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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Karen Manasco
Made it, ate it, enjoyed it.
I made this soup ‘almost’ verbatim yesterday, though two between my husband’s heavy sodium, and my mother’s light sodium preferences, I struggled to decide broth which to use. A combination seemed right for some, yet inevitably, hubby chose the salt shaker.
This was a good soup that went well with a couple loves of bread I’d made earlier in the day. Since we had leftover soup later in the day, I cooked a small pot of seashell noodles to go with the soup, to make it go a bit further.
An excellent way to use up leftover roast, when there isn’t enough to go around as a meal.
I will make this again. Thank you for sharing. 🙂
Beth Pierce
Thanks Karen! So glad that you liked it. It is the perfect time of year for a delicious pot of soup.
Fay Shroeder
The ultimate comfort food! I used veggies from garden too!
Lisalia
Always love this soup! It’s a winner with my family every time. Full of all the garden-fresh veggies, so healthy too!
Renee Thiegpin
Pure comfort food! We loved this!
Lisalia
I’m all ready for soup season to begin. And even now my evenings are starting to get cooler. This soup was perfect for transitioning the weather and our meals to something a little heartier for the fall. Thanks for another winning recipe Beth!
Allyssa
Fam really loved it! Will surely have this again, thanks a lot for this amazing vegetable beef soup! Hihgly recommended!
Barbara Warner
I use large can of V-8 juice or tomato juice in it. Onion powder too.
Susan Cain
I took your advice on the V8 and also added fire roasted petite diced tomatoes. Soooo good!!!
P Castle
I also use V-8 and have for years….also canned tomatoes not diced along with celery and other veggies mentioned in recipe. YUM!
Julia
Delicious, hearty and nourishing this soup is everything! Loved it!
Melissa
Thanks for this recipe! I have made it a couple times now and everyone in the fam loves it!
Betsy
Love the lovely, rich broth and the wonderful chunks of veggies & potatoes! One of my favorite cool weather soups!
Natasha
This is a delicious soup! I have tried many other recipes of vegetable soup before but this is by far the best.
sommer
this soup has some great vegetables and brings a level of comfort on a chilly day!
Katie
It’s simple and healthy, and yet so delicious! It’s always a hit around here.
Toni
Packed full of comforting flavors! My kids loved it!
Julie
Could you use ground beef
Beth Pierce
Yes you sure can.
Gail Montero Raines
Looking for something new to try this winter and this soup hits all the right notes!