The BEST Beef Vegetable Soup Ever
Why make THIS Beef Vegetable Soup?
The very first thing I ever made from scratch, completely by myself, was a huge batch of beef vegetable soup. I received a 22-quart stockpot as a bridal shower gift from one of my aunts and decided to use it. My grandmother and I had worked at a very popular diner in my hometown. I loved their beef vegetable soup! At the time, it was the best soup I had ever had. There was something just perfect about it. It had the perfect flavor, and with all the vegetables, it was so healthy and filling. My sister and I used to buy it by the gallon. Eventually, the Diner closed, and I thought I’d never have that soup again.
When I got married, I didn’t know how to cook. Well, I could make boxed food, but actually cooking from scratch never occurred to me. Until I thought, “I can try making that soup! I have that big stock pot!” And that day, a passion was lit inside me that has only continued to grow. So I called my grandmother and asked her if she knew what ingredients were in the soup. She told me what she knew, and off to the store I went. I didn’t know the “correct” way to do anything; I just started throwing things in the pot. I let it simmer for hours until my husband came home, and we sat down to try my very first cooked-from-scratch dish. And it was SOOOOOO GOOOOD! I found I enjoyed it and started reading cookbooks like novels. I had a copy of the Joy of Cooking, a Martha Stewart cookbook, and a bunch of Taste of Home cookbooks that my mother-in-law and my grandmother had started buying me. My husband stopped complaining about boxed meals and started complaining – rather happily, I believe! – about the grocery bill. I wasn’t afraid to try anything. I would just follow the recipe, and it would be delicious. Then, I started trying to recreate other meals we had when we ate out. That’s how my Seafood Abracadabra became my signature dish. Any time we eat out, my husband says “You can make this better, why are we eating out?” He really is my biggest cheerleader!
I have tweaked this recipe over the years as I’ve learned more about ingredients and techniques. I really hope you love it as much as we do. Recently, my husband has been begging me to make it again, as it had been several years since I had gotten around to making it because our freezer was too full to store it. I no longer use the 22-quart stockpot, so I use two 12-quart stockpots, which means even more soup. You could decrease this recipe, but in my opinion, having extra soup in the freezer or eating it for lunches a couple of days a week you make it, is well worth the time and money spent on ingredients. We ate it for lunch all week and put 5 containers in the freezer for later (make sure to label and date your containers!).
Ingredients
Olive oil or avocado oil to sauté your mirepoix – Don’t use your best olive oil here, just use whatever you prefer to cook with. Save the good stuff for salad dressing and finishing.
Thyme: Sprinkle it liberally over the mirepoix (onions, carrots, celery) to add extra flavor.
Onions – I used three smaller onions. Use whatever you have on hand. Onions in soups help build flavor. Dice them evenly.
Carrots – Scrub, peel if desired, and dice evenly by cutting each carrot in half, then slicing each half lengthwise to 1/4″ sticks. Cut those into a large dice. I use eight to ten large carrots.
Celery – Sliced lengthwise once or twice, then diced. Celery adds great flavor, so I use four stalks for a full batch.
Beef Cubes – Or a Chuck Roast cut into cubes. I use at least 1 1/2 pounds per 12-quart pot.
Good quality beef broth – I use at least 4 32-Oz boxes and add beef bouillon and water for the rest as needed. Feel free to mix it up with whatever you have and prefer.
Crushed tomatoes or tomato puree – 2 28-Oz cans. I buy ones without any seasonings, such as basil.
Diced tomatoes – 2 28-oz cans of regular or petite diced tomatoes.
Kidney Beans – 3-4 48-Oz cans of dark and light red kidney beans or three to four bags of dried beans, cooked. I use a pressure cooker for mine, and I don’t soak them first.
Frozen Lima Beans – I use one bag per pot.
Frozen Green Beans – I use one bag per pot. I prefer the flat Italian style, but they can be hard to find.
Frozen Corn – One bag per pot, or I use one really big bag for two pots.
