Do you often think about what you eat? Most students don’t – they’re far too busy with studying and plenty of other matters. Being away from their family home, many live on junk food for weeks on end without even noticing.
It’s hard to blame them: being a student can be overwhelming. But doing homework at the expense of your health is a bad idea. What’s more – the food you eat hugely affects your productivity and performance.
So, put away that pizza, find an essay writer at a trustworthy essay writing services, and spend a couple of hours cooking yourself a decent meal. We suggest that you try a beef broth soup.
Why Eat Soup, Anyway?
Soup may not be the most popular meal among students. In fact, some have given it up completely – and claim to feel fine without.
Nutrition experts agree: these liquid-based dishes are truly beneficial provided they contain the right ingredients and are properly prepared. Some of the health benefits good soups can offer you are:
- Increasing vegetable intake;
- Being a great source of collagen (if based on broth or stock);
- Providing a reasonable (not excessive) amount of fat and calories.
For students who need lots of calories to function, vegetable bouillons may prove too thin. But meat broth – and beef broth in particular – is the perfect base that ensures you won’t feel hungry in half an hour.
How to Make Beef Broth
Preparing a tasty, healthy beef broth requires knowledge and practice. The good news is, once you learn to make it, it will be as easy as pie – easier, in fact.
Broth or Stock?
A good broth (also known as bouillon) always begins with a good piece of meat. But first, you need to decide what exactly you’re going to make: beef broth or beef stock.
Beef stock (also known as bone broth) is thicker and is based on bones rather than meat. Due to that, it’s a great source of collagen, but it takes very long to cook – usually 3 hours or more.
Beef broth is lighter, thinner, and faster to cook – around 2 hours, depending on the meat and your stove type. It’s also more convenient because you can use the meat from the broth in the soup and other dishes.
You can also buy ready-made beef broth or stock – frozen or in cans. It can be a great idea when you’re short on time, but we wouldn’t advise doing it too often.
Making a Beef Broth Step-by-Step
If you decide to go all the way and not use store-bought broth or stock, follow these steps.
1) Choose the meat. As beef cuts go, these can be:
- Short ribs
- Shank
- Belly or beef skirt
2) Prepare the vegetables and herbs. You can use:
- Onions
- Carrot
- Garlic
- Celery
- Bay leaves, or anything else to your taste.
3) Combine the meat and the vegetables in a pan, boil and let simmer for 2-2,5 hours.
4) Take out the vegetables and herbs. You’ll need new ones for your soup.
3 Simple Soups Every Student Can Make
With the bouillon ready, every student can make a decent soup using whatever ingredients are available at the moment. Vegetable soups always work well, so you can safely add potatoes, carrots, and onions to your bouillon and – voila! Lunch is served.
To make your soup more nutritious, go for any pasta or noodles; beans will also do, as well as some less common vegetables like cabbage, beetroot, turnip, or radish. Add some species for flavor, and here you go.
However, some people like to follow the recipes step by step. So, here are the three simple soup recipes you can use to cook a nice meal at your dorm kitchen.
Italian Meatball Soup
The most intricate part here is preparing the meatballs. If you want to skip the step, just use store-bought semi-finished ones.
Ingredients are as follows:
- Lean ground beef
- Breadcrumbs
- One egg
- Herbs and spices to your taste
- Mixed vegetables (fresh or frozen)
- Pasta
Preparation steps:
1) Mix ground beef, breadcrumbs, egg, herbs, and spices in a bowl. You can also add garlic powder, parsley, tomato, and parmesan cheese to your taste.
2) Form small meatballs.
3) Put them in the oven for 25-30 minutes.
4) In the meanwhile, prepare the vegetables.
5) Combine the meatballs and the vegetables in a pan and let simmer. You don’t need to make the bouillon separately for this soup.
6) Add pasta and cook until ready.
Ukrainian Beetroot Soup (Borscht)
“True” Ukrainian borscht is not the simplest soup ever, but luckily, there are plenty of variations. Some of them are quite manageable even if you’re a busy student who’s not too fond of cooking.
Ingredients:
- Beef broth
- Onions
- Potatoes
- Carrots
- White cabbage
- Beetroot
- Herbs and spices to your taste
Preparation:
1) Boil the broth.
2) Add chopped vegetables (onions, potatoes, carrots).
3) Add shredded cabbage and grated beets.
4) Add herbs and spices and cook until ready (25-30 minutes).
5) Combine with boiled meat from the broth.
Beef Noodle Soup
What can be easier than noodle soup? And is there a student who doesn’t like noodles? This recipe is bound to be a student favorite!
Ingredients:
- Beef broth
- Onions
- Carrots
- Egg noodles
- Herbs and spices to your taste
Preparation:
1) Boil the broth.
2) Add chopped vegetables, simmer for 15-20 minutes.
3) Add egg noodles.
4) Add herbs and spices and cook until ready (about 10 more minutes).
5) Combine with the boiled meat.
Bottom Line
Soups based on beef broth take time to cook, but they are so much better for health than fast food many students love. If you dread spending 2-3 hours watching over the bouillon, just use a store-bought one as a base in the recipes listed above.
And remember: the better you eat, the more energy you have! So, consider the time spent on cooking as an investment in your productivity and performance.
Interested in eating more healthy for life?
Listen to our friends over at Wellness Force Radio to learn about the “5 Must Have Nutrition Fundamentals”
10 Beef Recipes Every Student Should Try
