Who doesn’t love a wonderful, tasty, savory vegetable beef soup? This hamburger soup recipe is one of my favorites because of its simplicity and its nutritious ingredients. My family loves to eat this vegetable beef stew because it’s one of those winter recipes that brings to mind great memories. If you’re seeking a healthy soup made from fresh garden vegetables, this is the soup for you!
This colorful soup is easy to prepare and can be made ahead of time and then warmed when you need it. I like the way this soup warms my insides and checks all the boxes in terms of nutrients, protein, and good health. Also, this is a fantastic soup to prepare when you have some leftover vegetables that you’re not really sure what else to do with.
The flexibility of this recipe also means that if you have food allergies and need to leave out an ingredient or two, no worries. One more thing: this is the perfect soup to pair with crusty bread, slices of aged cheese, and a salad. Alternatively, you can also make this soup a side dish and pair it with something more extensive. Do with it what you like!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
There are lots of reasons to make this soup. Here are some things that make it one of my winter favorites:
- Simple: You can add as many different vegetables as you want, this soup at heart is simple and easy.
- Fast preparation: It doesn’t take a lot of extra planning or hard work to throw this soup together.
- Nutritious: This soup is super nutritious with lots of vegetables and hearty ground beef!
- Flexible: You can swap out any type of vegetables you’d like to make this soup your own.
- Something in it for everyone: I can include all of my family’s favorite vegetables in this soup so that everyone feels like they have a chance to enjoy this soup.
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again: one of the best things about this meal is how flexible it is. This recipe can make a different soup every time, depending on what ingredients you have on hand. Here are some ways that you can vary this soup:
- Frozen vegetables: I recommended frozen vegetables in my ingredient list, but you don’t have to use frozen. If you want, you can use fresh!
- Vegetable type: My pictures show broccoli, carrots, corn, and cauliflower, but you can add any type of vegetables you’d like.
- Meat: You don’t have to use ground beef! You can choose ground turkey, pork or another meat — whatever you have on hand.
- Seasonings: I season this soup with garlic, basil, molasses and soy sauce, but you can choose other seasonings if you like, including salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, or chili powder!
Tips for Success
Just about anyone can be successful making this vegetable beef soup. It’s one of my favorite dishes to recommend to beginners. Here are some tips to help:
- Brown the beef. Don’t skip this step! This is important for ensuring the beef is properly cooked. Browning the beef also gives it good flavor.
- Add Worcestershire sauce for enhanced savoriness. If you like savory soups, this provides good flavor you won’t want to miss.
- Add vegetables in stages. If you choose to add fresh vegetables instead of frozen, add them in stages. Carrots and potatoes take a long time to cook and should be added early in the cooking process. By contrast, zucchini takes very little time to cook and can be added near the end.
Storage & Reheating
Storing this soup is easy. Allow it to cool first, then place it in an airtight container. Store it in the refrigerator for up to three or four days. This dish can be frozen. Potatoes may change in texture when they thaw, so if you plan to freeze this soup, don’t add potatoes.
To freeze this soup, cool it on the counter then store it in a freezer-safe airtight container. Place it in the freezer, then thaw it in the refrigerator the day before you plan to eat it. You can reheat this soup in the microwave or on a stove top.
Serving Suggestions
This soup makes a perfectly good standalone dish, but you can also serve it with rolls and a side salad.
FAQs
How does the cook time change if I’m using fresh vegetables?
The cook time will be longer if you’re using fresh vegetables, especially if you’re including potatoes or carrots. The bigger the pieces, the longer they will need to cook.
Can I make this in a slow cooker?
Yes, you can make this in a slow cooker! Brown the beef as described, then add all the vegetables and beef into the slow cooker.
Can I make this vegetarian?
To make this dish vegetarian, remove the beef and replace it with beans or a vegetarian protein like lentils.
Can I make this spicy?
I love to make this spicy by adding jalapeños or hatch peppers.
Can I thicken this soup?
Yes! You can thicken this soup by adding corn starch mixed with water, or by adding flour.
Notes
This is one of my favorite dishes to make in the winter. This soup reminds me of home and good memories. As a kid, I used to eat this soup after a day spent playing in the snow!
Best Vegetable Beef Soup
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs. Beef chuck roast or stew meat cut into uniform ½-inch cubes
- 2 tbsp. Olive oil divided
- 1 Large yellow onion diced
- 3 Medium carrots peeled and sliced into thin rounds
- 2 ribs Celery sliced
- 3 Cloves garlic minced
- 2 tbsp. Tomato paste
- 4 cups Low-sodium beef broth
- 1 can 14 oz Diced tomatoes, with their liquid
- 2 Medium Yukon Gold potatoes peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
- 1 tsp. Dried thyme
- 1 tsp. Dried Italian seasoning
- 1 dried Bay leaf
- 1 cup Frozen cut green beans
- 1 cup Frozen sweet corn kernels
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Pat the cubed beef completely dry with paper towels and season generously on all sides with salt and black pepper.
- Drop half of the beef cubes into the hot oil in a single layer, ensuring they do not crowd the pan. Sear undisturbed for 3 to 4 minutes until a deep, dark golden-brown crust locks onto the bottom surfaces, flip to color the remaining sides for another 2 minutes, then transfer the meat to a clean plate and repeat the process with the remaining beef.
- Reduce the burner to medium and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the empty pot along with the diced onion, carrots, and celery. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and sauté for 5 minutes, using a wooden spoon to aggressively scrape up all the savory, dark caramelized beef bits stuck to the bottom of the pot.
- Push the vegetables to the outer edges to clear a small circle in the center of the pan, drop in the minced garlic and the 2 tablespoons of tomato paste, and stir them together against the hot metal for 90 seconds. Frying the paste directly against the pan cooks out its sharp, raw metallic edge and caramelizes the natural sugars, shifting the paste to a deep rust color that provides an ultra-savory umami foundation.
- Pour the beef broth, the can of diced tomatoes with their juice, the seared beef cubes, any collected plate juices, the dried thyme, Italian seasoning, and the bay leaf straight into the pot. Bring the liquid to a boil, then immediately drop the heat to low, clamp a tight lid over the top, and let it simmer gently for 60 minutes until the beef fibers begin to turn tender.
- Lift the lid, drop the cubed Yukon Gold potatoes directly into the bubbling broth, re-cover, and continue to simmer on low for an additional 20 minutes. Staging the dense root vegetables at this point ensures the potato starches can slowly hydrate and soften to the core without breaking down completely into a muddy mash.
- Stir the frozen green beans and sweet corn kernels straight into the soup matrix during the final 8 minutes of cooking, leaving the lid off so the quick-cooking vegetables heat through perfectly while retaining their crisp texture and bright colors.
- Turn off the flame, fish out and discard the bay leaf, and season the rich broth with additional salt and black pepper to taste before ladling into deep bowls.
