Servings
Font
Back
4.9 from 42 votes

Caldo de Res (Vegetable Beef Soup)

Caldo de res, or Mexican beef soup, is more than just meat and broth. It’s a well-seasoned brew of vegetables, herbs, and two cuts of beef!

Prep Time
20 mins
Total Time
1 hr 55 mins
Servings: 8
Calories: 245 kcal
Course: Soup , Dinner
Cuisine: Mexican

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs beef shank bones or ox tails or short ribs instead of shanks 
  • 1 lb beef chuck cubed (See Note 1)
  • 3 cloves garlic smashed
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tbsp kosher salt
  • 2 yellow potatoes cut into eight pieces
  • 2 ears corn shucked and cut into 2 inch pieces
  • 4 carrots peeled, sliced into thick coins
  • 1 large jalapeño sliced into rings
  • 1/2 head cabbage cut into quarters
  • 2 zucchini cut into thick coins
  • 14 oz chickpeas drained
  • 2 Mint sprigs
Serving
  • 1/2 cup cilantro chopped
  • 2 limes quartered

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. In a large dutch oven or soup pot, add 10 cups water, beef shanks, beef chuck, garlic, bay leaves, and the salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for 90 minutes, or until the meat is tender. Skim off and discard any brown foam floating at the top.
  2. Remove the beef shank/bones and with a slotted spoon remove the pieces of cooked beef chuck, bay leaves and garlic cloves. Transfer cooked beef shank/bones to a bowl, and set aside to cool. Transfer cooked beef chuck pieces to a small bowl. Discard the bay leaves and garlic cloves. Taste, and add 1 beef bouillon cube to the pot if more beef flavor is desired.
  3. Add the potatoes, corn, carrots, jalapeno and 2 cups of water to the pot.
  4. Bring soup to a boil, then add the cabbage, zucchini, chickpeas and mint (See Note 2). Cover and turn heat to simmer and cook until vegetables are tender and cooked through, (check potatoes and carrots with fork), about 15 minutes.
  5. While the vegetables are cooking, pick over and remove any bits of meat from the bones and discard bones. Add meat to small bowl with beef chuck. Chop the meat into small bite size chunks and add to soup pot. Cook another 5 minutes to heat meat through.
  6. Remove mint sprigs and discard. Season with salt and pepper, stir everything thoroughly. Serve soup in large bowls, making sure that each bowl gets a little bit of everything. Serve and top each bowl with cilantro, freshly squeezed lime juice and warm tortillas, or bollio rolls (optional).

Notes

  • cabbage, zucchini, and chickpeas after everything has come to a boil so they do not over cook and become mushy.
  • Most traditional recipes call for just the meat off the beef shanks. I found this too little for the effort, so I add pieces of beef chuck. Beef short ribs work as well.
  • I add the cabbage, zucchini, and chickpeas after everything has come to a boil so they do not over cook and become mushy.

Nutrition Information

Calories 245kcal (12%) Carbohydrates 28g (9%) Protein 18g (36%) Fat 8g (12%) Saturated Fat 3g (15%) Trans Fat 1g Cholesterol 39mg (13%) Sodium 961mg (40%) Potassium 748mg (21%) Fiber 8g (32%) Sugar 9g (18%) Vitamin A 5419IU (108%) Vitamin C 41mg (46%) Calcium 85mg (9%) Iron 3mg (17%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 8Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 245

% Daily Value*

Calories 245kcal 12%
Carbohydrates 28g 9%
Protein 18g 36%
Fat 8g 12%
Saturated Fat 3g 15%
Trans Fat 1g 50%
Cholesterol 39mg 13%
Sodium 961mg 40%
Potassium 748mg 16%
Fiber 8g 32%
Sugar 9g 18%
Vitamin A 5419IU 108%
Vitamin C 41mg 46%
Calcium 85mg 9%
Iron 3mg 17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.