This Vegetable Beef Soup Recipe is a deeply savory, rich, thick soup, complete with tender ground beef, loads of colorful veggies, and the most delicious broth!
author’s note
Budget Friendly Vegetable Beef Soup That Feeds a Crowd!
When I was growing up, my mom always made her vegetable soup with ground beef. Looking back, it probably had a lot to do with the fact that she had nine mouths to feed and ground beef was the most budget friendly choice. But to me, it just tasted like comfort.
My version is a little different from hers, with a few tweaks here and there, but it still brings back all those same warm memories. Every time I make it, I’m reminded of sitting around the dinner table with a big bowl of soup in front of me. It is hearty, nostalgic, and just as delicious as I remember. Now it is one of my favorite recipes to share with my own family.
Vegetable Beef Soup Recipe Ingredients
| Ingredient | Swaps / Tips |
|---|---|
| Ground Beef | Use ground turkey or ground chicken for a lighter option. |
| Onion, Carrots & Celery | Add parsnips, leeks, or fennel for a twist. |
| Crushed Tomatoes & Tomato Paste | Fire-roasted tomatoes for smoky flavor. |
| Potatoes | Swap with sweet potatoes, turnips, or rutabaga. |
| Frozen Corn & Peas | Try green beans, zucchini, or spinach. |
| Broth | Chicken or vegetable broth also work. |
Quick Tip
Lots of veggies that aren’t usually in beef soup still work great here—try sweet potatoes, turnips, cabbage, spinach, green beans, or squash.
How To Make Vegetable Beef Soup Recipe
- Brown Beef: Cook ground beef in a large pot until browned. Drain grease if needed.
- Build Flavor: Add onion, carrots, and celery. Stir in tomato paste and cook.
- Add Liquids: Stir in flour, then add broth, crushed tomatoes, and seasonings.
- Simmer: Add potatoes and cook until tender.
- Add Veggies: Stir in peas and corn at the end.
- Serve: Top with parsley or Parmesan and serve with bread.
How Do You Thicken Vegetable Beef Soup Recipe?
Add flour! It helps thicken the soup along with the potato starch. Simmer until the potatoes are tender for an even thicker soup.
Storage
- Fridge: Store this vegetable beef soup recipe in the fridge for up to 5 days. Add a splash of broth or water when reheating if it’s thickened too much.
- Freezer: Freeze cooled soup in airtight containers for up to 3 months. Potatoes may get a little soft after thawing, but the flavor stays great.
More Hearty Soup Recipes:
Vegetable Beef Soup Recipe
Vegetable Beef Soup Recipe is a rich, hearty bowl of goodness with tender ground beef, vibrant veggies, and a deeply flavorful broth!
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1-1/2 cups finely diced yellow onion 1 large onion
- 1-1/2 cups chopped carrots peeled; 3 to 4 carrots, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 cup thinly sliced celery 3 to 4 stalks
- Salt and pepper
- 1 pound ground beef chuck 80/20
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic 3 cloves
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon beef bouillon powder
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 (14-ounce) can crushed tomatoes fire-roasted is great, see note 1
- 1 (32-ounce) carton beef broth 4 cups
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cups baby potatoes halved or quartered
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 cup frozen corn
- Fresh thyme or parsley, for topping, optional
- Hearty warm buttered bread for dipping, optional
Instructions
- Heat a very large, heavy-bottomed pot to medium-high heat and add oil. Once hot, add onion, celery, and carrot. Season (I add 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper) and sauté until beginning to soften, about 4 minutes. Press veggies to edges of pan. Add beef to the center. Season beef to taste (I add another 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper) Let sear, then crumble until browned, integrating with veggies as you cook the beef.
- Once browned through, add garlic, tomato paste, beef bouillon, and paprika. Sauté, stirring constantly, until very fragrant and tomato paste begins to slightly darken, about 2–3 minutes.
