There are recipes that feed your stomach.

And then there are recipes that quietly become part of your story.

For years I’ve made what everyone on the internet calls Poor Man’s Stew. Ground beef, potatoes, carrots, onions… the kind of meal that stretches a dollar and warms a house.

It’s good.

But somewhere along the way, I started wondering…

“What if poor man’s stew had a rich cousin?”

So I fired the ground beef.

Instead, I buy a beautiful ribeye.

I season it simply with salt and pepper, cook it just until it’s somewhere between rare and medium rare, then let it rest before slicing it into thin strips. While the steak rests, I toss mushrooms into the same hot pan and let them soak up every buttery, beefy drop left behind.

Those mushrooms may actually be my favorite part.

The soup itself still simmers with potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, tomatoes, and beef broth, just like it always has. But the steak never goes into the pot. I learned that lesson the hard way.

A beautiful ribeye deserves better than to boil itself into shoe leather.

Instead, I ladle the hot soup into bowls and lay the slices of steak on top at the very end. The heat of the broth gently warms the meat without stealing its tenderness.

I thought I’d perfected it.

Then He came along.

Without saying a word, he grabbed one of the homemade biscuits I’d baked the day before and dropped it right into the center of his soup bowl before ladling the stew over it.

I watched him take one bite.

Then another.

Then another.

“This…” he said between bites, “…is unbelievable.”

The biscuit soaked up the rich broth without falling apart. The edges stayed soft while the top peeked through the soup, catching little pieces of mushroom and ribeye with every spoonful.

I wish I could tell you I planned it that way.

I didn’t.

Some of the best recipes happen because someone ignores the instructions.

So I suppose this recipe isn’t Poor Man’s Stew anymore.

It’s not even Ribeye Stew.

At my house, it’s become Rich Man’s Soup.

Not because it costs more.

Because it reminds me that richness isn’t always measured by the price of a steak.

Sometimes it’s measured by someone sitting across the table saying,

“You have to make this again.”

Rich Man’s Soup

Instead of:

• 1 pound ground beef

Use:

• 1 well-marbled ribeye steak
• 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
• Salt and pepper
• A little butter or olive oil for the mushrooms

Everything else stays the same:

• 3 carrots
• 1 onion
• 3 Yukon Gold potatoes
• Garlic
• Beef broth
• Italian-seasoned diced tomatoes
• (Continue with the original recipe.)

My Method

1. Simmer the soup exactly as directed, without any meat.
2. While it cooks, season and sear the ribeye to rare or medium-rare.
3. Let the steak rest.
4. Cook the mushrooms in the same pan until they’ve absorbed all those wonderful steak juices.
5. Slice the steak thinly.
6. Place mushrooms in each serving bowl, ladle the hot soup over them, then top with the sliced ribeye.
7. And now, thanks to him… place a homemade biscuit in the bottom of the bowl before adding the soup.

Trust me on that last part.

You’ll never look at “Poor Man’s Stew” the same way again.

-Dené, still figuring it out