ground beef

For the record, I used my food processor to grate my vegetables making it a LOT faster. I was finished with that part in about 5 minutes or less not counting peeling the carrots (which you would not have to do especially if you grew them yourself!).

Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan without any liquid. Break up the beef as it begins to cook. Cook over very low heat, covered, for one hour. I used lean ground beef and you can see with all the vegetables' natural juices there was plenty of it. (below)

Put all the ingredients in blender or food processor and process until smooth. Pour into ice cube trays and freeze. Plop out when frozen and store in a freezer safe bag. Use one cube of bouillon to enhance the flavor of soup or gravy and to replace beef bouillon cubes in recipes. This recipe yielded about 26 cubes using this ice cube tray I own.

Other vegetables you could add to your liking: sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, leeks, and bell peppers

Other seasonings you could add: turmeric, dill, thyme, savory, marjoram, sage, and freshly ground pepper

The flavor was just as good or better in the meal in which I used it as a replacement. It has an orange color because of the carrots which is different from store-bought bouillon (brown) which threw my son off at first. When I assured him it would be good and he tried it, he was a believer.

I’m guessing you could omit the ground beef and follow the rest of the recipe to make vegetable bouillon as well as substitute chicken for the ground beef to make chicken bouillon. That is on my to-do list. ;)

When I did all that shredding, I went ahead and shredded a bit more to make my homemade tomato soup later that day. So if this next recipe looks like something that sounds tasty to you, then shred extra and you will have supper already started!

My grandmother had the best homemade canned tomato soup. I was asking my aunts about it at our Christmas get together last year to see if any of them had the recipe. My one aunt (her daughter) said she did not follow a recipe (true Grandmother fashion). So last winter in an effort to duplicate that wonderful tomato soup she made, I came up with this recipe.

Tomato Soup
printable recipe here

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped finely
1 small carrot, grated
1 celery stalk, chopped finely
1 tablespoon minced garlic
4 pounds vine-ripened tomatoes, chopped OR 28 oz. can tomatoes, crushed
1 ½ teaspoon sugar
3 cups chicken stock (broth is fine)
1 tablespoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons butter
1 bay leaf
¾ cup half and half

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery and sauté for about 10 minutes, until very tender. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add tomatoes, sugar, chicken stock, salt, pepper, butter and bay leaf; stir well. Bring the soup to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer uncovered for 30-40 minutes. Puree with a hand held immersion blender until smooth. Add the half and half to the soup. Stir well and serve.

I think the celery is a must for this soup. I say that but please realize, I do not like celery raw or even really cooked. Its sharp flavor is part of what gives the soup its flavor in my opinion. It's that taste I could not put my finger on for the longest time that I remembered from my grandmother's soup. Plus, celery is good for you and combined with the carrots and tomatoes....you know this soup is healthy, right? Just don’t tell the fam when you serve it up with grilled cheese sandwiches. Hey, on the healthy scale, going back to the Campbell's soups. this kicks theirs out of the water on nutrition! My whole family loves it even with all those vegetables in it. It is one of my favorite comfort foods. You could even make a double batch and freeze some for later. (Think I might do that!) Or can it like Grandmother. (That's something else I want to start doing too!)

What are some of your favorite comfort foods? Are there any foods that your mom or grandmother made that you wish you had the recipe for or you do have it and make it often? Share below!