I have developed a little tradition at the beginning of each winter of having my own personal soup-a-thon. On a random Saturday once the weather turns cold, I make a mega grocery store run, then come home and pull out just about every pot and slow cooker I own, and make as many soups as possible all at one time. And then…(sorry, you thought I was going to say I had a big soup party and shared everything, didn’t you?)…
…I freeze ’em.
Yep. Soup hoarder, right here.
Actually, I have already shared quite a bit of the deliciousness from my freezer with friends. But oh man, I can’t tell you how nice it has been over the past few weeks to have those 30+ single-serving containers of soup reading and waiting when I don’t have time (or want) to cook a meal. And strangely, I get bored with many leftovers, but never seem to get tired of soup. Especially on freezing cold winter days, it always hits the spot.
This year, I made 4 different recipes, including my favorite 5 Ingredient White Chicken Chili, Ham and Cabbage Soup, Slow Cooker Chili, and a classic — Vegetable Beef Soup.
This soup was one of the few that I liked back in the picky eating days of my childhood. And my mom will tell you that I used to request it all the time.
Of course, I didn’t actually like vegetables. (Which poses a problem to the name of this soup.) So she would make it heavy on the potatoes, carrots, celery, onions and tomatoes. And I have to admit, I still love it that way the best. But if peas, green beans, zucchini, corn, or extra beans happen to be around, I’ll toss them in too.
So if you happen to have picky eaters in the house, you can make this soup as vegetable-y or as non-vegetable-y as you’d like.
And while I made this batch on the stovetop, I’d love to point out that it’s also fantastic when made in the slow cooker. (I just recommend browning your beef in a bit of oil in a skillet before adding it to the bowl of your slow cooker along with the other ingredients.)
And of course, it’s also great for freezing. :)
Enjoy!
Vegetable Beef Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1.5 pounds sirloin steak, or beef stew meat (or whatever lean steaks are on sale!), cut into about 1″ cubes
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 lb. potatoes (I like Yukon Gold), diced and (if desired) peeled
- 8 cups beef stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes, with juice
- 1 Tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning, homemade or store-bought
- 1 teaspoon salt, or more/less to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
- (optional garnish: chopped fresh parsley)
Instructions
- Stovetop Directions:
- In a large stockpot, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat. Add half the steak and cook, stirring frequently, until well browned, about 2 minutes. Remove the steak with a slotted spoon and transfer to a separate plate. Add the remaining steak and cook until browned, then remove and transfer to a separate plate.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pot. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, carrots, celery and potatoes, and continue sauteing for another 3 minutes.
- Add the remaining ingredients along with the cooked steak to the pot, and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover pot, and simmer for at least 20-30 minutes, or until the steak and vegetables are all tender. Season with additional salt and pepper if needed.
- Remove the bay leaves when ready to serve. Serve the soup warm, garnished with chopped fresh parsley if desired.
Slow Cooker Directions:
- In a large sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat. Add half the steak and cook, stirring frequently, until well browned, about 2 minutes. Remove the steak with a slotted spoon and transfer to the bowl of a large slow cooker.
- Add the remaining steak to the pan and cook until browned, then transfer to the bowl of a slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker, and stir to combine.
- Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours until the steak and vegetables are all tender. Season with additional salt and pepper if needed. Remove the bay leaves when ready to serve. Serve the soup warm, garnished with chopped fresh parsley if desired.
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
Hi! Thank you for posting this great recipe! We made it last night and it turned out fantastic!
We made a few tweaks:
– Added a can of corn (juice and all)
– Skipped the celery (I am not a fan) and he bay leaves (he is not a fan)
– Served with sourdough rolls
Yum!
I think the next time we make it, we are going to:
– Increase the Worcestershire
– Decrease the Italian Seasoning
– Add a pinch more of salt
-Add a pinch of red pepper flakes
– Add some green beans
We’re glad you enjoyed this Cat, thanks for sharing your take on it!
This was great!!! I made 1 change, but only out of necessity. The only tomatoes I had on hand were Rotel diced with chilis.
It came out fantastic!!
Thanks again
Thanks Jim, we’re glad you enjoyed it! :)
Woke up at 5 am on this dreary morning and got busy making this soup!! Smells amazing!!! I can’t wait for it to be done so I can sample it! I added green beans and super sweet corn! Wish I had some barley too! Gonna be nice healthy lunches and some in the freezer for later…Thanks! ?
Wow, that’s dedication, we’re impressed! :) We hope you love it!
How long can you freeze these for and what would be the best reheat directions?
Hi Ashley, we probably would freeze this for about 4-6 months. To thaw, we’d suggest leaving it in the refrigerator over night (though it might need a little more time), depending on your refrigerator and how cold it is. For reheating, we’d go with the stove, but you could always use the microwave. We hope this helps!
What is the best way to freeze soup or other make ahead meals?
Hi Rebecca, you can freeze this soup for about 4-6 months. To thaw, we’d suggest leaving it in the refrigerator over night (though it might need a little more time), depending on your refrigerator and how cold it is. For reheating, we’d go with the stove, but you could always use the microwave. We hope this helps!
I really want to thank you for this recipe. I made it several times. I don’t know how it tastes since I am a vegetarian but everyone that tried it love it. I only reduced the broth by 1 to 2 cups. Sometimes I use vegetable broth instead.
Thank you Tania, we’re so happy you like this! :)
You’re very welcome Tania, we’re glad you enjoy it!
I made this last night and used up some leftover roast beef I had and added a little cayenne pepper. Was a huge hit with my husband and will make again. Thank you for the recipe. Loved it!
Awesome!! I’m so glad to hear it!
Loved it. Used fire roasted tomatoes, pureed about 1/4 of the vegetables after cooking for thicker texture and added peas and corn. Made homemade beef stock as base. I know it will be even better tonight. Thx!
Awesome Kit, we’re happy to hear that! And yes, it’s definitely better on the second day! :)
Really good soup. It’s great on a cold, rainy day.
Thanks Francesca, we’re glad you enjoyed it! :)
Your website is wonderful! I am a manager of a busy restaurant and I had gotten out of the habit of cooking… Especially since I wasn’t that good at it to begin with! Since my husband is a teacher we typically have opposit schedules, so the idea of sitting down to dinner together more than once or twice a week was pure fantasy. But he recently commented that he missed the comfort of home cooked meals and hated that he had gotten in the habit of fast food and takeout non stop. This made me really sad. So I challenged myself to find a couple of meals to cook every week that he could easily heat up and enjoy. My problem was that he won’t eat anything cheesy, creamy, containing gravy or that has any type of bean or pea. So it took me quite a while to find a suitable recipe! The first one I tried was this vegetable beef soup and it was such a hit that he requested it again the next week!! I’ve now tried multiple recipes (even a couple more from this blog) and it has been great!! Thank you south for sharing!!
Thank you for your sweet words Amy! We are happy that this recipe helped your family, and that you all enjoyed it so much — thank you for sharing! :)