Soup is comfort food!
The cooler months are the perfect time of the year for healthy comfort foods like soup!
Simple, quick dinner options seem limitless when we use healthy foods like vegetables, seeds, grains, or beans, add some water and lots of herbs and spices and turn these healthy foods into a delicious, nutritious soup.
This beef and wild rice soup can come together quickly on a busy weeknight or relaxed weekend.
And, if you don’t have organic grass-fed ground beef on hand, round steak cut into chunks works well as does brown or black rice in place of the wild rice. Each food will bring its unique nutrient profile in support of a healthy body, but for the recipe here, you’ll find some benefits of consuming this comfort dish below.
Health Benefits of this Dish
Organic grass-fed beef, according to the Mayo Clinic, can provide health benefits that other types of beef do not (1). Grass-fed beef comes from cattle that eat grass and forage foods throughout their lives, and the organic seal provides assurances like the cattle were raised on certified organic land that was not subjected to synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, sewage sludge, or genetically engineered substances as can be the case for conventional beef cattle (2). Grass-fed beef is said to have a lower total fat content, additional omega-3 fatty acids which are important for heart and brain health, more linolenic acid (omega-6), and more antioxidant vitamins like vitamin E than conventionally raised beef (1). Additionally, beef is a good source of complete protein that helps to build bone and muscle (3). Beef contains heme iron which is easily absorbed by the body. Red meat supplies vitamin B12 which is necessary for healthy red blood cells, nerve function as well as DNA production. The zinc found in beef also helps to keep our immune system functioning properly through the cold and flu season (4).
Wild rice (Zizania aquatica) is not rice, but grasses that grow in lakes and rivers that have edible seeds providing a complete protein source (all essential amino acids) and fiber for improved blood pressure, serum cholesterol levels, and insulin sensitivity (5) (6). Wild rice is rich in powerful antioxidants that are associated with the prevention of chronic diseases as they alleviate insulin resistance, prevent atherosclerosis, and have immunomodulatory effects on the body (7). Wild rice is also a good source of nutrients like folate (vitamin B9) important for healthy cell growth and function and red blood cell formation, and magnesium which is involved in hundreds of reactions in the body such as muscle movement, regulation of the nervous system, and it aids in the creation of energy from the food we eat (8) (9).
Beef & Wild Rice Recipe:
Ingredients:
1 tbsp. avocado oil
1 pound organic or grass-fed ground beef
½ cup onion, diced
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
½ tsp. smoked paprika, ground
½ tsp. garlic flakes
½ tsp. onion flakes
½ - 1 tsp. red chili flakes (optional)
2 sprigs rosemary, fresh
1 cup carrots, diced
1 cup celery, diced
4-5 cups bone broth
1 cup wild rice
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions:
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat, add the beef and brown. Add the onion and garlic and cook until translucent. Add the paprika, salt, pepper, garlic, onion, and red chili flakes, and stir to coat the beef.
Add the broth and rosemary and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and add the carrots, celery, and wild rice and continue to simmer for about 25 minutes or until the wild rice is cooked. Remove the rosemary sprigs before serving and enjoy!
Here’s another beef and rice recipe.