Philly Cheesesteak Soup
Everyone's favorite sub sandwich deconstructed into a tasty soup!
Servings 4
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil
- 1 pound lean steak , thinly sliced and cut into 1/2" pieces (or use lean ground beef)
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, and/or steak seasoning
- 8 ounces white or cremini mushrooms, sliced thin
- 1 medium onion, sliced thinly into short strips
- 1 green bell pepper, sliced into short julienne strips
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano or marjoram (or Italian seasoning blend)
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 15 ounce can beef broth
- 6 ounces beef consomme, not diluted with water (about 1/2 can)
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 heaping teaspoon mushroom or beef Better than Bouillon paste
- 1/3 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
Suggested toppings:
- salad croutons, crushed a bit if large
- shredded cheese, such as provolone, fontina, aged cheddar
Instructions
- Season the steak strips or ground beef with kosher salt and black pepper, or your favorite ground steak seasoning.
- Heat the oil in a 4-5 quart Dutch oven or soup over medium heat until the surface shimmers.
- Add the beef to the pot.
- Cook, stirring frequently, until mostly browned. Check the pot for fat. If there's more than a couple of tablespoons's worth, drain or spoon some of it off.
- Add the mushrooms and saute until they've given off most of their liquids.
- Add the onions and green peppers, plus a big pinch of salt, and saute until softened, stirring frequently.
- Scoot everything in the pot off to one side, and let some of the liquids pool in the cleared area.
- Spoon the tomato paste into the liquids, along with the smoked paprika, dried herbs, and a big pinch of salt. Stir the paste until fragrant, and then mix into the rest of the vegetables and meat.
- Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir. It will all become a bit pasty; that's good. Continuing stirring for 15 seconds or so to cook off the raw flavor of the flour.
- Pour in the broth, consomme, soy/Worcestershire sauce, plus a 1/4 cup of water, stirring well.
- Raise the heat to bring the soup to a gentle bubbling, and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Mix in the Better than Bouillon paste, and turn heat to low.
- Pour the dairy in small bowl, and spoon an equal amount of the hot soup liquids into it, stirring or whisking constantly, until smooth. Add to the soup, mixing well.
- Serve with toppings and a side of crusty baguette.