Vegetable Beef Couscous Soup #TheRecipeRedux

While we don't start school for another couple weeks (thankfully!), I'm always thinking about ways to plan ahead for easier weeknight dinners. These days, with the beginnings of the garden harvest coming in (there's already a zucchini overload!), we're trying to clear out space in the fridge and freezer so we can re-fill it to our heart's content.

Luckily, produce (which is really only thing causing the freezer overflow) is perfect for tossing into sauces, stews, and most of all, soup. My latest foray into the frozen depths of the kitchen gleaned me a sizable container of last year's Harvest Ragoût as well as a bag full of cubed sirloin steak trimmed off of some behemoth cuts we brought home a month or so ago. With those two treasures as starting points, I knew I had the makings of a delicious, hearty soup on my hands! A dip into the pantry, herb garden and liquor cabinet gave me the finishing touches I needed - rich beef broth, hearty red wine, classical herbs and whole grain Israeli couscous. A little over an hour later, a nice big Dutch oven of stick-to-your-ribs flavour was waiting for the family to enjoy for dinner - perfect timing too, since the weather was just cooling off from the humid afternoon!

After the hustle and bustle of the holiday/vacation season, August is the time many families get ‘back to routine.’ The Recipe Redux gang is sharing our favorite recipes to help families get ‘back to the dinner table.’




Vegetable Beef Couscous Soup
Makes 8 hearty servings
1 tbsp camelina oil
½ lb cubed lean beef (I used pieces that I trimmed off too-big steaks before cooking, stewing beef is great too)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large red onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups Harvest Ragoût
1 tsp paprika
½ tsp pepper
2 tbsp tomato paste
¼ cup red wine
8 cups low sodium beef broth
2 cups water
1 sprig rosemary
2 sprigs thyme, leaves stripped
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp tamari
1 cup whole wheat Israeli couscous or other small pasta

1. Heat camelina oil in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat.
2. Add the beef and brown on all sides, stirring often.
3. Add remaining oil, onion, celery, garlic and Harvest Ragoût. Cook 5 minutes, then add paprika, pepper and tomato paste and cook 10 minutes, until onions are soft.
4. Add wine, stirring to deglaze, then add the broth, water, herbs and tamari.
5. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer 15 minutes.
6. Stir in the couscous and cook 25 minutes longer.

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 263.8
Total Fat: 8.0 g
Cholesterol: 25.8 mg
Sodium: 700.5 mg
Total Carbs: 29.4 g
Dietary Fiber: 5.5 g
Protein: 17.6 g