Old Fashioned Vegetable Beef Soup

A spoon in a bowl of vegetable beef soup.

No ratings yet

Old Fashioned Vegetable Beef Soup

This Old Fashioned Vegetable Beef Soup is comfort food at it's finest. With just 20 minutes of prep time, you can let this soup simmer away on a busy weeknight for a cozy meal that's guaranteed to be loved by your family.

Prep Time20

Cook Time1 40

Total Time2

Course: Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: beef, soup

Servings: servings

Calories: 424kcal

Ingredients

4 tablespoons olive oil or butter divided
1-1 ½ pounds chuck roast or stew meat cut into even ¾-inch cubes
Seasoning Salt amount as desired
1 cup diced onion about 1 small onion
4 finely diced garlic cloves
1 cup chopped celery about 2-3 stalks
1 cup chopped carrots about 2-3 carrots
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups beef broth or beef stock regular or low sodium
1 ½ cups water
6 ounce can tomato paste
2 bay leaves
3-4 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup 1-inch sliced fresh or frozen green beans
1 cup frozen peas
2 cups peeled and cubed potatoes dice-sized cubes, about 2-3 small potatoes

Instructions

In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil or butter over medium-high heat. Season the beef with seasoning salt.
Add the seasoned beef to the pot in batches (to avoid overcrowding) and sear until browned on all sides, about 3-4 minutes per batch. Add more oil or butter between batches if needed. Remove from the pot and set it aside.
In the same pot, add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil or butter. Once hot, add diced onion and cook 1 minute. Add fresh garlic, stir, and cook an additional minute.
Mix in celery and carrots, and cook 3-4 minutes, or until the onions are translucent and vegetables are slightly tender.
Add tomato paste and sprinkle flour over the vegetables. Stir to coat them evenly. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly.
Gradually stir in beef broth or stock and water, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
Add bay leaves and thyme sprigs (or dried thyme).
Return the browned beef. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 1 hour, or until the beef is mostly tender.
After the hour, add potatoes, cover and continue simmering for 30 minutes.
Add green beans and frozen peas. Continue to simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning with seasoning salt or salt and pepper as needed. Remove the bay leaves and thyme sprigs before serving.
Ladle the soup into bowls and serve hot, with your favorite soup sides.

Notes

Storage:

Allow the soup to cool to room temperature, then place in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Reheat on the stove or in the microwave for a few minutes until warmed through.

Freezing this beef and vegetable soup works like a charm. You can freeze it for up to 2 months. Thaw on the counter for a couple of hours or in the fridge overnight and reheat on the stove or in the microwave.

Tips:

Be sure to brown the beef first. This creates extra flavorful beef and also gives you the browned bits on the bottom of the pot that create an even richer broth. Make sure there is space between the beef pieces in the pot to avoid steaming and allow to meat to brown.

Cook the tomato paste for about a minute. It's essential to cook the tomato paste for a minute or so to help caramelize the natural sugars and create a deeper and richer tomato flavor in the beef stock.

Flour is the thickener in this recipe to make the soup the perfect consistency. If your soup is too thin, simply mix equal parts flour and butter into a paste and whisk it into the soup (start with one tablespoon of each). Simmer until thickened.

Deglaze the pan with stock. When you add the beef stock, be sure to deglaze the pan and scrape any browned bits up of the bottom of the pot. This is where all of the flavor is from searing the beef!

Nutrition

Tried this recipe?Mention @dinnerin321 or tag #dinnerin321!