Instant Pot Spicy Beef Vegetable Soup

I have made this Spicy Beef Vegetable Soup sooooo many times. Too many to count in fact. At one point I would make it just about once a week. It is so easy to throw together. I usually make it on the stove. Well let me tell you it just got faster to make too! I made it in the instant pot tonight and it was so easy and super fast. And, and, it did not heat up the kitchen! I didn't have to stir anything. I just waited for the beep and did a quick release. Delicious and very simple! Taste like it cook for a long time, all the flavors were perfectly blended. I can't wait to enjoy the leftovers, they make a great lunch.

You can play around with the ingredients too. I can't tell you how many of my soup recipes start as a variation of this one soup. My Stuffed Zucchini Soup, Moussaka Soup and Barbecue Pork and Vegetable Soup all started as a variation of this recipe. I look forward to adapting some of them to the pressure cooker one day too. I hope this recipe will inspire you to make some soup in your pressure cooker soon.

Instant Pot Spicy Beef Vegetable Soup
Makes 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
27 oz. spaghetti sauce
3 1/2 cups water
16 oz. frozen mixed veggies
10 oz. diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained
1 cup sliced celery
1 tsp. beef bouillon
1 bay leaf
Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste

Directions

Place Instant Pot on saute, drizzle with a little olive oil add beef and onion. Brown stirring occasionally, season beef and onion mixture with salt and black pepper. Add remaining ingredients and set to cook at high pressure for 4 minutes. When cooking cycle is complete let sit 1 minute and perform a quick release. Remove bay leaf and serve.

For Crockpot and Stovetop directions [Click Here].

For a Low Sodium version make the following substitutions: Low sodium pasta sauce, no salt added Rotel tomatoes and use 3-1/2 cups unsalted beef stock for water and bouillon.

Stuffed Green Peppers

This recipe has been in my family for years. It dates back to our very first Panasonic microwave. My parents bought a large counter top model with auto sensor features. My Mom, dear sister and I even went to an instructional course on microwaving at the store where they bought it. I have forgotten most everything we learned that day. What I remember is that Dad did not go to microwave school. Whenever he had a question about using the microwave he would say, "I didn't go to microwave school". We all got a good laugh about that. We even reminded him on many occasions saying. "Oh yeah, that's right you didn't go to microwave school." Those were silly times. Anyway this is a recipe from the Panasonic cookbook that came with the microwave. It is so easy and very tasty. I usually use the microwave, but this time I used the oven and foil pans so I could freeze a few pans for future meals. This recipe is easy to assemble. The only difficult thing is deciding how long to cook them. Sometimes those peppers take a little longer than others. You will have to experiment a little. I am sure it will be different for everyone. It just depends on the peppers, your oven or microwave. You can cook them to your families taste; tender crisp peppers or nice and soft peppers. The good news is the beef filling is always light and fluffy no matter how long you cook them. The rice keeps it from being too dense. This really is a delicious comforting family meal. Add a side of corn or a salad and dinner is done. I hope you enjoy it as much as we have all these years.

Stuffed Green Peppers
Serves 4

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 cans (8 oz ea) tomato sauce, divided
1/4 cup water 
3 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, divided
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 cup instant white rice
4 medium green peppers (about 1 lb)

Directions

In medium glass bowl, combine ground beef, onion, 1 can tomato sauce, water, 1 tablespoon cheese, salt, pepper and rice. Cut peppers in half lengthwise; remove seeds and rinse. Spoon beef-rice filing into each half. Place in oblong dish. Top with remaining sauce and cheese. 

Microwave: Cover completely with plastic wrap. Heat on High for at least 15 minutes or as long as 25 minutes until the peppers are cooked to your liking. After heating, release plastic wrap.

Oven: Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Cover completely with foil. Bake for 1 hour. Remove foil and bake for 15 minutes or until the peppers are cooked to your liking.

