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Caldo de Res, or Mexican Beef Soup, is a bowl of love, warmth, and goodness. If you’re under the weather, I invite you to try this recipe.
No offense to Caldo de Pollo, Caldo de Albondigas, or Caldo de Pescado. All are GREAT, but I prefer this hearty and filling Mexican soup when I’m sick.
Think of this as “Mexican penicillin.”
Guaranteed to make you feel better in an instant.
What Type of Beef
The best part about this soup is the bone marrow. There are many health benefits associated with bone marrow and bone broth.
If you don’t want to use it, you can use top round, chuck roast, or beef stew meat instead.
Buy one beef shank per person. You want to be able to serve the bone to eat bowl
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step-By-Step Instructions
- Cut the meat around the bone marrow and season with salt and pepper.
- Heat oil in the pot and sear the meat.
- Add onion and cook for 1 minute before adding water.
- Simmer for 30 minutes.
Chop the beef into 1-inch pieces. Since this is a soup, you want the meat to fit a spoon.
Homemade broth is the best, but you can also use store-bought beef broth and skip the 30 minutes of simmering.
Pro Tip:
Save broth from another Mexican beef recipe like Beef Tamales, Beef Taquitos, Salpicon de Res
Beef broth lasts up to 4 months in a sealable bag in the freezer.
- Add garlic, jalapeno, bay leaf, all the veggies, and more water.
- Stir to combine,
- Cook for 40 minutes.
The Name Game
This soup is most commonly known as “Caldo de Res” or “Sopa de Res.” Both terms are translate into “Mexican Beef Soup.”
You’ll also hear “Puchero” or “Cocido.”
For the non-Spanish speaking readers, “cocido de res” means “cooked beef.”
Be sure to use a large stockpot. This Caldo de Res recipe feeds 4-6 people, but it can feed more.
To EXTEND this recipe to serve more people, add more beef broth and more veggies.
Kinda like Caldo de Verduras, the chunks of vegetables really make this soup.
Lime juice is added to help tenderize the meat and to provide tanginess. You can add it with the vegetables or at the end, whichever you prefer.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best meat for beef soup?
For this soup, we are using beef shank. Or, you can also use beef stew meat, sirloin steak, round, or chuck.
How do I store it?
In the fridge, place the soup in a sealable container. The Mexican Beef Soup will last for 3-4 days. To freeze leftovers, place in a plastic freezer bag. Remove as much air as possible.
Be sure to cool before placing it in the freezer. It will last for 4-5 months.
How do I reheat frozen beef soup?
Place the frozen soup in the microwave and heat on high for 4-5 minutes. If doing it on the stove, place in stock pot. Over medium-high heat, cook for 15 minutes.
More Mexican Beef Stews:
Serve Caldo de Res recipe with corn tortillas, lime, and jalapeno slices for some spice.
Some people will also add Mexican rice to the soup bowl.
A comforting, satisfying, and delicious soup to warm you up on cold winter nights.
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Caldo de Res (Mexican Beef Soup)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 3 beef shanks
- ½ onion diced
- 8-10 cups of water
- 2 garlic cloves finely diced
- Juice of 2 limes
- 1 jalapeño finely diced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 chayote diced
- 2 Mexican zucchini diced
- 2 carrots chopped
- ¼ cabbage sliced 3-inch pieces
- 2 corn on the cob 3-inches each
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Cilantro chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Remove the meat from each of the beef shanks.
- Chop meat into 1-inch pieces.
- Season the meat with salt and pepper.
- Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot.
- Add the beef and the bones to the pot.
- Brown on all sides.
- Add onion.
- Stir for one minute, or until translucent.
- Add 8 cups of water, more salt and pepper, and garlic.
- Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, or until beef is tender.
- Add jalapeño, bay leaf, chayote, zucchini, carrots, and corn.
- Taste for salt. Add salt and pepper if needed.
- Make sure there’s enough water to cover all the ingredients. If not, add more water.
- Cover and simmer for 50 minutes.
- In last 10 minutes of cooking, add cabbage slices and lime juice.
- Taste again for good measure.
- Top each bowl with cilantro.
- Serve along with additional lime wedges and tortillas.
- Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- In the refrigerator, Caldo de Res lasts for 3-4 days.
- The Caldo de Res will last 4-5 months in the freezer.
Place in the microwave, heat on high for 4-5 minutes.
On the stove, place in stock pot. Over medium-high heat, cook for 10-15 minutes.
This sounds like not only delicious but also filling beef soup with lot of flavors.
Hope you try it! It’s both filling and delicious
I always crave for soup when it’s raining or when it’s cold. This would be perfect to have today because it’s raining.
Perfect for rainy days! Hope you try it
This beef soup looks so hearty and full of a lot of good nutrients. Yummy!
Healthy and delicious!
Yum. This soup sounds so good. I’ll have to make some soon. My grandma used to make something similar and I can’t wait to give it a try.
Hope you try it! This recipe it’s delicious
Just made the soup on a hot day, in true Mexican form. Delish! I omitted the lime juice and jalapeños during cooking. I included them as optional toppings!
On a hot day! Too funny. I do that too. Glad you liked it.
Thanks for this recipe, it looks & sounds delicious! Plan to try it soon. How did you get the broth to be such a rich reddish brown color? Did you add chili powder or tomatoes to the soup? If so, how much. Thanks.
Someone else on social media made the same comment about the reddish color. I add some chili powder when I served it. That is completely optional. It’s delicious just as is.