Vegetable Beef Soup
I have developed a little tradition at the beginning of each winter of having my own personal soup-a-thon. On a random Saturday once the weather turns cold, I make a mega grocery store run, then come home and pull out just about every pot and slow cooker I own, and make as many soups as possible all at one time. And then…(sorry, you thought I was going to say I had a big soup party and shared everything, didn’t you?)…
…I freeze ’em.
Yep. Soup hoarder, right here.
Actually, I have already shared quite a bit of the deliciousness from my freezer with friends. But oh man, I can’t tell you how nice it has been over the past few weeks to have those 30+ single-serving containers of soup reading and waiting when I don’t have time (or want) to cook a meal. And strangely, I get bored with many leftovers, but never seem to get tired of soup. Especially on freezing cold winter days, it always hits the spot.
This year, I made 4 different recipes, including my favorite 5 Ingredient White Chicken Chili, Ham and Cabbage Soup, Slow Cooker Chili, and a classic — Vegetable Beef Soup.
This soup was one of the few that I liked back in the picky eating days of my childhood. And my mom will tell you that I used to request it all the time.
Of course, I didn’t actually like vegetables. (Which poses a problem to the name of this soup.) So she would make it heavy on the potatoes, carrots, celery, onions and tomatoes. And I have to admit, I still love it that way the best. But if peas, green beans, zucchini, corn, or extra beans happen to be around, I’ll toss them in too.
So if you happen to have picky eaters in the house, you can make this soup as vegetable-y or as non-vegetable-y as you’d like.
And while I made this batch on the stovetop, I’d love to point out that it’s also fantastic when made in the slow cooker. (I just recommend browning your beef in a bit of oil in a skillet before adding it to the bowl of your slow cooker along with the other ingredients.)
And of course, it’s also great for freezing. :)
Enjoy!
Vegetable Beef Soup
This vegetable beef soup recipe is a classic — full of tender steak, lots of veggies, and delicious flavor!
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1.5 pounds sirloin steak, or beef stew meat (or whatever lean steaks are on sale!), cut into about 1″ cubes
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 lb. potatoes (I like Yukon Gold), diced and (if desired) peeled
- 8 cups beef stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes, with juice
- 1 Tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning, homemade or store-bought
- 1 teaspoon salt, or more/less to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
- (optional garnish: chopped fresh parsley)
Directions:
Stovetop Directions:
In a large stockpot, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat. Add half the steak and cook, stirring frequently, until well browned, about 2 minutes. Remove the steak with a slotted spoon and transfer to a separate plate. Add the remaining steak and cook until browned, then remove and transfer to a separate plate.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pot. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, carrots, celery and potatoes, and continue sauteing for another 3 minutes.
Add the remaining ingredients along with the cooked steak to the pot, and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover pot, and simmer for at least 20-30 minutes, or until the steak and vegetables are all tender. Season with additional salt and pepper if needed.
Remove the bay leaves when ready to serve. Serve the soup warm, garnished with chopped fresh parsley if desired.
Slow Cooker Directions:
In a large sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat. Add half the steak and cook, stirring frequently, until well browned, about 2 minutes. Remove the steak with a slotted spoon and transfer to the bowl of a large slow cooker.
Add the remaining steak to the pan and cook until browned, then transfer to the bowl of a slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker, and stir to combine.
Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours until the steak and vegetables are all tender. Season with additional salt and pepper if needed. Remove the bay leaves when ready to serve. Serve the soup warm, garnished with chopped fresh parsley if desired.
If you make this recipe, be sure to snap a photo and hashtag it #gimmesomeoven. I'd love to see what you cook!
I am inspired by your soup-hoarding ways! It wold help out on those nights of WHAT AM I GOING TO EAT?
And this soup looks like one big ol’ bowl of cozy! Pinned!
This looks so good, Ali! Its cold and rainy here and I just want a big bowl of this soup. And I’m totally jealous of your soup-filled freezer!
This is the soup I requested of my mom most frequently, too. This might sound weird she would always add V8 and now I can’t make it without. :)
looks better than Mom’s soup! Wish I was there to share soup with you on this cold day.
I remember eating this so many times growing up….out of a can. Definite improvement here!
What a beautiful soup! Perfect for these cold winter months. Plus, your photography is just stunning as always!
I made the Vegetable Beef Soup on Christmas Eve, I was delicious! It was all gone before I remembered to snap a pic!
Love love this soup. Great tasting broth. Followed recipe exactly but added some peas and green beans and instead of potatoes made some noodles. Very very good – thanks for the recipe!