Linking to:

Love Bakes Good Cakes: Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends
Reasons To Skip The Housework: STH Link Party

Bloody Mary Hamburger Steaks

This recipe turned out to be a bright idea as well as a bright and savory meal. A while back my Mom made a recipe for Bloody Mary Stew with Egg Noodles and Olives. It was a delicious dish but what I was smitten with was the noodles. I loved the briny bite the olives added to the noodles. The stew was great but you could not taste the Bloody Mary flavors. So I began to think.... Can you hear Jeopardy music playing? I can. LOL! Anyway, back to thinking. I wondered what would be delicious with those noodles? What can I make with more Bloody Mary flavor. Then it occurred to me why not smother a hamburger steak with Bloody Mary Mix. Perfect! I was able to add the Bloody Mary flavors inside the burger then smother it in even more flavor. It was delicious with the noodles. Bright, saucy and tangy comfort food. My only regret is that I was a little timid with the spice. I thought anything spicy or with heat would intensify when cooked and it had time to reduce. It really didn't. So I would say this recipe as is would be family friendly. It is not spicy. But if you are looking for the spicy heat of a Bloody Mary bump up the hot sauce and horseradish. I am totally going to bring the heat next time I make it. I may even try adding a little vodka? I hope you will give it a try. I used a store bought Bloody Mary mix but you could totally use your favorite recipe as well. Don't forget to try the noodles too! You will love them. They are a delicious side for saucy meals like this and stew. So good!

Bloody Mary Hamburger Steaks
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

16 oz lean ground beef
1/4 cup minced shallot or onion
1/4 cup minced celery
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. Horseradish
1 Tbsp. chili sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
Celery salt, to taste
Lemon pepper, to taste
1 Tbsp. olive oil
12 oz. Bloody Mary Mix
1 tsp. hot sauce, or to taste

Directions

In medium bowl, combine beef, onion, celery, Worcestershire sauce, horseradish, chili sauce, and garlic; form mixture into four equal patties, each about 3/4" thick. Season both sides with celery salt and lemon pepper.

Heat olive oil in medium nonstick skillet over medium heat 1 minute; add patties. Cook, turning once, 2-3 minutes on each side, until browned.

Add Bloody Mary Mix and hot sauce to skillet; reduce heat to low. Cook, 5 minutes, until patties are cooked through and sauce reduces. Serve over Egg Noodles with Olives.

Egg Noodles with Olives

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 cups dry egg noodles
2 tsp. olive oil
1/2 cup sliced green olives
4 ribs from the heart of celery with leaves, sliced
Kosher salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste

Directions

Prepare egg noodles according to package directions in salted water. Drain and place in a serving bowl. Drizzle with olive oil. Add olives and celery, season with salt and black pepper to taste. Toss to combine. Serve as a side to Bloody Mary Hamburger Steak or stew.

Linking to:
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday
Love Bake Good Cakes: Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends
Tornadough Alli: Throwback Thursday Link Party
Reasons To Skip The Housework: STH Link Party

Mexicana Beef Tacos

I think I have found that secret ingredient that makes restaurant tacos and fajitas so tasty. It is called Maggi Seasoning Sauce! For years my dear sister has said she thought they used soy sauce in their marinades. She was not far off. We now know it is Maggi. It is similar to soy but it has more of a smokey note. When you taste it you will immediately think, that's it! It has a very familiar and memorable flavor. Now that I have convinced you that you need Maggi Sauce, don't fret if you can't find it. One chef says you can substitute equal parts soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce. I found my bottle at the international grocery. It is also available online too.

You might be wondering how did I discover this secret? It was totally by accident. I bought the Maggi Seasoning Sauce to make another recipe. When I did a taste test of my new purchase I knew I had found a new flavor secret. I could not wait to experiment. Now I did not make the recipe I bought it for, I decided to try to recreate some tacos I had at a restaurant in Bossier City. The Carne A la Mexicana at El Mariachi are so delicious! They are served fajita style with the tortillas on the side just like the Alambre Chicken Tacos. It is a simple but favorful plate piled high with grilled skirt steak smothered in tomatoes, onions and peppers. They serve it with rice, refried beans, a dollop of sour cream and guacamole. They are so good! What I like about these tacos is it eats like ground beef, meaning it is easy to eat. No pieces of steak or veggie that you can't bite through. But then it taste smokey and fresh like fajitas. It is not heavy on cumin or chili powder the spices commonly found in ground beef tacos. As a bonus if served straight up without sides and toppings they are very healthy too. 

Well, I feel like I have nailed the flavor perfectly. The marinade makes the skirt steak smokey and savory. The pico adds fresh tangy and saucy flavor. I used my homemade Pico de Gallo but your can use store bought or your favorite recipe. If you like spicy add more jalapeno to the pico. It will be great! What I am still missing is their secret to grilling the skirt steak. They get a perfect crust and a medium rare center. So I am still practicing and perfecting the grilling. But I could not wait to share these tacos with you. They are so good! Trust me you have to try these on your next taco night.