Cabbage – One head of green, and one head of red. I shred them with a knife into bite-sized pieces, about 1 1/2″ long.
Spinach – I use one box of frozen spinach per pot, but feel free to use fresh.
Thyme, salt, and pepper – Check often for seasoning and add as needed to taste.
Parmesan cheese – Optional, but highly recommended for serving
Instructions
Pat beef cubes dry. Season the beef well with salt and pepper. Brown meat in olive oil until you have dark surfaces, not burnt, but very, very well browned on all sides. Remove to a plate.
Add onions, carrots, and celery, and saute them in the olive oil until the onions are translucent.
Add tomatoes, broth, and all the rest of the veggies to the pot. Add beef back to the pot. Simmer for several hours. Add more broth (or water and bouillon) as needed. Taste for seasoning, and don’t be afraid to add salt and pepper – They really bring out the taste.
Serve hot when the beef cubes are tender, and the veggies are cooked through. Taste your broth to be sure it has developed a very good flavor. Make sure to check your flavor often and adjust seasoning. The longer you let it simmer, the better the flavor.
Optional: Serve with freshly grated Parmesan and Crusty bread. This is great as an appetizer, soup course, or as a full meal with a roll or bread on the side.
This big batch of Beef Vegetable Soup freezes well and makes a great quick lunch. Make sure to label and date your containers before freezing them! I like to use both meal-sized and individual-sized containers.
Let me know if you make the soup and if you enjoy it as much as we do!
Tools
- 12+ quart Stock Pot – My stock pots are no longer available. These Made-In Stainless Stock Pots are perfect for this recipe! You will need two for this recipe.
- Good Sharp Knives – You’ll want a really nice chef’s knife for chopping all those veggies! My favorite knives are my Pampered Chef knife set and my Wüsthof Chef’s Knife.
- Wooden Cutting Board – You can’t go wrong with my favorite BOOS Cutting Board! I also keep plastic cutting boards and mats on hand for cutting meat. One of my favorites for easy meal prep is the Pampered Chef Prep Board.
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Recipe Card
Best Ever Beef Vegetable Soup
Equipment
- 2 12-quart stock pots
- 1 chef's knife
- 1 cutting board
- 1 Large spoon for stirring
- 1 Ladle for serving
Ingredients
- 3 pounds Beef Cubes or beef roast cut into cubes
- 3 Onions Diced
- 10 Carrots scrubbed, peeled, and diced
- 3 ribs Celery Diced
- 2 teaspoons Dried Thyme plus more at the end to taste
- 2 28 oz cans Crushed tomatoes or tomato puree plain, no seasonings added, such as basil
- 2 28 oz cans Diced tomatoes
- 4 40 oz cans Dark and Light Red kidney beans or make your own dried beans in the pressure cooker
- 4 32 oz boxes Good Beef Broth or more if you prefer not to use bouilion
- 12 cubes Beef Bouillion if needed to make extra broth
- 2 cups Hot Water Only if using bouillion cubes
- 1 large bag Frozen Corn or two small bags
- 2 bags Frozen Green Beans
- 2 bags Frozen Lima Beans
- 1 head Red Cabbage chopped into 1 1/2" slices
- 1 head Green Cabbage chopped into 1 1/2" slices
- 2 boxes Frozen Spinach Or a large bag of fresh spinach
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Parmesan Cheese Optional for serving
Instructions
- Brown beef cubes. Remove to a bowl.
- Saute onions, carrots, and celery until onions are translucent. Add salt and pepper. Sprinkle Thyme over mirepoix. Add the tomatoes and the beans to the pot.
- Add the broth and remaining vegetables to the pot. Let simmer for about 30 minutes. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Add Thyme to taste. Add extra broth or use water and beef bouillon to cover vegetables.
- Add the beef cubes back to the pot and let the soup simmer for several hours, stirring often to prevent scorching and also to help everything cook evenly. Taste often and adjust seasoning.
- Serve hot with some shredded Parmesan sprinkled on top.
- Store remaining soup in the fridge for up to a week. Label and freeze for longer storage.
