Caldo de Res

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 2 hours

Total time: 2 hours 20 minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Country of Origin

Mexico

Description

Caldo de Res is a comforting Mexican beef and vegetable soup featuring bone-in beef shank simmered with large, rustic chunks of corn on the cob, potatoes, carrots, chayote squash, and cabbage in a light, savory broth.

Presentation & How It's Eaten

Served steaming hot in wide bowls containing large vegetable pieces and a beef shank bone. Diners squeeze lime juice directly into broth and eat with hot corn tortillas and rice on the side.

Ingredients

• 1 kg (2.2 lbs) beef shank with bone (or beef chuck + soup bones)

• 2 ears corn, husked and cut into 3-inch cob pieces

• 2 medium potatoes, halved

• 2 carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks

• 1 chayote squash, cut into quarters

• 1/2 head green cabbage, cut into thick wedges

• 1 zucchini, cut into thick rounds

• 1 white onion, quartered

• 4 cloves garlic, peeled

• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro

• 1 tbsp salt

• Lime wedges and warm tortillas, for serving

Step-by-Step Directions

1. Simmer Meat: In a large stockpot, combine beef shank, bones, quartered onion, garlic, and salt. Cover with 3.5 liters water. Bring to a boil, skim off rising foam, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 1 hour 15 minutes until beef is tender.

2. Add Hard Vegetables: Add corn cob pieces, carrots, and chayote squash to pot. Simmer for 15 minutes.

3. Add Soft Vegetables: Add potatoes, green cabbage wedges, zucchini rounds, and fresh cilantro sprigs to soup.

4. Final Cook: Simmer for another 20 minutes until potatoes and all vegetables are tender when tested with a fork. Season broth with salt to taste.

5. Serve: Place pieces of beef, corn, and vegetables in wide bowls, pour hot broth over top, and serve with lime wedges and warm corn tortillas.

Optional

• Spicy Kick: Add whole serrano chilies to broth while simmering or serve with crushed red salsa.

Cooking Tips

• Keep Vegetables Large: Cut vegetables into extra-large chunks so they do not disintegrate during the extended boiling time.

Nutrition Facts

(Estimated per serving, based on a 6-serving breakdown)

Calories: ~390 kcal

Total Fat: 16g

Saturated Fat: 6g

Cholesterol: 75mg

Sodium: 580mg

Total Carbohydrates: 32g

Dietary Fiber: 6g

Sugars: 6g

Protein: 32g