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!
I love this soup and have made it a million times. I want to try it in my instant pot now; any suggestions for time and settings for that?
Thank you for this wonderful recipe my family loved it and that says a lot because I’ve got some hard to please eaters LOL! Anyway, as I was trying to write in my other post, I made a few adjustments because I made it in my slow cooker and wanted to add a little extra flavour. I browned my beef using some dry red wine and chunks of garlic. I also added near the end some quartered mushrooms and some leftover grilled striploin steak that I wanted to use up. My husband is a carnivore . . .
This soup is extremely delicious! I made it in my slow cooker and only made a few minor adjustments. I
I made this today with just 1 pound of stew meat that I had. I would definitely make again, but use the 1.5 lbs. Very tasty and simple to make.
I made this soup and its awesome! My husband loves it! Said he could eat the whole pot, but refrained after 2 bowls!
Hi,
This looks delicious. I’m a beginner cook and i’m wondering how long it can be frozen?
Thanks you for your answer!
Had some leftover short rib meat to use up, but I wanted the browning so I pulled a small pack of sirloin out of the freezer. Otherwise made it by the recipe and oh-my-gosh, so good. I’ve made tons of soup over the years but this was my first vegetable beef–what a great way to use up leftover beef! BTW, did not put the leftover beef in until close to the end so it retained its delicious flavor. Excellent, excellent recipe. Thanks!
Thanks for sharing with us, Melanie — we’re so happy you enjoyed this!
My husband doesn’t like diced tomatoes. Should I just omit them or substitute with 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes or tomato puree? –Thanks :)
Hi Elizabeth! We would just substitute with the crushed tomatoes in this. We hope you guys enjoy!
Made this tonight. We were out of garlic (freeze dried & fresh) and yet the soup turned out amazingly flavorful!!! I will make this again and again. It was easy and a great winter meal. Thanks for the perfect soup recipe.
Thanks for sharing, Theresa — we’re so happy you enjoyed it!
Tried this one weekend when the temps were 20 degrees outside, it was wonderful, my husband said “this recipe is a keeper”. Thanks
Thanks for sharing with us, Linda — we’re so glad it was a hit! :)