Vegetable Beef Soup

This Old Fashioned Vegetable Beef Soup is made with tender chunks of beef and a rich broth filled with perfectly cooked vegetables for the ultimate comforting soup.

Why This is the Best Recipe

Vegetable Beef Soup can be prepared in a million different ways, but my recipe for Old Fashioned Vegetable Beef Soup is the absolute best for two reasons.

• The Flavor. The soup is richly flavored with red wine, Worcestershire sauce, oregano, thyme, and horseradish. The wine adds depth to the soup, the seasonings keep your palate intrigued, and the horseradish gives a subtle flavor to the soup while also helping to tenderize the beef.
• The Cooking Method for the Vegetables. I add the vegetables to the soup in stages. It sounds complicated, but it is just as easy as dumping, stirring, and simmering. This method prevents overcooked, soggy vegetables and gives the soup a fresher taste.

Bottom line, this is the ONLY recipe you need to make a Vegetable Beef Soup that is hearty, flavorful, comforting, and most importantly, enjoyed by all.

Notes on Ingredients

• Stew Meat: You can either use a package labeled stew meat, or a chuck or round roast and cut into 1-inch cubes.
• Red Wine: Red wine adds the most incredible depth of flavor to this soup. Select a good-quality dry red wine, such as a Pinot Noir, Merlot, or Cabernet, that is suitable for drinking. If you don't care for wine, feel free to use additional beef broth in place of the wine.
• Diced Tomatoes: If your family does not care for the texture of diced tomatoes, use tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes in their place.
• Potatoes: I prefer Yukon Gold or yellow potatoes for this soup. However red or russet potatoes can be used as well. I would highly recommend peeling the potatoes if using russet potatoes. It is not necessary to peel red or yellow potatoes unless desired.
• Vegetables: This recipe calls for adding peas, carrots, and green beans to the soup. Feel free to also add in corn or lima beans if desired. For the green beans, use fresh trimmed green beans or frozen chopped green beans.
• Horseradish: This may sound like an odd ingredient, but horseradish takes this soup above all other recipes for Beef and Vegetable Soup. It adds flavor and helps to tenderize the meat. Be sure to use prepared horseradish NOT horseradish sauce.

How to Make Vegetable Beef Soup

• Heat one tablespoon of oil in a large heavy-bottomed stock pan over high heat. While the oil is heating, liberally season the beef with salt and pepper on each side.
• Add the seasoned meat to the heated oil and sear on each side until nice and browned, about 2 minutes per side. Once browned, transfer the beef to a plate to saute the veggies.

• After removing the beef, if the pot is dry, add in a bit more oil. Oftentimes I find that the beef has rendered off enough fat, I don't need the extra oil.
• Add the carrots, onions, and celery to the pan and saute until the onions become softened about 2-4 minutes.
• Add in the garlic and saute for just 1 minute. It is really important to not add garlic with the onions, carrots, and celery, as it can burn really quickly. And burnt garlic ruins a dish QUICKLY!
• Once the garlic is just sauteed, add in the tomato paste and toast for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Toasting the tomato paste will help to really develop a rich tomato flavor.

• Slowly stir in the red wine or beef broth, if not using wine, and scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. All those bits really add flavor to the soup. Let the wine cook for 1 minute, to let the alcohol evaporate. 
• Stir in the beef broth, diced tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, horseradish, oregano, thyme, bay leaves, and seared beef back into the broth. Be sure to add any drippings that accumulated on the plate--that is a lot of flavor right there!
• Bring the soup to a boil and then reduce heat to medium-low to simmer. Cover the pot and simmer until the meat is tender about 1 hour. Be sure to remove the lid and give the soup a good stir occasionally.

• One of my tricks for making the best Vegetable Beef Soup is to add the vegetables in stages, that way everything is perfectly cooked and the vegetables do not end up overcooked. Once the beef is tender, add in the cubed potatoes and simmer for 20 minutes. Then add in the green beans and simmer for 15 minutes. Then finally, add in the peas and simmer for 3-5 minutes. This will result in perfectly cooked veggies!

• Serve up this hearty soup and top with fresh parsley if desired. I love to pair it with crusty dutch oven bread or Italian bread to soak up all the delicious broth.

Slow Cooker Vegetable Beef Soup

This soup can easily be made in the crockpot, which is perfect when you don't have time to babysit a soup simmering on the stove.

• Sear the beef as directed on the stove.
• Once seared, add the seared beef to the slow cooker along with the onions, carrots, celery, tomato paste, red wine, beef broth, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, potatoes, green beans, oregano, thyme, and bay leaves.
• Cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.
• Stir in the peas to warm through right before serving.

Storing & Reheating Leftovers

I absolutely love having leftover Vegetable Beef Soup, as reheats and freezes beautifully. In fact, I often make a double batch as this soup is a perfect make-ahead recipe.

• To Refrigerate: Store cooled leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat a large batch of soup on the stove over medium-low heat until warmed through or microwave individual servings in heat-safe bowls for 1-2 minutes.
• To Freeze: Allow the soup to cool, then transfer to a freezer-safe container, leaving 1-inch room for expansion. Freeze the soup for up to 3 months. To reheat, allow the frozen soup to defrost in the refrigerator and then reheat in a large pot on the stove over medium-low heat until warmed through.

