Caldo de Res, or Mexican beef soup, is a healthy and comforting soup made with a flavorful beef broth and squash, corn, carrots, cabbage and potatoes.
It’s caldo de res season, friends! There’s nothing more comforting than a big bowl of this brothy veggie-filled soup on a chilly fall and winter day. Similar to chicken soup, this is one of those dishes that makes you feel all warm and cozy as soon as you ladle some into your bowl.
If you’re feeling a little under the weather, a serving of this soup will help you get back to your regular self. And who doesn’t want that around cold and flu season?!
If you need a little more convincing about how good this soup is, here’s a little more information about it.
What is caldo de res?
Caldo de Res is a Mexican beef soup made with a flavorful beef broth and filled with lots of vegetables such as squash, corn, carrots, cabbage and potatoes. The way the broth is prepared and the vegetables that are used varies from region to region in Mexico, but the cut of meat that is typically used is bone-in beef shank.
How to make caldo de res
- In a large dutch oven or soup pot, add 10 cups water, beef shanks, garlic, bay leaves, and salt. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to a low simmer and continue cooking for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the meat tender.
- Skim off and discard any white or brown foam floating at the top of the pot as well as the bay leaves and garlic cloves. Transfer the cooked bone-in beef shank to a medium bowl and set aside to cool slightly.
- Add the potatoes, corn, zucchini, carrots, cabbage and remaining 2 cups of water to the pot.
- Bring soup to a boil, reduce heat to a low simmer and continue cooking until all the vegetables are tender and cooked through, about 15 minutes.
- While the vegetables are cooking, remove the bones and any tough sinewy parts from the beef shank and discard. Cut the tender meat into small bite-sized chunks. When the vegetables are fully cooked, add the meat.
- Stir everything together and taste. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.
How to serve caldo de res
I like serving caldo de res in large bowls to make sure that I get a little bit of everything, including a corn on the cob. I then add in a few dashes of Tobasco hot sauce (which I’m not usually a fan of, but it totally works in this soup), some fresh cilantro and a big squeeze of lime juice. If you’re not a fan of hot sauce, you can omit that, but don’t leave out the cilantro and lime juice. It completely transforms the broth and makes it fresh, bright and comforting at the same time!
To make it easier to eat and store, you can remove the cooked corn from the soup, carefully cut off the kernels with a knife and place them back into the soup. If you ever order Caldo de Res at a Mexican restaurant, the corn will typically be served on the cob. But since we’re making this at home, I like removing the corn from the cob so I don’t make a mess when eating.
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INGREDIENTS
- 12 cups water, divided
- 2 pounds bone-in beef shank
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt
- 2 potatoes, cut into eighths (Idaho, Russet or Yukon Gold)
- 4 medium ears of corn, shucked and halved
- 2 zucchini, cut into thick chunks
- 4 carrots, sliced into thick coins
- 1/2 head cabbage, cut into eighths
- 1 cup chopped cilantro, for serving
- 4 limes, halved, for serving
- optional: Tabasco hot sauce, for serving
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a large dutch oven or soup pot, add 10 cups water, beef shanks, garlic, bay leaves, and salt. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to a low simmer and continue cooking for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the meat tender.
- Skim off and discard any white or brown foam floating at the top of the pot as well as the bay leaves and garlic cloves. Transfer the cooked bone-in beef shank to a medium bowl and set aside to cool slightly.
- Add the potatoes, corn, zucchini, carrots, cabbage and remaining 2 cups of water to the pot.
- Bring soup to a boil, reduce heat to a low simmer and continue cooking until all the vegetables are tender and cooked through, about 15 minutes.
- While the vegetables are cooking, remove the bones and any tough sinewy parts from the beef shank and discard. Cut the tender meat into small bite-sized chunks. When the vegetables are fully cooked, add the meat.
- Stir everything together and taste. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.
- Serve soup in large bowls, making sure that each bowl gets a little bit of everything. Top each bowl with cilantro, freshly squeezed lime juice and a few dashes of Tobasco hot sauce. This really brings out the flavor of the broth!
Mimi says
Thank you for the recipe.. will try it tonight.
Ray Jacob says
how about Sonora Gallina pinta?
Ethel Grimes says
I was so glad to find this recipe! I love caldo de res and caldo de pollo, but I’m alarmed by the high amount of sodium in some of their recipes. This one looks both tasty and healthy, and I look forward to making it this winter!
Isabel says
Thanks, Ethel. I really hope you like it!