Best Beef For Vegetable Beef Soup contains protein that is high in amino acids, and with a specific blend of amino acids that are known to be beneficial to brain development. When combined with nutrient-rich vegetables, this beef soup provides a complete meal that will satisfy your appetite.
Vegetable Beef Soup Like Great-Grandma Vera Mae’s
AUTHOR NOTES
Vegetable beef soup is one of those recipes that reminds me of my Midwest roots and takes me back to childhood, when I stood beside my great grandmother in the kitchen, watching her make something out of nothing.
Whenever it started to cool down in Kansas City, Great-Grandma Vera Mae would pull out her heavy-duty pot and make a hearty vegetable beef soup. It was one of those soups that ate like a whole meal. It had tons of vegetables simmered down in an herby tomato broth with thick chunks of ground beef.
As a kid, I remember despising the lima beans in the soup and picking them out to get to the meat and potatoes, then hiding them in my paper towel. I think she knew what I was doing all along, but let me get away with it.
To make my own version of this soul-warming soup, I use chuck roast. The recipe, however, is very forgiving, so you can also use ground beef, stew meat, or double-down on the veggies. Likewise, you can use red or yellow potatoes instead of Russet, and frozen lima beans and okra instead of green beans and peas.
I start by seasoning, flouring, and browning the beef. The flour gives the broth a little more body. If needed, cook your beef in batches—make sure not to overcrowd the pot, otherwise your beef will steam and turn grey.
Once the beef is browned (not completely cooked), remove it from the pan and add in your denser stalk and root vegetables like onions, carrots, celery, and potatoes, since they take longer to break down. Because they will be cooking for a while, you want to cut these vegetables thickly so they don’t turn into mush. When they start to get some color, I add back the beef along with canned tomatoes, seasonings, and broth, and let everything cook down.
Once the meat is tender, I toss in frozen vegetables. I use individually packaged green beans, peas, and corn, but you can also use mixed vegetables. These only need 10 minutes to heat up before I’m cozying up to my own hearty bowl of vegetable beef soup. Each bite of tender beef and brothy veg takes me back to that curious little girl watching her great grandmother make magic in the kitchen.
- Test Kitchen-Approved
- PREP TIME20 minutes
- COOK TIME1 hour
- SERVES6
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds beef chuck roast, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 3 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 pound Russet potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and thickly sliced
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 celery stalks, thickly sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with their liquid
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon Creole (or all-purpose) seasoning
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 5 cups unsalted or low-sodium beef broth
- 3/4 cup frozen green beans
- 1/2 cup frozen green peas
- 1/2 cup frozen corn
In This Recipe
Directions
- Season the meat with 1 teaspoon of the salt, 1 teaspoon of the pepper, and the flour.
- In a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat, add the oil and just enough meat to form a single layer. If needed, brown the meat in batches so that you don’t overcrowd the pot. Cook, flipping as needed, for 3 to 4 minutes, until browned on all sides. Use a slotted spoon to remove meat from the pot and transfer to a plate. Repeat this process until all the meat is browned.
- Add the potatoes, carrots, onion, and celery, and cook, still over medium, until the onions are translucent, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add all the beef back to the pot, along with the canned tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, Creole seasoning, Italian seasoning, bay leaf, and beef broth. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any dark bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Cover and simmer for about 75 minutes, until the beef is tender.
- Stir in the green beans, peas, and corn and cook for an additional 10 minutes.
- Remove the bay leaf, then taste the soup. Season with additional salt and pepper if needed. Serve warm.
Vegetable Beef Soup
This recipe for homemade vegetable beef soup is hearty with tender chunks of beef and all of our favorite veggies!
Jam-packed with flavor, this meal is slowly cooked on the stovetop until the beef is extra tender! It’s easy to make ahead and reheats and freezes beautifully.
Homemade & Hearty
We just love recipes where you can basically toss everything in the pot and let it simmer away!
- This recipe is easy with tender beef.
- There is some prep involved but most of the time is hands-off as the soup simmers.
- This soup can be adapted to whatever veggies you have on hand.
- This soup reheats and freezes well.
Ingredients and Swaps
MEAT Just like a beef stew, chuck is our first choice because it is so tender. Use a chuck roast and cut it yourself. You can also use beef stew meat, skirt steak, or even brisket. If substituting ground beef, it won’t need to simmer for a long time to tenderize.
VEGETABLES The vegetables in this soup definitely let you eat the rainbow. If you’d like to use frozen vegetables, they can be added along with the corn and beans.
SEASONINGS Onion and garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, & pepper keep this beef soup savory with a simple and hearty flavor. This recipe uses dry spices, if adding fresh, stir them in with the beans and corn.
