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
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 -8 servings 1x
Description
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)
Instructions
- 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.
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!
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.
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 made the Vegetable Beef Soup on Christmas Eve, I was delicious! It was all gone before I remembered to snap a pic!
What a beautiful soup! Perfect for these cold winter months. Plus, your photography is just stunning as always!
I remember eating this so many times growing up….out of a can. Definite improvement here!
looks better than Mom’s soup! Wish I was there to share soup with you on this cold day.
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. :)
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!
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!