Description
Traditional Mexican beef soup featuring bone-in beef shanks, fresh corn, russet potatoes, zucchini, yellow squash, cabbage, and Roma tomatoes simmered in aromatic broth with onions, garlic, and cilantro. Served in rustic bowls with lime wedges and warm tortillas on the side.
Ingredients
For the Broth Base:
- 10 cups water, divided
- 2½ lb beef (bone-in shanks and roast)
- 1 onion, quartered
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon salt
For the Vegetables:
- 1 medium zucchini, chopped
- 1 medium yellow squash, chopped
- 2 small russet potatoes, chopped
- 2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
- ¼ large cabbage, chopped
- 2 ears of corn, cut in half
- Handful of fresh cilantro
- 4 oz tomato sauce
Instructions
Hack the roast into chunks about the size of golf balls. Leave shanks alone – they’re perfect as is. Don’t worry about making them pretty. Rustic chunks taste better anyway.
I learned to pat the meat dry first. Rosa showed me this trick. Wet meat doesn’t brown as well if you decide to sear it first, though this recipe doesn’t require browning.
Toss everything in the pot – 8 cups water, onion pieces, garlic cloves, bay leaf, salt, all the meat. Put heat on high. Cover with a tight lid. Wait for big bubbles, takes about 15 minutes depending on your stove.
My stove runs hot so it’s usually 12 minutes for me. You’ll hear it before you see it – that rumbling sound when water really starts boiling. Don’t peek too much or you’ll let out all the steam.
Turn down to medium heat. Let it bubble gently for exactly 20 minutes. Fish out those shanks with tongs or a big spoon. Cut meat off bones with a sharp knife – be careful, it’s hot. Put meat chunks back in the pot. Put bones back in too.
This step used to frustrate me because the meat would be falling off and I’d make a mess. Now I just do it right over the pot and let the pieces fall where they want. Less cleanup, same result.
Dump in everything else – zucchini, yellow squash, potatoes, tomatoes, cabbage, corn halves, cilantro, tomato sauce. Don’t stir too much or you’ll break up the vegetables. Cover and simmer exactly 30 minutes. Test potatoes with a fork – they should slide off easily when done.
I add the corn last because it cooks fastest. Sometimes I forget and it gets mushy, but my kids actually prefer it that way. Sofia calls it “corn butter” when it gets really soft.
Notes
Scoop out the gray foam that floats to the top in the first 10 minutes – makes the broth clearer and tastier
Keep heat at medium only or the meat gets tough and chewy
Cut everything roughly the same size so it cooks evenly
Fresh herbs always go in last
Don’t lift the lid too much – you lose steam and heat
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 65 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: Mexican