Mexicana Beef Tacos
Serves 4

Ingredients

1 lb. skirt steak
Juice of 1 lime (3 Tbsp.)
3 Tbsp. Maggi Seasoning Sauce
3 Tbsp. vegetable or olive oil
2 tsp. chipotle hot sauce
Black pepper, to taste
Kosher salt, to taste
3 to 4 cups Pico de Gallo
8 small flour tortillas

Directions

Place skirt steak in a food storage bag. Combine lime juice, Maggi sauce, oil and hot sauce, whisk to emulsify. Pour over steak, seal storage bag removing as much air as possible. Place in the refrigerator for about 2 hours. Flip bag over every 30 minutes if possible during the 2 hours.

Remove the steak from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature. Pre-heat grill to high heat for 10 minutes. Pat steak to remove excess marinade and season with salt and pepper. Grill for 3 to 4 minutes a side. Remove from grill and let it rest 20 minutes. Cut steak into 1/2” dice and set aside.

Heat a large skillet to medium high to high heat. Add Pico de Gallo and sauté until most of the moisture has evaporated. Add the steak and sauté until heated through. 

Place a skillet on high heat, when hot warm the tortillas on both sides until warm and blistered. To serve place beef mixture in warm flour tortillas.

Note: You can add additional toppings of you choice. I have tried cheese, sour cream and guacamole all delicious.

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Linking to:
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday
Love Bakes Good Cakes: Freedom Fridays with All Bloggy Friends
God's Growing Garden: The Great Blog Train
The Lazy Gastronome: Taco Tuesday Link Party

Piri Piri Ribeye Dinner

I told you about the early stages of experimenting with Piri Piri Butter. What I didn't tell you is that we tried it on more than just corn. I put some on steak that night too. It was delicious! That is what gave me the idea of making a piri piri steak dinner. Originally I was going to cook filet, but then I saw the prices I bought ribeye instead. Don't get me wrong I will try this on filet in the future. This combo of Piri Piri flavors, steak, asparagus and sweet potato is a great meal. I loved everything! I love the spice the Piri Piri Butter adds to the steak. The interesting thing is that the first bite it the best bite. That is when the Piri Piri flavors are most prominent. Contrary to other dishes where the heat continues to build. This butter just enhances the smokey, juicy grilled steak with spice. The asparagus and sweet potato are perfect accompaniments. I love the roasted bits on the asparagus and the caramelized grill marks on the sweet potatoes. So good! Definitely a fine plate of food to serve over and over again.

Wonkie color by iPhone

Piri Piri Ribeye 
Serves 2

Ingredients

1" thick Ribeye
Kosher salt, to taste
Piri Piri Seasoning
Piri Piri Butter

Directions

Remove steak from refrigerator and bring to room temperature. Season with kosher salt and Piri Piri Seasoning.

Preheat grill to high heat for 10 - 15 minutes. Grill 4 minutes a side for medium rare or to your desired doneness. Remove from grill, cover with foil and rest for 10 minutes. To serve cut steak into two portions and top with a slice of Piri Piri Butter.

Color courtesy of iPhone

Piri Piri Grilled Sweet Potatoes

Preheat grill to medium high heat. Wash sweet potato and poke with a fork 4 to 6 times. Wrap in paper towel and microwave for 3 minutes. Flip potato over and microwave 3 more minutes. Allow potato to cool and slice into 1/4" thick slices. Rub each slice with olive oil and season with Piri Piri Seasoning and kosher salt to taste. Grill about 4 minutes a side until marked with grill marks.

Piri Piri Grilled Asparagus

Preheat grill to medium high heat. Wash and dry asparagus, drizzle with olive oil and season with Piri Piri Seasoning and kosher salt to taste. Grill rotating often until tender about 8 minutes total.

Linking to:
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday

Love Bakes Good Cakes: Freedom Fridays with All Bloggy Friends
Carole's Chatter: Food on Friday - BBQ

Home-style Beef Spaghetti Squash

This is another quick weeknight meal. Dear sister and I put this together weeks ago and marveled how similar it taste to the spaghetti sauce we grew up on. It has that same slow simmered flavor but it is fast. It tastes as if it has been cooking all day long. It was so good we made it again tonight. I think it is the mushroom pasta sauce and the olives that makes this sauce so similar to the sauce of our childhood. That flavor combo is definitely what makes this a comforting home-style meal for me. But the best part is, this recipe is healthy and on the table in less than 30 minutes. Serving the sauce over spaghetti squash lowers the carbs, if you are counting them. We felt really good about that. It means we can have it more often. I will be keeping this recipe and the ingredients on hand for a future easy comforting meal. I hope you will too. 