Recipe Modifications

• Low-Sodium: To reduce the sodium in this soup, use low-sodium beef broth, low-sodium Worchesestire Sauce, and salt-free diced tomatoes.
• Using Frozen Mixed Vegetables: If you are in a bind, you can use a bag of mixed vegetables in place of the carrots, green beans, and peas, although that is not my personal preference. To do so, replace the diced carrots, green beans, and peas with a 10-ounce bag of frozen vegetables. Add when the recipe states to add in the green beans. Simmer until cooked through and serve the soup.
• Vegetable Beef Soup with Ground Beef: While I prefer preparing this soup with stew meat, you can swap it out for ground beef with a few modifications to the cooking process. Saute 1 pound of ground beef with the carrots, onions, and celery until the meat is browned. Add in the garlic and tomato paste, and toast for 30 seconds. Deglaze the pan as directed with red wine/broth. Then add in the beef broth, tomatoes, seasonings, AND potatoes at this point. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and simmer, covered for 20 minutes. Add in the green beans, and simmer, covered for 15 minutes. Finally, stir in the peas and warm through, uncovered, for about 5 minutes.

More Hearty Soup Recipes

• Lasagna Soup
• Instant Pot Ham and Bean Soup
• Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup
• Baked Potato Soup
• Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

Need more inspiration for planning meals that your family will love? Sign up for my FREE Meal Plans and each week you will get a meal plan with a shopping list.

If you enjoyed this recipe for Vegetable Beef Soup, I would love for you to leave a comment and review below.

Vegetable Beef Soup

This recipe for Vegetable Beef Soup is made with tender chunks of beef and a rich broth filled with vegetables.

5 from 6 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 40 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes

Servings: 8

Calories: 208kcal

Author: Kristen Chidsey

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 ½ tablespoons oil divided
• ▢ 1 pound stew meat or chuck roast cubed into 1-inch cubes
• ▢ ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon pepper
• ▢ 1 large onion diced
• ▢ 2 ribs of celery finely diced
• ▢ 3 large carrots peeled and chopped
• ▢ 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• ▢ 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• ▢ 1 cup dry red wine
• ▢ 4 cups low-sodium beef broth
• ▢ 14.5 oz diced tomatoes in juice
• ▢ 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• ▢ 1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• ▢ 2 bay leaves
• ▢ 2 cups yellow potatoes chopped into ¾-inch cubes
• ▢ 1 ½ cups trimmed green beans chopped into 1-inch chunks
• ▢ 1 cup frozen peas
• ▢ fresh parsley

Cook ModePrevents your screen from going dark while preparing the recipe.

Instructions

• Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat.
• While the oil is heating, dab the stew meat with a paper towel and season the meat evenly with ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper.
• Add seasoned meat to the heated oil and sear on each side until nice and browned. Transfer the seared beef to a plate.
• If the pot is dry, add the remaining ½ tablespoon of oil to the pot. Add in the onions, celery, and carrots and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the onion is translucent. Add in the minced garlic and saute for 1 minute longer.
• Add the tomato paste and toast for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Slowly pour in the wine, stirring to incorporate and scraping off the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Let the wine cook off for 1 minute.
• Add the beef broth, tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, horseradish, oregano, thyme, and bay leaves. Add the seared beef back into the broth. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium-low to simmer. Cover the pot and simmer, for about 1 hour, or until the meat is tender, stirring occasionally.
• Add potatoes then continue to simmer the soup, covered, for 20 minutes.
• Add the green beans and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.
• Finally, add the frozen peas and simmer for about 5 minutes, uncovered, until the peas are warmed through.
• Discard bay leaves and serve the soup with freshly chopped parsley if desired.

Notes

Slow Cooker Instructions: Sear the beef as directed. Add the seared beef, minced onion, carrots, celery, celery, tomato paste, red wine, beef broth, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, potatoes, green beans, oregano, thyme, and bay leaves. Give everything a good stir. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-5 hours. Stir in the peas to warm through right before serving.

Storage: Store cooled leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or freeze the cooled soup in a freezer-safe container, leaving 1-inch of space for expansion for up to 3 months. Defrost the soup in the refrigerator and then reheat the soup on the stove over medium-low heat until warmed through or microwave individual servings in heat-safe bowls for 1-2 minutes.

Red Wine: Red wine is optional. If you do not want to use wine, simply use additional beef broth. If you opt to add the wine, select a dry red wine, such as Pinot Noir, Merlot, or Cabernet.  

Potatoes: For the best texture, use yellow or Yukon Gold Potatoes. If using russet potatoes, be sure to peel the potatoes. It is a matter of personal preference to peel yellow potatoes. While not my favorite option for this soup, red potatoes can be used as well. 

Green Beans: Feel free to use frozen chopped green beans in place of the fresh green beans. 

Horseradish: Be sure to use prepared horseradish NOT horseradish sauce.

Nutrition

Calories: 208kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 35mg | Sodium: 543mg | Potassium: 919mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 4289IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 62mg | Iron: 3mg

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