Easy Vegetable Beef Soup

Easy Vegetable Beef Soup

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 - 2 pounds stew beef (I like to use rib eye steak), trimmed and cut into bite size pieces

Salt and pepper to sprinkle beef

All purpose flour for dredging beef

1 (46 oz.) can tomato juice

1 (10 oz.) can diced tomatoes and green chiles

1 (14.5 oz.) can beef broth

1 (29 oz.) can mixed vegetables, drained (I like Veg-all because of the good variety of vegetables)

1/4 teaspoon basil

1/4 teaspoon thyme

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 bay leaf

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat, add onions and garlic, sauté until tender. Transfer onions and garlic to a large dutch oven. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil to the skillet. Sprinkle the beef with salt and pepper, then dredge in flour. Brown the beef lightly in a single layer over medium heat in the olive oil. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beef to the dutch oven with the onions and garlic. Add tomato juice, tomatoes and green chiles, beef broth, vegetables, basil, thyme, salt, and bay leaf to the dutch oven. Stir all together, and heat to boiling. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Remove bay leaf before serving.

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