Old-Fashioned Beef-Vegetable Soup

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons beef bouillon from cube instant
• 3 lb beef shanks cut into 3-inch pieces
• 3 cups cabbage coarsely chopped
• 2 cups carrots sliced
• 1.5 cups celery stalks sliced
• 2  bay leaves dried
• 2 cups green beans frozen (from 1-lb bag)
• 2 cups onion whole frozen (from 16-oz bag)
• 0.5 teaspoon pepper 
• 3 cups potatoes cubed (3 medium)
• 2 cups rutabaga cubed peeled ()
• 1.5 teaspoons salt 
• 0.5 teaspoon thyme leaves dried
• 4 cups vegetable juice 
• 10 cups water 

Equipment

• dutch oven

Directions

1. In 8-quart stockpot or Dutch oven, place beef bones and water.
2. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 30 minutes. Skim off and discard any residue that rises to surface.
3. Stir in bouillon, salt, pepper, thyme and bay leaves. Return to boiling. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 2 to 2 1/2 hours longer or until meat is tender.
4. Remove beef bones and bay leaves from broth. Skim and discard fat from broth. When bones are cool enough to handle, remove meat from bones; cut into bite-size pieces.
5. Return meat to broth. Stir in all remaining ingredients.
6. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender.