Beef and Kale Vegetable Soup

I had no clue what I was going to make for lunch on Sunday. I hadn't been grocery shopping in over two weeks and the empty shelves in my fridge were there to prove it.  I had a few old potatoes, some leftover sausage from making pizza a few nights ago, some frozen peas I had packed in my lunch the day before and never ate, 1 small zucchini, and some beef broth I made a couple days ago. 

The remnants of my bare refrigerator aligned perfectly. I was going to make soup! So, I made soup and it was delicious. While we were eating it, Chris kept saying how good it was and that the seasoning was perfect. That was a big deal because he doesn't even like soup! I thought it was delicious as well. We ate the soup for 3 meals and I was sad when it was gone. I definitely need to make this again soon.

When I made it, I just threw a bunch of stuff into the pot and tasted as I went. I tried to remember everything and give approximate measurements to write down a recipe. The best thing about this type of soup is that you can tailor it to whatever you have in your fridge.  

Beef and Kale Vegetable Soup

1 Tbsp of olive oil 

1 onion, chopped

4 medium carrots, chopped

4 potatoes, diced

1 bunch kale, chopped

4 cups beef broth

2 cups water (I don't remember how much water I added, you can add more or less depending on how much broth you want)

6 oz. tomato paste

4-8 oz. browned ground beef, sausage, or turkey sausage

1 zucchini, sliced into rounds

1 cup frozen green peas

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1/4 cup chopped parsley (optional)

1 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

salt and pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add in onions, carrots, and beef and saute until vegetables are tender and the meat is cooked. Add potatoes and kale and cook for a few minutes longer. Turn down the heat to medium and add  the beef broth, water, and tomato paste and let simmer until potatoes are tender. 

Add in remaining vegetables, herbs, and seasonings and simmer for another 15 minutes, or until all the vegetables are tender.

Serve immediately.