Crystal Wilkinson’s shares this hearty vegetable soup with hamburger in her cookbook, Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts (Clarkson Potter, 2024). “This is a poor woman’s version of my grandmother’s vegetable soup that I made when my children were young. I prefer fresh vegetables, but the recipe can work with whatever’s in your pantry. It’s a savory, satisfying meal while balling on a budget, which I think is at the heart of soup-making.”
recipe 
yields
Serves 8 to 10
Vegetable oil
1 pound lean ground beef or turkey
2 medium onions, cut into ¼-inch dice
Table salt
Crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1 small green bell pepper, seeded and cut into ¼-inch dice
3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into ½-inch chunks
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 (14-ounce) can corn kernels, drained and rinsed, or kernels from 2 ears of fresh corn (2 cups)
1 (14-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with their juices
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
Freshly ground black pepper
ingredients
steps
- Heat a little oil in a large soup pot over medium heat, until shimmering. Add ground meat in pinches and cook for a few minutes, until no trace of pink remains. Drain off most of the rendered fat, but keep some in the pot for extra flavor.
- Stir in onions with a pinch of salt and a small pinch of red pepper flakes (if using). Cook 8 to 10 minutes, until onions are mostly translucent. Add vegetables, beans, and tomatoes with their juices, stir, then pour in broth. Add water as needed to cover vegetables and meat.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, for about 45 minutes, until carrots and potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally and adding water if needed. Taste and season with salt and/or pepper. Serve hot.
Date Published: 05.28.24
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Recipes reprinted and adapted with permission from
Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts: Stories and Recipes from Five Generations of Black Country Cooks by Crystal Wilkinson copyright © 2024. Photographs by Kelly Marshall copyright © 2024. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Penguin Random House.
