This is one of the tastiest soups I've had in a very long time. The key I think is to get a good red wine. A cabernet or something like that works well, don't be tempted to use a really cheap wine as I just don't think it'll be as good.
Also, I took to adding just a dab of sour cream as it works well with the broth. I will be making this soup again for sure, especially as the snow falls.
I enjoyed this soup but my roommate did not. He didn't care for the strong wine flavor that was present. I used a smooth merlot that added depth but the overall recipe was less flavorful than I had hoped! I made the following changes / tweaks: added an entire chopped small yellow onion used 3 cloves of garlic added a 1/2 pound of sliced mushrooms used approx. 6 oz. of dumpling style egg noodles and increased the tomato juice and red wine by 1 cup each. If I make this in the future (which I probably won't) I will increase only the tomato juice and broth by 1 cup each and decrease the wine by 1 cup. Some additional spices should be added for flavor but I am not sure which ones. Thyme and parsley?
How can you say the Prep Time is 5 minutes? I find that deceptive - especially if one is looking for a fast and easy meal to prepare on a worknight. How is that calculated - once everything is brought together, chopped, diced, portioned, etc? I would put the Prep Time at at least 20 to 30 minutes.
We loved this although I admit to making a lot of changes not b/c anything was wrong with the original recipe I just tend to tinker as I cook. Anyway I cooked soup bones separately to make the broth and then added another 1# stew meat to the soup. I used a Snap Dragon Cabernet Sauvignon. Increased the garlic to about 3 cloves. Added a can of diced tomatoes in sauce. Used about 1 tsp sea salt. 1/4 tsp pepper. 1/4 tsp thyme. 1 Tbsp beef granules. Added some green beans from the garden half way through the day. Simmered all day in my crock pot. Omitted dumplings and instead cubed 2 yellow sweet potatoes and added them 2 hours before dinner. Delish! My husband ate 3 bowls!!! Served with a wheat beer bread and salad.
I've been making this recipe for at least five years! During the winter, I make it at least twice a month. It is one of the best I've ever had.
Customizations that work for my family:
I add thyme and a bay leaf and fiddle with the amounts of veggies. I skip the dumplings (they just don't really go with this soup). Instead, I make barley separately and add it to our bowls when I serve because otherwise the barley soaks up all the amazing broth!
Hands down, this is one of the best soup recipes on this site! Thank you, Elizabeth!
This is AMAZING! Healthy, easy and SO GOOD! My whole family LOVED it! Not the dumplings, though. We skip the dumpling step completely and serve it with crusty bread. Also, added thyme and parsley with the salt and pepper. Thank you, Elizabeth, for a new family fave!!!! It is requested I make this just about every week!
This had a very nice flavor. I was a little worried about equal parts tomato juice, wine and broth but it seemed to blend well. I used a cabernet, leftover roast & homemade stock and added a little beef base to compensate for the condensed flavor of the canned broth. There wasn't quite enough roast so I also added some lentils with the veggies (with extra water to cook them). I didn't make the dumplings because we don't care for them. I think in the future I would make the lentils standard for us as we really liked it this way.
I had some leftover beef roast in the fridge so thought I would try this recipe. It turned out great! I omitted the wine since I didn't have any on hand. I used another dumpling recipe from this site: 1 cup all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon white sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon margarine 1/2 cup milk. Dropped them by teaspoonful covered and simmered for 15 minutes. Can't wait to take the leftovers to work tomorrow!
Excellent. Substituted egg noodles in place of dumplings after reading the other reviews. One of my favorite soups.
