One of life’s greatest culinary joys is sopping up the rich broth of a hearty vegetable beef soup with a slice of crusty bread. This recipe produces a delicious rendition of the dish—studded with melt-in-your-mouth tender chunks of braised beef and a wide variety of tender veggies—that’s the perfect centerpiece for any gathering.
This homemade soup recipe takes time. You brown the beef first, cook aromatics in the drippings, then layer in umami-filled flavors for depth and then all of the fresh and/or frozen vegetables. Let everything simmer until the veggies and beef are tender and the flavors meld. While the recipe feeds a crowd, the soup also freezes well, so you can make a big batch and pop portions in the freezer for later.
Vegetable Beef Soup Ingredients
- Canola oil: Cooks love this healthy oil for its neutral flavor, high smoke point and nutritional value. It is an excellent choice for browning beef and cooking vegetables. If you don’t have canola oil in your pantry, grapeseed, vegetable and sunflower oils are good substitutes.
- Beef stew meat: Made from the ends of different cuts of beef (often chuck or round), stew meat needs to be cooked until it’s ultra tender for dishes like beef stew, curry or bourguignon. Buy it already cut or cut it up yourself, which is often more economical.
- Onions: Onions are the primary aromatic in this soup. White or yellow are the best types of onions to use.
- Tomatoes: Cans of diced tomatoes and tomato sauce ensure the vegetable beef soup has plenty of sweet and subtly tangy flavors.
- Worcestershire sauce: This umami-packed condiment contains malt vinegar, anchovies, tamarind, molasses and other flavorful ingredients. It gives the soup deeply savory notes.
- Beef bouillon granules: Beef bouillon granules and water create the stock for this soup, but you can easily use beef stock instead.
- Vegetables: A rainbow of fresh and frozen vegetables fill the soup pot, including potatoes, cabbage, carrots, celery, corn, peas, green beans, lima beans and okra. Have other vegetables in your refrigerator? Feel free to add those instead or in addition to any of the above. The beef vegetable soup recipe is very versatile!
- Seasonings: Herbs like dried marjoram and thyme add hints of peppery sweetness. A bay leaf, salt, and pepper heighten the flavors.
Directions
Step 1: Brown the meat
In a large stockpot, heat 1 tablespoon of canola oil over medium heat. Brown the beef in batches to seal their juices, adding more oil if necessary. Remove the chunks with a slotted spoon and set them aside on a plate or bowl.
Editor’s Tip: Browning the meat is a classic soup and stew tip. Searing it over high heat adds a richer flavor thanks to the chemical reaction that browns and caramelizes the meat. It’s best to do it in batches to prevent the meat from simmering in its juices and halting the caramelization you’re after.
Step 2: Incorporate the onions
Add the onions to the drippings and stir until tender. Discard the drippings and return the beef to the pot.
Editor’s Tip: Cooking the onions in the drippings does a few things. First, as the onions break down, their juices will help pull up the lovely brown bits, aka the fond, that the seared beef left behind. That’s all flavor. Second, onions are known aromatics that add flavor and aroma to dishes.
Step 3: Make the broth
Stir in the water, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce and beef bouillon granules. Bring everything to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover the mixture with a lid and simmer for 45 minutes.
Editor’s Tip: You can easily substitute bouillon and water for an equal amount of beef stock or broth.
Step 4: Add the veggies
Stir in the red potatoes, cabbage, carrots, celery, corn, peas, green beans and lima beans. Then add dried herbs, salt and pepper. Return the soup to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 35 minutes.
Editor’s Tip: The difference between boiling and simmering is due to temperature and the amount of movement in the liquid. Lower heat and slower bubbles mean the ingredients have time to get tender and the flavors to develop.
Step 5: Finish the soup
Stir in the okra and cook the soup 15 to 20 minutes longer or until the chunks of beef and the vegetables are tender. Discard the bay leaf before serving.
Vegetable Beef Soup Variations
- Use wine or beer: Adding a cup of red wine or dark or amber beer elevates the broth’s flavor profile. Add it in Step 3.
- Omit the meat: Substitute the beef for veggies such as diced sweet potatoes, parsnips, zucchini or bell pepper and swap out the beef bouillon granules for vegetable bouillon (or broth).
- Get fancy with toppings: Top your vegetable beef soup with freshly grated Parmesan cheese or a sprinkle of fresh chopped parsley or chives.
- Add other herbs: If you don’t have marjoram or thyme in your pantry, you can use oregano or Italian seasoning instead.
- Trade the beef for poultry: Instead of beef stew meat, use 4 pounds of cubed chicken breasts or thighs. Follow the recipe for browning the meat first and adding the rest of the ingredients. Note: Leaner meats like poultry will take less time to get tender.
How to Store Vegetable Beef Soup
Store leftover vegetable beef soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days.
Can you freeze vegetable beef soup?
Vegetable beef soup freezes exceptionally well, making it a delicious make-ahead meal. Be sure to follow best practices for freezing soup, though: Cool the soup to room temperature, transfer it to a freezer-safe container and then stick it in the refrigerator to bring the temperature down before freezing. This will ensure the soup freezes evenly and doesn’t get mushy when it thaws. Vegetable beef soup will keep in the freezer for up to three months.
How do you reheat vegetable beef soup?
Reheat your soup on the stovetop or in the microwave. If you’re reheating frozen soup, put it straight into a stockpot and let it melt slowly over low heat. Or thaw your soup overnight in the refrigerator for a speedier cooking time.
Vegetable Beef Soup Tips
How can you thicken vegetable beef soup?
There are several ways to thicken a sauce or soup. The easiest is to let the soup simmer a bit longer to allow the liquid to evaporate. You can also make a cornstarch slurry and add it towards the end of cooking time.
Can you make vegetable beef soup in a slow cooker?
We love a good slow-cooker soup recipe! To make vegetable beef soup in a slow cooker, you basically just dump everything in a Crockpot, set it to low and cook for several hours, like this slow-cooker vegetable beef soup. If you make a beef vegetable soup with ground beef (a quick and easy alternative!), brown the meat first, like in this slow-cooked beef vegetable soup.
What can you serve with vegetable beef soup?
Crusty bread is the best side for hearty vegetable beef soup. Think crusty French bread or sourdough bread. You can also pair the dish with a side salad.
