Hearty Beef and Vegetable Soup. Some of my favorite recipes don’t begin with a recipe card. They begin with someone standing at the stove, adding a little of this and a little of that until a big pot of food comes together.

That is how my father made vegetable soup. This Hearty Beef and Vegetable Soup is inspired by those memories. It is loaded with tender beef, potatoes, carrots, celery, cabbage, peas, corn, green beans and lima beans in a flavorful tomato-based broth.

When I was growing up, my father would make huge pots of vegetable soup that we would enjoy for several days. I always meant to ask him for his exact recipe, but I don’t think he really had one. He simply used the vegetables we had available and kept adding to the pot until it was just right.

The vegetables can easily be changed to suit your family’s preferences, which is one of the things I love most about this recipe. And just like my father’s soup, this one seems to get even better after a day or two in the refrigerator.

HOW TO MAKE HEARTY BEEF AND VEGETABLE SOUP:

INGREDIENTS:

(Full list of ingredients and instructions in printable recipe card.)

beef stew meat
kosher salt
black pepper
garlic salt
carrots
potatoes
celery
cabbage
tomato juice
frozen peas
frozen corn
frozen lima beans/or can
can green beans

INSTRUCTIONS:

The key to this soup is adding the ingredients in stages. The beef needs plenty of time to become tender, while the vegetables are added according to how long they need to cook.

1. Cook the Beef:
   Place the beef stew meat in a large Dutch oven or soup pot. Season with kosher salt, black pepper and garlic salt. Add enough water to cover the beef. (About 2 inches above the meat) Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the beef is fork tender, about 2 hours.
2. Add the Fresh Vegetables:
   Once the beef is tender, add the vegetables that need the most cooking time. Add the potatoes and carrots first and cook for about 20 minutes. Next, add the celery and cabbage. Continue cooking for another 20 minutes.
3. Add the Remaining Vegetables:
   Stir in the tomato juice, followed by the frozen peas, frozen corn, lima beans and green beans. This is also the point where you can make the soup your own. If your family doesn’t care for lima beans, leave them out. If you love extra corn or green beans, add more. Cover the pot and allow the soup to simmer gently for about an hour, stirring occasionally.
   Taste and adjust the seasonings before serving.

You can use a combination of fresh vegetables, canned, and frozen. I like to use fresh carrots, celery, potatoes and cabbage because they create a hearty vegetable base for the soup. My family prefers canned green beans, so that is what I use. I usually add frozen peas and corn.

Some of my other favorite soups are:
Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Old Fashioned Potato and Ham Soup 
Spicy Beef and 3 Bean Chili

Why You Will Love this Hearty Beef and Vegetable Soup

• It makes a big pot of soup. You can feed a crowd or have several comforting meals ready for the week.
• The beef becomes tender and flavorful. Slow simmering is the key to getting tender stew meat.
• You can use the vegetables your family loves. Fresh, frozen and canned vegetables all work well.
• It is old-fashioned comfort food. This is the kind of hearty soup that makes a cold day feel a little warmer.
• The flavor gets even better with time. Like many homemade soups, the flavors have a chance to develop after the soup rests.

Helpful Tips and Frequently Asked Questions

Cook the beef slowly.
The beef needs time to become tender. Keep the soup at a gentle simmer rather than boiling it rapidly. 

Add the vegetables in stages.
Don’t add everything to the pot at the same time. Potatoes and carrots need longer to cook than peas or corn.

Cut the vegetables into similar-sized pieces.
This helps them cook more evenly and makes the soup easier to eat.

Season as you go.
Adding some seasoning when the beef cooks and again as the vegetables are added gives the soup more depth of flavor.

Make a big pot.
This soup is perfect for leftovers. Store it in the refrigerator and gently reheat individual portions or the entire pot when ready to serve.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I use fresh, frozen or canned vegetables to get the best soup?
I use a mixture of all 3. I use fresh as the base vegetables (potatoes, carrots, celery, cabbage). This gives the soup a hearty base.
My family likes canned green beans over the frozen. I use frozen peas and corn, but at times have used fresh,

Can I use different vegetables?
Absolutely. This soup was inspired by my father’s way of cooking, so changing the vegetables is part of what makes it special. Try adding  other vegetables that your family enjoys.

What should I serve with beef and vegetable soup?
A bowl of this hearty soup is delicious with cornbread, hot rolls, crackers or a grilled cheese sandwich.
When my father made his vegetable soup, he often served it with his homemade hot rolls. Those warm rolls are still one of my favorite additions to a big bowl of soup.

Sam’s Homemade Hot Rolls are a wonderful choice if you want to serve this soup with homemade bread.

This post was shared on Sweet Little Bluebird Weekend Potluck.

Print Pin

HEARTY BEEF AND VEGETABLE SOUP

The perfect soup for cold or rainy days. A pot full of slow simmered tender beef, and hearty vegetables.

Course Soups/Stews

Cuisine American

Keyword Old Fashioned Vegetable Soup, Beef and Vegetable Soup,

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 4 hours hours

Total Time 4 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Calories 300kcal

Author pamelashank2015

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs beef stew meat
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 cup fresh carrots thick sliced
• 2 cups white potatoes peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse black pepper
• 1 cup celery stalk chopped
• 1/4 to 1/2 small head cabbage chopped
• 36 oz bottle or can of tomato juice
• 1 10 oz bag frozen peas
• 1 10 oz bag frozen corn
• 2 14oz cans of cut green beans, drained
• 1 8.25oz can green baby lima beans
• few dashes of hot sauce if desired

Instructions

• Place the stew meat in a large dutch oven or saucepan. Season with the salt, pepper, and garlic salt. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until meat is fork tender, about 1-2 hours. (May add small amounts of water if needed to slow cook meat.) Stir occasionally.
• Add the carrots and potatoes, season with salt and pepper, and cook on medium heat for 20 minutes, covered. Stir frequently. Keep the water level enough to just cover the vegetables.
• Stir in the celery and cabbage. Cover and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.
• Stir in 2 cups of the tomato juice, cover, and simmer 15 minutes.
• Add the peas, corn, green beans, and lima beans to pot. Stir to combine all ingredients. Add more of the tomato juice to cover ingredients and to obtain desired thickness of broth.
• Simmer, covered, 20 minutes. Stir frequently.
• Taste soup, add more salt and pepper as needed. Add hot sauce if desired.
• Soup is delicious on the day it is made but I think the flavors go together so much better if it sets a few hours or until the next day.

Notes

NUTRITIONAL DISCLAIMER. Calorie count provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Helpful Notes:

The secret to making this soup so hearty, and to getting the beef so tender, is to cook it slowly in stages. Simmer it long periods of time. 

I find that it tastes better if you make it a day ahead of when you plan to serve it.

Don't add everything in the pot at once.

Chop the vegetables close to the same size for even cooking.

 

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