Home-style Beef Spaghetti Squash

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 lb. extra lean ground beef

1/2 yellow onion, finely diced

1/2 green bell pepper, finely diced

24 oz. jar of mushroom pasta sauce                                                   

2.25 oz. can of sliced black olives, undrained

Black pepper, to taste

Red pepper flakes, to taste

2 small spaghetti squash

Kosher salt, to taste

Parmesan cheese, to garnish

Directions

Heat a dutch oven over medium high heat. Add ground beef, breaking it up with a spoon, stirring until brown. Season with black pepper and red pepper flakes. Add onion and bell pepper, continue to cook until onions are translucent and peppers begin to soften. Add pasta sauce, olives and 1/2 cup water; bring to a simmer. Simmer over low heat while preparing the spaghetti squash.

To prepare spaghetti squash: Cut squash in half. Scoop out seeds and discard. Place cut side down in a microwave safe dish, add 1/4 cup of water and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave for 7 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes (You may have to cook each squash separately). When squash is cool enough to handle, pull the squash into spaghetti like threads. Season with salt and pepper. To serve spoon sauce over spaghetti squash and garnish with Parmesan cheese.

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Love Bakes Good Cakes: Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends
Dizzy Busy & Hungry: Wine'd Down Wednesday

Piri Piri Mushroom Burgers

Ever since I made Piri Piri Mushrooms I have wanted to use them on a Mushroom Cheese Burger. They are deliciously smoky and just a little spicy. So one night last week I made beef burgers with a little Piri Piri Sauce inside and Piri Piri Seasoning on the outside. It was delicious topped with swiss cheese and the mushrooms. Ask dear sister, she really liked it. She also enjoyed the grilled squash with Piri Piri Seasoning. We had a great dinner. It is amazing how much smoke flavor the Piri Piri adds to a traditional mushroom cheese burger. It was not too spicy just a tasty smoky twist on an original. Try it! It will just set your burgers apart from all the others. People will wonder what you know that they don't. It can be our little secret . . . Or, tell them where they can find more Piri Piri flavor. I appreciate all you reading and sharing!

Piri Piri Mushroom Burgers

Makes 3 servings

Ingredients

16 oz. ground beef (93% lean)

1 Tbsp. Piri Piri Sauce

Piri Piri Seasoning, to taste

6 slices Swiss cheese

Piri Piri Mushrooms

3 Hamburger Buns

Directions

Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Combine first 3 ingredients gently. Shape mixture into 3 patties, making the patties thinner in the middle then the edge. Season both side with Piri Piri Seasoning.

Grill, covered with grill lid, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip burger and grill covered for another 2 minutes. Place 2 slices of cheese on each burger, grill another 2 minutes. Place hamburger buns on the top rack of the grill to toast while cheese melts. Remove from grill and serve on hamburger buns with Piri Piri Mushrooms.

Piri Piri Squash

Yellow Squash, sliced + Olive Oil Spray + Piri Piri Seasoning

Grill over medium-high heat 4 minutes each side.

Linking to:

Joy Love Food: What's You Do This Weekend?

Creative K Kids: Bloggers Brags Weekly Pinterest Party

Kneaded Creations: Tuesdays With a Twist

Dizzy Busy & Hungry: Wine'd Down Wednesday

Beef and Vegetable Soup from a Soup Bunch

So what exactly is a "Soup Bunch"? That is what I asked when I started looking at this recipe. It calls for a large soup bunch of chopped shallots, cabbage, celery, turnips, carrots, potatoes, and parsley. But how much of each? Mom said they use to sell bundles of veggies at the grocery store ready to chop up for soup hence "Soup Bunch". When I asked what was in the bunch she said, "I really don't remember?" So I started to research the topic on the web. Well no one is in agreement on which vegetables and the amount of each. It appears to be regional and seasonal. I guess that makes sense. But it left me with the question, what to put in our soup.

