By: Jill Mills Updated: Nov 10, 2024

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

With chunks of tender beef, potatoes, and veggies, this Vegetable Beef Soup is hearty, filling, and super easy to make. Serve with a side of crusty bread for the perfect dinner to enjoy on a chilly day.

Close up of a bowl of vegetable beef soup

There’s nothing like a big bowl of this vegetable beef soup to warm you up on a chilly winter afternoon! With chunks of beef, veggies, and potatoes this is definitely a “meat on the bones” recipe that’s hearty but not heavy.

Prefer it without veggies? Check out my homemade vegetable soup recipe instead.

Why This Is The Best Vegetable Beef Soup Recipe

Hearty & filling. This soup is loaded with tender beef stew meat and veggies like celery, carrots, and green beans plus potatoes. Every bowl is super filling!
Better than canned. I haven’t bought a can of vegetable beef soup in years. This version tastes SO much better and has bigger chunks of meat, veggies, and potatoes.
Easy to make. All you need to do is brown the meat, saute the veggies, and let everything simmer. It doesn’t take long either – just over an hour and a half from start to finish, including simmer time.
Stores well. This soup gets better over time and freezes beautifully! Hence the reason for making such a large batch. Have some for dinner and then freeze the rest for another cold night!

Ingredients needed to make vegetable beef soup

What You’ll Need

This soup is loaded with beef and veggies in a red wine broth. Scroll down to the recipe card below for the exact measurements.

Olive oil
Beef stew meat – See notes below.
Spices – Salt, pepper, and onion powder.
Garlic
Veggies – Celery, carrots, frozen peas, frozen green beans, and corn.
Flour
Dry red wine – Any dry red wine is excellent in this. The alcohol helps tenderize the meat.
Beef broth – I like to use low-sodium broth in my soups.
Tomato paste – Adds a rich, acidic tomato flavor to the soup.
Bay leaves
Yellow potatoes – I like to use baby potatoes cut in half.

What Beef Is Best For This Recipe?

You can use any slow-cooking cut of beef for vegetable and beef soup recipe. You can usually find pre-packaged stewing beef, but if you’re not able to find it, grab a chuck roast and cut it into 1-inch pieces.

How To Make Vegetable Beef Soup

This soup comes together in a few hands-on steps before it simmers on the stovetop. You can find the printable version of the instructions below.

Cook the beef. Heat a tablespoon of oil. Season the beef with salt and pepper then brown in the oil. Transfer to a bowl.
Add the aromatics. Add the butter and onion powder, cook for 2-3 minutes, then add the carrots and celery. Cook for another 2-3 minutes. Stir in the flour to coat the vegetables.
Add the other ingredients. Slowly add the beef broth, stirring constantly. Then stir in the wine, water, tomato paste, bay leaves, and thyme. Add the beef back to the pot.
Simmer. Bring the soup to a gentle simmer. Cover the pot, vent slightly, and simmer for 1 1/2 hours until the beef is tender.
Add the veggies. Stir in the potatoes, peas, and green beans. Simmer for an additional 20 minutes with the lid off.
Enjoy. The soup is ready when the potatoes are tender. Taste test and adjust the salt/pepper as desired.

Tips & Variations

Here are a few things to keep in mind as you make this vegetable beef soup recipe.

Cook the beef in batches. When browning the meat, it’s best to do it in 2-3 batches so that there is space between the pieces and each side gets browned.
What’s the purpose of the red wine? The red wine helps to tenderize the beef and adds a rich flavor to the broth. The alcohol cooks off while the soup simmers.
Use beer instead. If you don’t have dry red wine on hand, you can use a dark, stout beer instead. It will offer a slightly different flavor.
Use small potatoes. I recommend baby yellow potatoes cut in half for this vegetable beef soup recipe but if you use larger potatoes, make sure to cut them into small pieces. The soup is ready when the potatoes are tender and you don’t want to overcook the other ingredients.
Switch the veggies. Cauliflower, broccoli and zucchini are great options.

Overhead view of a bowl of vegetable and beef soup

Serving Suggestions

I love to serve this vegetable beef soup with a side of crusty bread, like my French bread, so that I can soak up every last drop of broth. Breadsticks would be another great option.

I usually serve this as a meal itself but you could always do a soup & salad or soup & sandwich combo with your favorite salad or sandwich.

Overhead view of a pot of vegetable beef soup

How To Store, Reheat, & Freeze Leftovers

Fridge. Store leftover vegetable beef soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Freezer. Once the soup has cooled completely, transfer it to a freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge.
Reheat. Individual servings of soup can be reheated in the microwave. Large portions can be warmed on the stovetop at a gentle simmer.

Vegetable Beef Soup