How to Make Homemade Beef Soup with Veggies
- Brown beef in small batches. Soften onion.
- Add broth, tomatoes (with juices), & seasonings per the recipe below and simmer until the beef is tender.
- Add vegetables (potatoes, carrots & celery) and simmer.
- Add beans and corn, simmer a few minutes more.
If you’d prefer you can make slow cooker vegetable beef soup or cook it in the Instant Pot. For the Instant Pot, follow the same cook times as our beef stew recipe.
Tips for the BEST Soup
- Brown the beef in small batches. Browning adds flavor. If the pan is crowded, the beef will steam instead of brown.
- When adding liquid, scrape up the brown bits in the bottom of the pan for more flavor in the soup.
- The beef should be fork tender before adding the veggies. If the beef is not tender, it likely needs more time, cover and cook 20 minutes more and check it.
- To thicken the broth a little bit mix a tablespoon or so of cornstarch with an equal amount of water. Stir into the simmering soup and let it cook for at least 1 minute.
EASY VEGETABLE BEEF SOUP
One of the first things I learned when I embarked on my budget-food journey is just how easy, filling, and inexpensive soup is. Homemade soups are a breeze to throw together and they’re always so much tastier than store-bought canned soup. This vegetable beef soup is a great example. It’s chock-full of colorful veggies, filling ground beef, and the most delicious broth ever. Serve it up with a nice crusty bread for dipping and lunch is served!
WHAT’S IN VEGETABLE BEEF SOUP?
This classic soup combines ground beef, potatoes, tomatoes, peas, corn, carrots, and green beans in a flavorful broth. To make this soup a bit easier, I’ve used a frozen vegetable mix to cut down on the amount of peeling and chopping needed to prepare the soup. That makes this Vegetable Beef Soup extra fast and easy. 🙂
To give this vegetable beef soup more flavor, we’ve added a healthy dose of Italian seasoning and some Worcestershire sauce to the broth for extra depth. Make sure you’re using a full-flavored beef broth for maximum deliciousness. I like to use Better Than Bouillon to make flavorful broth for my soups.
BEEF OPTIONS
I used ground beef in my vegetable beef soup because it was the least expensive and the easiest to use. If you use a higher fat ground beef, you have the option to drain the fat off after browning, or leave it in for extra flavor and richness.
If you have room in your budget and would rather have chunks of beef in your soup, choose a chuck roast or bottom round roast, cut into 1-inch pieces. Simply brown the beef in the pot before adding the rest of the ingredients. No need to cook through during the browning stage, as it will cook through while the soup is simmered.
WHAT ELSE CAN I ADD?
This is my favorite part of any recipe. What else can you add to vegetable beef soup to make it your own? Try adding some of these ingredients:
- Barley
- Chopped cabbage
- Celery
- Cauliflower florets
- Parsnips
- Crushed red pepper
- Finely chopped kale
VEGETABLE BEEF SOUP
This super easy vegetable beef soup is a filling and flavorful option for lunch, dinner, or your weekly meal prep!
Author: Beth
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 35 mins
Total Time: 50 mins
Servings: 1.5 cups each
INGREDIENTS
- 1 yellow onion ($0.32)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.32)
- 1 lb. ground beef ($6.49)
- 1 russet potato (about ¾ lb.) ($0.79)
- 1 28oz. can diced tomatoes ($1.19)
- 1.5 tsp Italian seasoning ($0.15)
- 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.02)
- 4 cups beef broth ($0.52)
- 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce ($0.12)
- 12 oz. frozen vegetables (corn, carrots, green beans) ($1.00)
- salt to taste ($0.05)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Add the onion and garlic to a soup pot along with the olive oil. Sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent.
- Add the ground beef to the pot and continue to sauté until the ground beef is cooked through. If using a higher fat content ground beef, you can drain the excess fat, if you prefer.
- While the beef is cooking, peel and dice the russet potato into ½-inch cubes.
- Add the cubed potatoes, diced tomatoes (with juices), Italian seasoning, pepper, beef broth, and Worcestershire sauce to the pot. Stir to combine.
- Turn the heat up to medium-high and allow the soup to come up to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down to medium-low and let the soup simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender.
- Add the frozen vegetables to the pot and allow the soup to come back up to a simmer. Simmer the vegetables in the soup for about five minutes.
- Finally, taste the soup and add salt to help the flavors pop. Start with ½ tsp, if desired, and add more until it reaches your desired level.
NUTRITION
Serving: 1.5 cups ・ Calories: 363 kcal ・ Carbohydrates: 27 g ・ Protein: 19 g ・ Fat: 21 g ・ Sodium: 939 mg ・ Fiber: 5 g