The homemade Vegetable Beef Soup will keep you warm on a cold night and satisfy your comfort food cravings any day of the year! The chuck beef roast or chuck steak is slow-simmered until fork-tender. It's a well-balanced meal packed with veggies: onions, garlic, carrots, potatoes, bell peppers, and green peas. Everything is cooked entirely in one pot, making cleanup a breeze! It keeps well refrigerated and freezes well - the perfect make-ahead weeknight dish!
Course Soup
Cuisine American
Keyword beef soup, vegetable beef soup
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 1 hourhour15 minutesminutes
Total Time 1 hourhour30 minutesminutes
Servings 8
Calories 320kcal
Author Julia
Ingredients
2poundsbeef chuck steakor chuck roast or beef stew meat cut into ½-inch pieces (cubes)
Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and cubed beef. Sprinkle salt & pepper over the beef.
Cook beef in 2 batches until browned, for 2 minutes on one side, then flip it and cook for 2 more minutes on the other side. Do it in 2 batches without overcrowding; don’t let the beef steam.
Reduce heat to medium and add chopped onion, minced garlic, and Italian seasoning. Cook for 1 more minute, stirring once or twice.
Stir in tomato paste until well combined and cook for 2 minutes.
Add broth, stirring everything well so that the tomato paste blends with the broth. Bring to a boil, then immediately reduce to a simmer, and cook covered for 30 minutes until the beef is tender.
Add potatoes, carrots, and chopped bell pepper, and simmer for 20 more minutes.
Add green peas and simmer the soup for 10 more minutes.
Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Optional garnishes include chopped fresh parsley, snipped thyme, or chopped green onions.
Notes
Helpful step-by-step photos are provided above the recipe card (scroll up).
What kind of beef should you use? I recommend using beef chuck steak or chuck roast. Stew meat is also a good, budget-friendly option. Beef sirloin is a great choice, too. You can also use ground beef - in this case, reduce cooking times considerably as you won't need to cook ground beef as long as beef chuck or stew meat.
Simmer the chuck meat slowly and on low heat. Do not boil, as boiling will result in a tougher texture.
Dried herbs add a lot of flavor! Don't skip them. I used Italian seasoning, but you can also use a combination of dried thyme, oregano, marjoram, or parsley. Dried herbs add a lot of flavor, so use generous amounts.
Potatoes. I used small baby potatoes. My next best choice would be yellow potatoes or red potatoes. Russet potatoes are starchy and work better for mashing than in a soup. In a pinch, you can use them; just cook them for a shorter period. Yukon gold potatoes are also starchy, but they hold their shape a bit better than russet potatoes.
Reduce carbs by replacing potatoes with chopped cauliflower.
Add pasta instead of potatoes. Any kind of short pasta will work for vegetable beef soup. Rigatoni, penne, farfalle (bow-tie), fusilli (spiral pasta), etc.
Veggies. This recipe uses onions, garlic, carrots, potatoes, bell peppers, and green peas. You can also use or add mushrooms, broccoli, cherry tomatoes, or green beans.
Use canned diced tomatoes instead of tomato paste. Add 14 oz of canned diced tomatoes or crushed tomatoes instead of tomato paste.
Add red wine. Add a splash of dry red wine (about 1 cup) at the same time you add beef broth, if you like. It will add richness and flavor to the soup.
This soup is great for making ahead! You can refrigerate it for up to 5 days or freeze it for up to 2 months. Detailed instructions on how to freeze any soup (not just this one) are provided above the recipe card!