So I went to Mom's and we made the soup recipe with a huge "Soup Bunch" Mom put together. She had a small bag of carrots, 3 shallots, half a green cabbage, a bag of yellow new potatoes, 2 ribs of celery. 2 turnips and a bunch of parsley. It was delicious! Mom said next time she will use more beef. I said maybe next time we should use a smaller "Soup Bunch". Ha Ha! I mean it made a ton of soup! About sixteen, cup and a half bowls. It was so good, so having leftovers was wonderful. I love that this soup cooks so long. In fact it cooks so long that the onions, cabbage and celery start to breakdown into the broth. It gives the soup a hint of green color. I enjoy the big chunks of vegetables. The corn cob is the prize at the end of the bowl. You will not believe the sweetness the whole corn adds to the soup. Next time I think I will add collards or kale to the soup bunch. Collards were one of the veggies listed in a few of the "Soup Bunches" I read about. I really like the concept of "Soup Bunches". I plan to make many more in the future. Now for a challenge...

Please Share your "Soup Bunch"!

Let's see just how many "Soup Bunch" ideas we can collect. 
What does a "Soup Bunch" mean in your area?

Leave a comment with where you live and what is commonly found 

in a soup bunch there. I look forward to your answers.

Beef and Vegetable Soup

Adapted from: Pots, Pans, and Pioneers III

Makes 16 (1-1/2 cup) bowls

Ingredients

2-3 lb. chuck roast, cut up into 1" pieces
1 (14.5 oz.) can no salt added diced tomatoes (undrained)

2 medium yellow onions, chopped

1 large soup bunch

   - 3 shallots, chopped 
   - 1/2 green cabbage, cut into 1" pieces
   - 2 ribs celery, cut into 1" pieces 
   - 2 turnips, peeled and cut into 1" pieces 
   - 1 small bag carrots, peeled and cut into 1" pieces 
   - 1 bag Yukon gold new potatoes, halved
   - 1 bunch parsley, chopped

2 ears of sweet corn, shucked and cut into 1" coins

1 (14.5 oz.) can no salt added corn (undrained)

1 (14.5 oz.) can green peas
2 bay leaves
Mrs. Dash Extra Spicy, black pepper to taste

Kosher salt to taste (optional)

Directions

Boil meat in water with black pepper. Simmer 1 hour. Add tomatoes, onions, shallots, cabbage, celery and turnips. Simmer 1 hour. Add carrots, potatoes, corn on the cob, corn, peas and parsley. Add bay leaves and seasonings. Taste for seasoning add more salt (if using) and pepper. Simmer until vegetables are tender about 1 more hour.

Linking to:
Ms. enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo
Love Bakes Good Cakes: The Ultimate Soup Recipe List Linky
Tumbleweed Contessa: What'd You Do This Weekend?
Stone Cottage Adventures: Tuesdays with a Twist
Anyonita Nibbles: #tastytuesdays

Yesterfood: Treasure Box Tuesday
Turnips 2 Tangerines: Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop
Dizzy Busy & Hungry: Wine'd Down Wednesday

Low Sodium Chili

Boy it has been awhile hasn't it? I am still here. I took a trip for the long labor day weekend, I have a furniture installation in progress at a fire station and well just more work than usual. A blessing but it is cutting into blogging. I am still cooking and taking photos but really behind in posting. I hope this weekend I will catch up a bit.

This is another experiment in eliminating sodium from a tried and true recipe. I tried making my Wendy's Chili recipe with all no or low sodium ingredients. It was a hit with the family, deliciously spicy. I think using fresh hatch chilies instead of a can of green chilies is what did it. I really enjoyed it. But if spicy foods is not your thing add the hatch chilies in the last 10 minutes of cook time. This was a successful experiment. Just cutting out some of the sodium is a healthy option for my family.

Low Sodium Chili

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 Hatch or Anaheim (California) green chilies

1 lb. 93% lean ground beef

1 small onion, diced

1 rib celery, chopped

15 oz. can no salt added diced tomatoes (liquid included)

15 oz. can no salt added red kidney beans (liquid drained)

15 oz. can no salt added pinto beans (liquid drained)

8 oz. can no salt added tomato sauce

1 cup water

2 Tbsp. chili powder

1/2 Tbsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

Directions

Pre-heat grill to medium-high heat for 10 minutes.

To grill the chilies: Place chilies on the grill. Grill for five minutes on each side on medium high heat. Remove chilies and cover with plastic wrap. When chilies are cool enough to touch, peel off the skin of the chilies. Cut chilies in half from stem to tip, remove seeds, stem and veins. Chop into small dice.

Heat a Dutch oven to medium high heat. Brown beef over medium heat breaking into small pieces with a spoon. When beef is brown, add the remaining ingredients stirring to combine thoroughly. Over medium heat, bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, and continue simmering covered 50−60 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve and enjoy!

Linking to:
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Texas Star Chili Cook Off 2014