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This easy to make recipe for beef and potato soup with green beans is a great example of peasant food from Central Europe, especially Germany and Austria. Known as Grüne Bohnensuppe, it's a functional and seasonal meal which serves as a great winter warmer.
In rural German farming communities, the soup was designed to utilise whatever was fresh in the home garden during the late summer and early autumn harvest. Because it was peasant food, the baseline ingredients were cheap, carbohydrate-dense, and easily accessible.
The base is green beans paired with potatoes and onions. For protein, farmers would throw in scraps of smoked bacon (Speck), ham hocks, or leftover beef chunks that were available to give the broth depth and fat.
In this recipe, we'll be using casserole beef, which is cheap and commonly available from supermarkets, along with thyme and peppercorns for additional flavour.
Ingredients - 1 kg braising or casserole beef - 2 onions, chopped - 1 litre vegetable stock - 2 large potatoes (or several smaller ones), peeled and diced - 500 g green beans, trimmed and cut into small pieces - 2-3 sprigs of thyme - salt and pepper - cooking oil - (optional) parsley - (optional) dark bread such as rye
Instructions 1. Heat the oil in a pan. Add the beef and season with salt and pepper. 2. Cook until the beef begins to brown then add the onions and cook until the onions begin to soften. 3. Add the thyme and stock. Bring to a boil, then simmer over medium heat for 40 minutes. 4. Add the potatoes, bring back to the boil, then cook for a further 15 minutes. 5. Add the green beans and cook for a further 5 minutes.
Serving Dish the soup into a bowl and sprinkle with parsley. Serve with a dark bread such as rye.
Servings Four.
Storage Keep the soup in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 48 hours.