Smoky Vegetable Beef Soup

Name: Smoky Vegetable Beef Soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients: 1 small yellow onion (diced (1 cup)); 2 cloves garlic (minced); 1 pound ground beef; 2 large celery stalks; 2 bay leaves; 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; 2 large carrots; 2 medium sized russet potatoes (or 4-5 yukon gold); 15 ounce can diced tomatoes (with juice); 15 ounce can corn (drained (or 1 cup fresh/frozen)); 15 ounce can green beans (drained (or 1 cup fresh/frozen)); 4-6 cups beef broth (start with 4 and add more as necessary); 1 tablespoon liquid smoke; 1 cup frozen peas; 2 tablespoons fresh minced parsley

Vegetable Beef Soup is full of ground beef, tons of veggies and a savory tomato beef broth. It’s delicious, healthy and tastes amazing.

A large blue pot with Smoky Vegetable Beef Soup in it.

Warm up this winter with a hearty bowl of Vegetable Beef Soup. My entire family loves soup for dinner, and it’s one of the easiest tricks I have for getting my kids to eat their vegetables! Besides this beefy vegetable soup, they really love Turkey Vegetable Soup, Tortellini Soup and Easy Broccoli Cheese Soup.

Something as simple as this Vegetable Beef Soup Recipe is a perfect way to get dinner on the table quickly fast. It cooks in one pot, uses customizable ingredients and is ready in about 45 minutes.

In this post I’ll include ideas for customizing your soup, plus tips for how to make vegetable beef soup in the slow cooker.

Serve it up with some crusty french bread, Cheesy Garlic Bread, Beer Bread and you’ve got a hearty winter meal out of ingredients you probably already have on hand.

A ladle holding a scoop of vegetable beef soup over a large pot.

Ingredients for Vegetable Beef Soup

Ground beef – I prefer to use ground beef instead of beef stew meat for the simplicity. It’s just faster.
Vegetables – Any kind of vegetable you have leftover or in the freezer will work, but if you’re looking for the easiest way to go, a bag of frozen mixed vegetables works nicely. I typically use a mix of fresh (carrots, onions, celery, potatoes and garlic) and frozen (corn, green beans, peas).
Broth – Beef broth is the base, but I also added a can of diced tomatoes with the juices and a tablespoon of liquid smoke. The smoky flavor add incredible depth to the soup.
Seasonings and spices – bay leaves, dried thyme, salt and black pepper. Fresh parsley is the perfect finishing touch.

How to Make It

I love that this soup is a complete meal made in just one pot! Here are the easy steps to making a delicious pot of Beef and Vegetable Soup:

Cut vegetables into equal sized pieces. We like to keep the pieces fairly small so you can fit a lot on your spoon. So many different types of vegetables will work for this recipe, but our favorites are the ones you see pictured – peas, carrots, potatoes, celery, green beans, corn, onions and tomatoes. You can use fresh if you have them, canned or frozen. I recommend peeling the potatoes and the carrots, but it’s not required.
Cook the beef with some onion and garlic. Make sure to season with salt and pepper. This will be a main part of your soup, so doing this step adds flavor to the meat itself. I use ground beef to keep things super easy and so I can get dinner done in a flash. You can use other cuts of beef as well if you like (we’ll talk about that more later). Transfer the meat to a plate so you can start cooking the vegetables. Ground beef tends to release a lot of juices and grease, and you’ll want to clean that out of the pan before adding the veggies.
Toast the spices and seasonings. I do this every time I make soup! First add the celery to the pot so it can begin to soften. Stir in bay leaves, thyme, salt and pepper and cook for a minute or two. Toasting the spices helps to release their aroma and flavor and will add another level of flavor to your soup. Then you can stir everything (veggies, beef, broth) together to make your soup.
Simmer and Serve. Bring the soup to a boil, replace the lid and lower the heat. Simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the veggies and potatoes are tender. Add frozen peas and any other frozen vegetable and simmer for another 10-15 minutes. Stir in parsley and serve warm.

FAQs

What is the best cut of meat for Beef Soup?

There are a couple of different types of beef that will work well for this soup recipe. Ground beef is going to be the quickest way to get a tender texture while at the same time imparting a good amount of flavor. However, chuck roasts are one of the favorite cuts of meat for soup because it is tender and flavorful. It just takes a lot longer to prep cook.

Can I use a chuck roast instead of ground beef?

To make this soup with a chuck roast, you would need to first cut the roast into 2-inch chunks, then brown the chunks of beef in olive oil (just for a few minuses, not cooked through). You’ll need to add about 30-60 minutes to your stove-top cooking time to get them fully cooked through and tender.

What are the best spices for Beef Vegetable Soup?

My favorite soup spices are thyme and bay leaf. But you could also add some oregano or even Italian seasoning. Paprika would be a delicious addition as well. As I mentioned earlier, you’ll get a lot more bang for your buck by toasting the spices first.

Can you make this soup in the slow cooker?

Yes! First saute the ground beef, carrots, onions, garlic and celery in a skillet on the stove. Once beef is cooked and vegetables softened, add them to the slow cooker along with the rest of the ingredients, except for any frozen vegetables. Cover and cook on LOW for 5-6 hours. Add any frozen vegetables and continue cooking until warmed through.

What is Liquid Smoke?

Liquid Smoke. Liquid Smoke is literally the liquid made from burning hickory, applewood or mesquite wood. The cooled smoke forms condensation droplets which are collected and filtered. It’s very intense so all you need is a teaspoon for that rich smoky flavor. I also use Liquid Smoke to give my Slow Cooker Kalua Pork that “smoked-in-the-ground” flavor. If you’re not a fan however, you can certainly leave it out.

Storage and Reheating

Storage: Cool soup completely, then transfer into an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.

Freezing: Cool completely, then transfer to a freezer safe container or plastic freezer bag and freeze for up to 6 months.

Reheating: If frozen, thaw completely before reheating in a saucepan over medium-low heat.

A bowl of Smoky Vegetable Beef Soup with a gold spoon, bread and a large blue pot.

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