Italian Beef and Vegetable Soup

Isn’t it hard to believe that it’s almost Autumn already? We’ve already had several days that feel and smell like fall, but they’ve been interspersed with hot days. I do enjoy fall, but am not quite ready for summer to be over yet, even though it’s been a scorching one. Summer is definitely my favorite and I love the warm weather. But, I have a lot of exciting things on my plate this fall, so the anticipation of the changing season is sweet.

Next month, Jesse and I are headed down to the LA area to complete a week-long training with Jill Miller of Yoga Tune Up. We both have a lot of respect for Jill’s work and are grateful for the opportunity to train with her. Then, in November, I’m headed to NYC with a very dear friend of mine. We’re going to a conference called, “I Can Do It!” and are spending some extra time there for fun (it’ll be my first visit to NYC!). I’ll get to visit my second cousin who lives in Brooklyn as well. In December, Jesse and I are headed to Honolulu for a week of pure vacation. The ticket prices were a super good deal, so we decided to bite. We won’t actually be spending Christmas there, but will be there a little bit before.

Tonight, we’re headed to an Empire of the Sun concert at Edgefield, and I’m really excited! Jesse surprised me with tickets a couple months ago, and it definitely was a pleasant surprise. I get the evening off from work to go too, which is a nice change of pace for a Friday.

Meanwhile, enjoy the soup recipe and if it’s still warm wherever you are, tuck this one away for a chilly fall or winter day.

Cheers!

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp grass-fed butter or ghee
1/2 large red onion, chopped
3 large cloves garlic, minced
3 celery stalks, chopped
3 large carrots, sliced
1.5 lb grass-fed ground beef
1/2 lb Italian pork sausage
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 large bay leaf
5.5 cups beef and/or chicken bone broth, preferably homemade
1 box (~18 oz) unsweetened tomato sauce (I used this brand)
2.5 Tbsp tomato paste
3 medium zucchini, “noodled” with a spiralizer or julienne peeler
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped, plus extra for topping, if desired
Raw Parmesan cheese for topping, optional and if tolerated

Directions:

Melt butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, celery and carrots. Sauté a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Then, add the ground beef and pork sausage, breaking up the meat with a spatula. Add the sea salt, black pepper, oregano, thyme and cayenne to the mixture, and stir.
Once the meat is browned, add the broth, tomato sauce, tomato paste and bay leaf. Stir well and then add the zucchini noodles and fresh basil. Simmer for about 25 minutes. Taste soup after simmering and adjust seasoning as necessary. Remove bay leaf when ready to serve.
Garnish with extra chopped basil and/or raw Parmesan cheese for serving, if desired.