This Beefy Tomato Soup Transports Me Back to My Grandmother’s Kitchen

There are few things more comforting than a steaming-hot bowl of tomato soup on a crisp winter day. This soup immediately transports me back to my grandmother Helen’s kitchen. I can picture myself sitting at her little kitchen table, Perry Mason flickering on the TV in the background, with the enticing smell of this hearty, beefy, rich tomato soup wafting through the small apartment.  

I’ve come to realize in adulthood, as many of us do, how much I took these simple moments for granted. To this day, this soup is one of my family’s most fondly remembered recipes from my Babci (the casual Polish term for “grandmother”). It is comforting and nostalgic, and showcases the way she cooked with love. Her food was simple and humble, and left my heart as full as my belly.

Choosing the Beef

My Babci’s version of this recipe was made with thick-cut, bone-in chuck steak, which was seared and then simmered whole in a mixture of water and Campbell’s condensed tomato soup over several hours to create a beefy, tomato-y base stock.  

I’ve found that the bone-in chuck steaks that are readily available in most major supermarkets today are cut much too thin, and the meat dries out before the bone can really lend much flavor to a base stock. So, in my updated version of my grandmother’s soup, I’ve swapped in a boneless chuck roast weighing about a pound and a half in size, which offers a satisfying meat-to-broth ratio.  

I sear the roast whole, then cut it into bite-sized pieces. I prefer to cut the beef smaller than you would for a beef stew. It speeds up the overall cook time and gives you the perfect bite of soup without requiring a fork and knife. That said, feel free to swap in cubed chuck that is often sold at a discounted price and can be found labeled as “stew meat.” Just make sure that what you’re buying is chuck meat, or something with a decent amount of fat marbling. After searing the chunks, cut them into bite-sized pieces as directed in the recipe.

The Right Beef Stock to Use

You can make this recipe with either store-bought beef stock or a high-quality beef bouillon (such as Better than Bouillon). If you have access to homemade beef stock, even better, but any of these will produce a delicious soup. If you’re using bouillon, go light on the salt used to season your beef to avoid an overly salty finished product.

Serving Suggestions

My favorite way to enjoy this soup is with a handful of cooked elbow macaroni tossed in the bowl, just as I did as a kid. It’s also a great accompaniment to a classic grilled cheese sandwich (or go for both, if you love a double-carb like I do).