Beef Vegetable Soup combines tender chunks of slowly simmered chuck roast, onions, celery, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, and green beans. I love to serve this tasty soup with crusty baguettes or cornbread, topped with soft, sweet cream butter.
This Vegetable Beef Soup is a wholesome, hearty fall and winter meal you can feel good about serving your family. Nothing warms the soul like a hot bowl of soup.
Fall is right around the corner, and with it comes all things soup, stew, and chowder. Oh, have I mentioned this is my favorite time of the year? My idea of heaven is an endless fall. If you are like me, then you can not get enough fall recipes. If you like this soup, try beef barley soup, meatball soup, and beef noodle soup.
You are going to love this slow-cooked hearty Vegetable Beef soup. I like to make this soup with a slowly simmered chuck roast. It tastes much better and is more tender than beef stew meat or sirloin steak. Wholesome fresh vegetables are added for optimum flavor and nutrition. Prepare to go down memory lane with a soup just as tasty as Grandma used to make.
Ingredients Notes and Substitutions
See the complete list of ingredients below on the recipe card.
- Chuck roast: produces the most tender beef for this soup
- Carrots: peel the carrots for that beautiful orange color that shines through
- Seasonings: dried parsley, oregano, marjoram, thyme, basil, salt, freshly ground black pepper, and bay leaves. You can substitute Italian seasoning for all the dried herbs.
- Diced tomatoes: substitute fire-roasted tomatoes and tomatoes with diced green chiles
- Potatoes: use Yukon Golds or red potatoes, as they are waxier and hold up better in soup.
How to make Vegetable Beef Soup
This is the summary version; see the recipe card below for the complete list of ingredients and the instructions.
Add a little oil to a large stockpot or Dutch oven and brown the chuck roast or stew meat. Remove from the heat and add a little more oil. Add the carrots, onions, and celery and cook for about five minutes or until the onions and celery are tender. Add the minced garlic, parsley, oregano, marjoram, thyme, basil, and black pepper. Cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Add the beef broth, diced tomatoes, Worcestershire Sauce, bay leaves, and browned chuck roast to the pot. Simmer for about 1 1/2-2 hours or until fork tender. Add the potatoes and green beans and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes.
Remove the chuck roast from the pot and let it cool on a cutting board. Then, shred it with two forks, discarding the fat and the cartilage. Remove the bay leaves and discard them. Add the shredded beef to the pot of soup and warm for a few minutes. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley.
What cut of beef is best for this soup?
I think chuck roast is the best for Vegetable Beef Soup because of its flavor and tenderness. Chuck roast has fat and cartilage, which makes it tender after it slowly simmers on the stovetop.
However, you can also use beef stew meat or sirloin. Cook both cuts of beef in the same Dutch oven as the soup. Brown the meat first, then plate it. Add the cooked beef back when simmering the vegetables.
You can also use ground beef. Brown it first, then plate it. Remove excess fat from the pot before proceeding with the rest of the recipe. Add the cooked ground beef back when simmering the veggies.
Preparation Tips
- Slowly simmer the chuck roast until fork tender. Do not boil.
- If you do not like a vegetable, replace it with something you like. For instance, you could replace the green beans with frozen peas; however, you should add them about 5 minutes before the soup is done.
- Russet potatoes are great for baking and mashing but not for soups. Use Yukon Golds or red potatoes, as they hold up very well in soups and stews.
- To make it easy, you can substitute 1 1/2 teaspoons of Italian Seasoning for the oregano, marjoram, thyme, and basil.
- Don’t forget to remove the bay leaves and discard them.
- Skim the fat from the top of the soup using a ladle and a little patience.
How to Freeze and Reheat this Soup
- Start by cooling the soup. Placing hot soup in the freezer could potentially warm the freezer and cause other foods to defrost, leaving them vulnerable to bacteria. For a quick cool-down, place the pot in an ice bath and stir to cool. However, do not submerge it or allow any ice water to enter the soup pot.
- Spoon the cooled soup into quart or gallon-size freezer bags. Be sure to mark the bags with the date and the contents. Liquids expand when frozen, so leave about an inch at the top of the bag for expansion. Conversely, you don’t want it to get freezer-burnt, so remove any excess air.
- Lay them down in a single layer on cookie sheets in the freezer. Once fully frozen, stack the bags in the freezer to save on space.
- Thaw in the fridge overnight. Reheat on the stovetop on low so as not to overcook any ingredients or in the microwave at reduced power.
Frequently Asked Questions
Add fresh cracked black pepper, salt, garlic, oregano, marjoram, thyme, and basil. You could also add a little Worcestershire Sauce, soy sauce, tomato sauce, seasoned salt, or even a few pinches of Cajun seasoning.
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stovetop on low so as not to overcook any ingredients or in the microwave at reduced power.
Vegetable Beef Soup freezes well for up to 3 months. See my section on freezing and reheating the soup.
More Soup Recipes
Vegetable Beef Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3-4 lb chuck roast
- 2 carrots peeled and chopped
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 ribs celery chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried marjoram
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- ¼ teaspoon dried basil
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 7-8 cups low sodium beef broth
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes diced
- ¼ pound green beans trimmed and cut in 1 inch bite-sized pieces
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley or thyme
Instructions
- Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a Dutch oven or heavy stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the chuck roast and sear to brown each side. Remove it from the pot and plate it.
- Reduce the heat to medium. If needed, add more vegetable oil. Add the carrots, onions, and celery and cook for 5 minutes or until the onions and celery are tender.
- Reduce the heat to low. Add the minced garlic, parsley, oregano, marjoram, thyme, basil, and black pepper. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Add the beef broth, diced tomatoes, Worcestershire Sauce, bay leaves, and browned chuck roast to the pot. Simmer for about 1 ½-2 hours or until fork tender. Add the potatoes and green beans and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes.
- Remove the chuck roast from the pot and let it cool on a cutting board. Shred it with 2 forks, discarding the fat and the cartilage. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Use a small ladle to skim any fat off the top of the soup. Add the shredded beef to the pot and warm for 5 minutes. If desired, garnish with chopped fresh herbs.
Notes
- Slowly simmer the chuck roast until fork tender. Do not boil.
- If you do not like a vegetable, replace it with something you like. For instance, you could replace the green beans with frozen peas; however, you should add them about 5 minutes before the soup is done.
- Russet potatoes are great for baking and mashing but not for soups. Use Yukon Golds or red potatoes, as they hold up very well in soups and stews.
- To make it easy, you can substitute 1 1/2 teaspoons of Italian Seasoning for the oregano, marjoram, thyme, and basil.
- Skim the fat from the top of the soup using a ladle and a little patience.
Nutrition
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Lavanda
This Vegetable Beef Soup recipe was incredibly hearty and delicious! It’s perfect for a cozy, comforting meal on a chilly day.
Kira
Will definitely put this soup on our autumn comforting food list, It was so good.
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Kira! So glad that you liked it.
Lynndee
Fall is right around the corner and this soup would be perfect to have when the weather is chilly or cold. Yum!
Janice H
I am not a huge fan of vegetable soup, but the addition to beef was fantastic! Thank you for this recipe. This is going to be on rotation at our house!