Gosh, some recipes live on and on, and produce “offspring”, as well. That’s how it is with my and readers’ versions of the famous Frisch’s Big Boy vegetable soup.

Now none of these are exactly like Frisch’s veggie soup, since the last time I chatted with them several years ago, was told they use marrow bone and no ground beef or meat in theirs.  Plus they make 10,000 gallons or so a week! (Check out Tony’s recipe below for what he feels is a true clone). But you know what? All of the recipes I’m sharing are darned good.

Sometimes I’ll add some of both the frozen soup veggies and mixed veggies.

These recipes are for Leslie. I’m not sure which version she needs, so I’m sharing all!

Thirty Minute Vegetable Soup (aka Spicy Vegetable Soup, Rita’s spicy version of Frisch’s vegetable soup)

1 to 1-1/4 pounds ground chuck or round

1 generous cup chopped onion

1 generous  teaspoon garlic

1 jar chunky style pasta sauce, 19-28 oz

2 cans beef broth, fat free, low sodium

Water to taste (start with 1 soup can water) and go to taste

1 can chopped tomatoes and chilies, 14.5 oz if you like it spicy

OR 1 can diced tomatoes, 14.5 oz if you don’t want it spicy

16-20 oz, frozen soup vegetables, thawed or

16 oz frozen mixed vegetables, thawed

Handful of fresh greens – spinach, chard, bok choy, escarole, etc.

Cheddar for garnish

Saute meat, onions and garlic.  Drain fat. Add everything else but spinach and cheese.  For the pasta sauce, don’t add it all – go to taste.  Bring to a boil. Lower to simmer 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Toss in greens and cook 1 minute. Makes 8-10 generous servings.

Tony Palazzolo’s version of Frisch’s vegetable soup

“A result of over a dozen attempts, and I think it is very close to Frisch’s”, Tony, Anderson Township, wrote. The last time I made this, I used about a pound of frozen mixed vegetables for the peas, corn, beans and lima beans. I also omitted the fresh carrots, since carrots were included in the frozen mixed vegetables. I used quick cooking barley and brown rice, as well.

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup onion, diced

1/2 cup ea. diced: carrots, celery

1/2 cup ea. frozen vegetables: peas, corn, cut green beans, baby lima beans (can use canned baby limas)

1 can, 14.5 oz, diced tomatoes with juice

2 quarts beef broth

1 quart water

1/2 teaspoon ea. thyme, garlic powder

3/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup potato, diced

1/4 cup pearl barley

1/4 cup long grain rice
Salt to taste

In a large soup pot, sauté onion, carrot, and celery until onion is soft but not browned, about 10 minutes.  Add rest of ingredients except potato, rice and barley.  Bring to boil and lower to simmer partially covered for 30-45 minutes.

Add potato, rice and barley, bring back to boil, lower to simmer, partially covered, for another 30 minutes or until potato, rice and barley are done.  Add salt and pepper.

Rita’s best attempt at Frisch’s vegetable soup, but with chuck roast meat

Do your own thing here. If you want to use all frozen mixed vegetables and no soup vegetables, that’s OK. Or only one of the two is fine, also. Leave out the garlic? I wouldn’t, but you could use less or even none.  Add more beef broth or water to taste. Ditto with the seasonings. Add a pound or so of lean ground beef instead of the roast. Then you’re really veering off course – but it will still be delicious!

1-1/2 to 2 pounds trimmed chuck roast, cut into small pieces

1 generous cup chopped onion

1 generous teaspoon minced garlic

1 can, 14.5 oz, diced tomatoes

1 pound bag frozen soup vegetables

10 frozen mixed vegetables

1 bay leaf (opt)

2-4 cups vegetable juice (like V-8)

5-6 cans, 14.5 oz ea. beef broth

Several dashes paprika

1 cup quick cooking barley or 1/2 cup quick cooking barley and 1/2 cup rice

Salt and pepper to taste

Water to taste

In a large pot, start browning the meat in a bit of olive oil. Then add everything but barley, rice and salt and pepper. Regarding the vegetable juice and broth, start out with the lower amount and add more if you want. Bring to a boil and boil gently about 30 minutes or as long as an hour (by then the meat will start to fall apart). Add barley or barley and rice and cook another 15 minutes or so.  Remove bay leaf and season to taste, adding water or more broth if necessary.  Serves 8-10.

 

Another Frisch’s Vegetable Soup Clone
Your comments about the first recipe I printed for this, which took up to several hours to make, were interesting: “Tastes just like Frisch’s”, some said. “Doesn’t taste enough like Frisch’s”, a few others said.   Sometimes it is easier to go to a restaurant to enjoy their speciality

Cut the meat into little pieces so that it cooks quickly.  If you want to use all frozen mixed vegetables and no soup vegetables that’s OK. I also added a couple dashes paprika. This version is less “tomatoey” than the original.  I suppose you could make an even quicker soup using ground chuck.  A bouillon cube or two would be OK, too.

1-1/2 pounds trimmed chuck roast, cut into one-fourth inch pieces

1 generous cup chopped onion

1 generous teaspoon minced garlic

1 can, 14.5 oz, diced tomatoes

1 pound bag frozen soup vegetables

1 box, 10 oz,  frozen mixed vegetables

2 bay leaves (opt)

3-4 cups vegetable juice

5-6 cans, 14.5 oz ea. beef broth

1 cup quick cooking barley or one half cup ea: quick cooking barley and rice

Salt and pepper to taste

Sauté meat in a bit of olive oil.  Add everything but barley and salt and pepper.  Start with the lower amounts of juice and broth and add more if you want. Bring to a boil and boil gently about 30 minutes or up to an hour (by then the meat will be ultra tender and start to fall apart).  Add barley and cook another 20 minutes.  Remove bay leaves and season to taste.  Serves 8-10.