Well, the holidays are over and if you’re like me, you’re now thinking of ways to shed those extra holiday pounds! Salads are a great way to do just that, but when you live as far north as we do, it’s very likely -20 degrees Celsius and snowing outside, and a cold salad is just not all that appealing. In January, when I’m staring down three or four more months of winter, I want something comforting – something that will warm me up from the inside – and something that will help me recover from my holiday food hangover! This vegetable soup certainly fits the bill. Great with or without beef, it’s hearty, delicious, low calorie, and comforting.

This soup freezes well so make extra and store it for quick lunches or dinners on those busy winter days. If you are like Geoff and prefer something more substantial, this recipe can easily be converted into a quick vegetable or hamburger stew that can be served on a bed of rice. Scroll down or click on “continue reading” for both soup and stew recipes. 

This soup pairs well with our

gluten free dinner rolls
mashed potato biscuits

Looking for gluten free soup recipes? You might like these other gfandme.com recipes:

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Cheesy Cauliflower Soup

Time: 2 1/2 hours (Hands on time: 30 minutes)

Serves: 6

What you’ll need:

1 litre of gluten free beef or vegetable cooking stock (We like Kitchen Basics)

2 gluten free bouillon cubes, beef or vegetable (We use Celifbr. Could not find a link to Celifbr on line but here is a link to the product information on Amazon.com.)

2 cups water

4 cups cooked roast beef, chopped OR 1 pound lean ground beef, cooked

TIP: Can easily be left out to make a vegan soup

1 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes

1 10 ounce can of tomato sauce

1 large onion, diced

4 -5 sticks of celery, sliced

5 medium carrots, sliced

1 teaspoon sugar

5-10 pepper corns, depending on your taste for pepper

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Optional: 1/2 cup white rice

salt to taste

What you’ll do:

Put everything except the beef in a large stock pot or dutch oven.

Bring to a boil and then simmer over low heat for 1 hour.

Add cooked beef and simmer for another hour.  If you are using rice, add it in about 30 minutes before serving.

Freezes and reheats well.

TIP: Geoff likes to use the leftover soup to make a quick hamburger stew. Just thicken with corn or potato starch and serve on a bed of rice.

photo credit: gfandme.com

Gluten Free Recipes from Red Deer, Alberta, Canada