- Sprinkle flour on top and mix through. Cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Add crushed tomatoes (careful—they’ll sputter up!), and sauté 1 more minute. While stirring constantly, gradually pour in beef broth. Scrape the bottom of the pan and continue to pour in beef broth until it’s all added. Add dried thyme, Worcestershire sauce, potatoes, and bay leaves. Stir through. Increase heat to high, bringing soup to a rolling boil. Reduce heat to medium low, cover with lid, and cook 15–20 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender (easily pierced with a fork). Stir every 4–5 minutes, taking time to scrape the bottom of the pot to keep the base from catching. Promptly return lid after stirring.
- Once potatoes are tender and broth has thickened nicely, add peas and corn. Stir just to warm through. Taste and adjust seasonings to personal preference. Remove bay leaves and discard. Ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh herbs, if using. Dip in some hearty bread and enjoy!
Final step! Please let us know how it was by leaving a review.
Recipe Notes
Note 1: The tomatoes make a big difference flavor-wise, so I recommend good-quality fire-roasted tomatoes (such as Cento Marzano®, Carmelina Marzano Italian®, or Muir Glen®). Fire-roasted tomatoes are charred over a flame before being crushed and canned. Contact with the flame brings out the tomato’s sweetness and gives a distinct, smoky flavor. You get more flavor without any extra work! If using different tomatoes, you may need to add 1–2 teaspoons sugar at the end to counteract the acidity.
Nutrition Note: Nutrition information is calculated with 80/20 ground beef chuck. If you use a different blend of ground beef, like 90/10, the nutrition information will be different.
Storage: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop, adding a splash more beef broth if desired to thin. Freeze completely cooled leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 months, though frozen and thawed potatoes may end up a bit mushy.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 402kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 896mg | Potassium: 1068mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 5805IU | Vitamin C: 27mg | Calcium: 92mg | Iron: 4mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What To Serve With This Soup
- Add a side dish of fruit, or try this Winter Fruit Salad.
- Try a good crusty baguette or buttered artisan bread (like this No-Knead Bread), homemade Dinner Rolls, French Bread, or crackers/saltines.
- Serve with a quick salad like this Salad Recipe, Garden Salad, or Winter Salad.
Try other Vegetable Beef Soup Recipe like Crockpot Beef Stew, Instant Pot Beef Stew, or Beef and Barley Soup.
New family favorite! Surprising amount of flavor for such a simple concept. Thank you again for another addition to our recipe book!
You are so welcome! I’m so thrilled you enjoyed! Thanks Mandi! 🙂
I made the Vegetable Beef Soup yesterday, All I can say is OMG ! The flavor was unbelievable and with a couple of changes I did. Used “Smoked Paprika” as that is what I had and think that did it for the flavor!! Also used the fire roasted tomatoes and added Kidney Beans instead of the Peas & Corn. Can’t wait to taste tonight as its sitting in refrigerator I’m sure more flavor will come out. Looks just like the picture and was like a thick stew. Was cold out yesterday and was a Great soup to warm up with ! To make it Gluten Free just use the flour appropriate which I told my friend to use. Highly recommend the Smoked Paprika and fire roasted tomatoes.
I am SO thrilled to hear this! Thanks so much Janet! 🙂
Loved this soup. Definitely will be making it again.
So happy to hear this! Thanks Michael! 🙂
I made this soup last night, and my husband gave a foot-stomping response as he took his first bite! It was surprisingly flavorful with more depth of flavor than some beef stews I’ve made. Once again, you have proven yourself as someone whose recipes I can trust to be delicious, and you’ve made the most out of very humble ingredients! (I did sub diced tomatoes for the crushed since my store only had large cans of crushed, and they worked well.). Question: I did not drain the ground beef after browning since your instructions did not mention that, and I was afraid it would be greasy. It seemed to be fine, but I wonder if draining off a bit of that grease next time would hurt the flavor.
Awesome! I’m so happy to hear this! Thanks for all your tips! 🙂
Just made this soup, easy and delish! Full of flavor, perfect for a cold winter day. Thank you for sharing.
So glad to hear it! Thanks so much for the comment Cindy! 🙂