I make this every winter but this week I used the bones from our standing rib we had for Christmas and add a bit of sirloin steak that I bought and found to be a bit tough ( bought it at a discount store ) . I try in the summer to freeze my own tomatoes whole and I semi defrost them and cut them into small bit size pieces. It lowers the sodium and I watch that. I also freeze my own veggies when in season and add those. I live alone so I do give away some but usually keep it for nights when I don’t feel like cooking.
I made this soup today, taste amazing! I added cayenne and spicy tomatoes because I am a spice fiend
Thanks Ayesha, so glad you liked it!
Your website is wonderful! I am a manager of a busy restaurant and I had gotten out of the habit of cooking… Especially since I wasn’t that good at it to begin with! Since my husband is a teacher we typically have opposit schedules, so the idea of sitting down to dinner together more than once or twice a week was pure fantasy. But he recently commented that he missed the comfort of home cooked meals and hated that he had gotten in the habit of fast food and takeout non stop. This made me really sad. So I challenged myself to find a couple of meals to cook every week that he could easily heat up and enjoy. My problem was that he won’t eat anything cheesy, creamy, containing gravy or that has any type of bean or pea. So it took me quite a while to find a suitable recipe! The first one I tried was this vegetable beef soup and it was such a hit that he requested it again the next week!! I’ve now tried multiple recipes (even a couple more from this blog) and it has been great!! Thank you south for sharing!!
Thank you for your sweet words Amy! We are happy that this recipe helped your family, and that you all enjoyed it so much — thank you for sharing! :)
Really good soup. It’s great on a cold, rainy day.
Thanks Francesca, we’re glad you enjoyed it! :)
Loved it. Used fire roasted tomatoes, pureed about 1/4 of the vegetables after cooking for thicker texture and added peas and corn. Made homemade beef stock as base. I know it will be even better tonight. Thx!
Awesome Kit, we’re happy to hear that! And yes, it’s definitely better on the second day! :)
I made this last night and used up some leftover roast beef I had and added a little cayenne pepper. Was a huge hit with my husband and will make again. Thank you for the recipe. Loved it!
Awesome!! I’m so glad to hear it!
I really want to thank you for this recipe. I made it several times. I don’t know how it tastes since I am a vegetarian but everyone that tried it love it. I only reduced the broth by 1 to 2 cups. Sometimes I use vegetable broth instead.
Thank you Tania, we’re so happy you like this! :)
You’re very welcome Tania, we’re glad you enjoy it!
What is the best way to freeze soup or other make ahead meals?
Hi Rebecca, you can freeze this soup for about 4-6 months. To thaw, we’d suggest leaving it in the refrigerator over night (though it might need a little more time), depending on your refrigerator and how cold it is. For reheating, we’d go with the stove, but you could always use the microwave. We hope this helps!
How long can you freeze these for and what would be the best reheat directions?
Hi Ashley, we probably would freeze this for about 4-6 months. To thaw, we’d suggest leaving it in the refrigerator over night (though it might need a little more time), depending on your refrigerator and how cold it is. For reheating, we’d go with the stove, but you could always use the microwave. We hope this helps!
Woke up at 5 am on this dreary morning and got busy making this soup!! Smells amazing!!! I can’t wait for it to be done so I can sample it! I added green beans and super sweet corn! Wish I had some barley too! Gonna be nice healthy lunches and some in the freezer for later…Thanks! ?
Wow, that’s dedication, we’re impressed! :) We hope you love it!
This was great!!! I made 1 change, but only out of necessity. The only tomatoes I had on hand were Rotel diced with chilis.
It came out fantastic!!
Thanks again
Thanks Jim, we’re glad you enjoyed it! :)
Hi! Thank you for posting this great recipe! We made it last night and it turned out fantastic!
We made a few tweaks:
– Added a can of corn (juice and all)
– Skipped the celery (I am not a fan) and he bay leaves (he is not a fan)
– Served with sourdough rolls
Yum!
I think the next time we make it, we are going to:
– Increase the Worcestershire
– Decrease the Italian Seasoning
– Add a pinch more of salt
-Add a pinch of red pepper flakes
– Add some green beans
We’re glad you enjoyed this Cat, thanks for sharing your take on it!
One more add I would like to suggest. I have been using my mother-in-law recipe for years – very much like this one but with one added ingredient at the end: Chopped cabbage. and no potatoes as they do not normally freeze well
Oooh we think that sounds so yummy Cheryl, thanks for sharing! :)
This is currently in a giant stock pot on my stove. I made a double batch to freeze some. I’m glad to hear that others added things like corn and beans cuz we did too. Next time I’ll try adding spice to it. That sounds amazing!
Yay, we hope you love it! :D
I just printed off this recipe. I get off early today so I’m going to make it. Can’t wait. Thank you
Awesome Bridget — we hope you enjoy! :)
Have you or anyone here ever made this in the crockpot? If so, did you do everything the same?
Hi Rachel! We haven’t tried this in the crockpot, but you certainly could. We’d suggest browning your meat in a skillet first. Then add everything to the crockpot and cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. We hope you enjoy! :)
I made this tonight, it was really really good! This is a keeper and I will be making this again!
We’re glad to hear that Marianne! :D
My bf and I just made this and it’s the BEST soup I’ve ever made. And I’ve made a lot! Followed it exactly to the recipe and I didn’t need anything extra, well I did add spinach at the end bc I love spinach, but the seasoning in this was perfect. Will be making this from now on. New favorite recipe! Thank you!!!!!
Awesome, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!! :)
OMG!! I made this and it was slamdigitti. I have been trying many dishes being a recently divorced man and It have been having all types of fun in the kitchen. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Haha! We’re so happy you enjoyed it, Rowan! :)
Amazing! Your page is my go to pretty much every time I’m looking for something delicious to make. This satisfied my craving for something hearty and easy!
Thank you, Jess — we’re so glad you enjoy the blog! :)
Love this soup. So easy to make and such a crowd pleaser. We make in the crock pot, I assemble the night before and turn it on in the morning. Great week night meal and good enough for company too. Even my two year old can’t get enough.
This soup is fabulous!!!! I just finished putting everything in the crockpot and can’t wait until dinner. This is probably my 6 or 7th time making it since last January. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe.
Thank you, Debbie — we’re so happy you enjoyed it!
Tried this one weekend when the temps were 20 degrees outside, it was wonderful, my husband said “this recipe is a keeper”. Thanks
Thanks for sharing with us, Linda — we’re so glad it was a hit! :)
Made this tonight. We were out of garlic (freeze dried & fresh) and yet the soup turned out amazingly flavorful!!! I will make this again and again. It was easy and a great winter meal. Thanks for the perfect soup recipe.
Thanks for sharing, Theresa — we’re so happy you enjoyed it!
My husband doesn’t like diced tomatoes. Should I just omit them or substitute with 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes or tomato puree? –Thanks :)
Hi Elizabeth! We would just substitute with the crushed tomatoes in this. We hope you guys enjoy!
Had some leftover short rib meat to use up, but I wanted the browning so I pulled a small pack of sirloin out of the freezer. Otherwise made it by the recipe and oh-my-gosh, so good. I’ve made tons of soup over the years but this was my first vegetable beef–what a great way to use up leftover beef! BTW, did not put the leftover beef in until close to the end so it retained its delicious flavor. Excellent, excellent recipe. Thanks!
Thanks for sharing with us, Melanie — we’re so happy you enjoyed this!
Hi,
This looks delicious. I’m a beginner cook and i’m wondering how long it can be frozen?
Thanks you for your answer!
I made this soup and its awesome! My husband loves it! Said he could eat the whole pot, but refrained after 2 bowls!
I made this today with just 1 pound of stew meat that I had. I would definitely make again, but use the 1.5 lbs. Very tasty and simple to make.
This soup is extremely delicious! I made it in my slow cooker and only made a few minor adjustments. I
Thank you for this wonderful recipe my family loved it and that says a lot because I’ve got some hard to please eaters LOL! Anyway, as I was trying to write in my other post, I made a few adjustments because I made it in my slow cooker and wanted to add a little extra flavour. I browned my beef using some dry red wine and chunks of garlic. I also added near the end some quartered mushrooms and some leftover grilled striploin steak that I wanted to use up. My husband is a carnivore . . .
I love this soup and have made it a million times. I want to try it in my instant pot now; any suggestions for time and settings for that?
This recipe is fantastic! I tried it and swapped sweet potato for regular potato and added in mushrooms as well. Would definitely make it again!
MAN, I’ve made this soup twice already and both times were delicious!! My boyfriend is not one eat soup often, but when I make this he has to have at least 2-3 bowls, because it’s so filling and delicious. As always, I will be trying out more recipes from your recipe index. Keep it up!
I have made this several times and loved it. Making it for my sister who is having surgery next week. I was reading that soups with potatoes usually don’t freeze well but you said you have frozen yours. Does the texture change after thawed?