Vibe Check: cozy and delicious! Make this Vegetable Beef Soup next time you need a tasty warm up.
Need a way to fill up that is healthy, flavorful AND easy on the budget? This Beef Vegetable Soup checks all the boxes. Cooks for centuries have been riffing on the basic building blocks of broth, veggies, meat, and seasonings, and the result with this particular recipe is a cozy, comforting soup that will fill and nourish.
Totally customizable for you and/or your family’s tastes, you can ramp up the potatoes and carrots if that’s your jam or omit the mushrooms if mushrooms aren’t your thing. Meal prep ahead for the work week and put five portions into containers to take for lunch or enjoy as a simple supper on a chilly night. The options are endless.
With its earthy, rich broth and fresh vegetables, this soup is an easy way to get your daily portion of veggies. Additionally, the beef provides plenty of protein, and the searing method used ensures that the beef stays nice and tender, to bring out that meaty flavor. Beef Vegetable Soup is nostalgic, yummy, and definitely a comfort food.
Simple, fresh ingredients like that mean this is a budget-friendly meal as well. No need to break the bank for fresh, satisfying food, and this particular recipe makes plenty, so plan on leftovers or freezing for future meals.
Guinness? In my soup?
Looking at the ingredients, you may be surprised to see an “adult” ingredient in this Beef Vegetable Soup. The Guinness, an Irish stout type of beer, is used to deglaze your skillet. Deglazing is the process of pouring liquid into a hot pot where you’ve just cooked meat and there is a thin layer of residue and meaty bits (the fancy word for this layer is “fond”). The liquid loosens this layer and incorporates all that delicious flavor into the final product. In this case, Guinness is used because of its dark, rich flavor that imbues depth into your soup broth. Any alcohol cooks out as the soup heats, so it is family friendly. If you cannot use alcohol, either use a non-alcoholic beer or additional broth/stock, using the same measurement (1 1/2 cups).
How can I get more flavor in my soup?
Add a small amount of chili powder or paprika to the beef when you’re browning it. Or, add a splash of red wine vinegar just before serving.
Serving Suggestions
With a one-pot meal like this one, grab some crackers or crusty bread and you’re all set. If you need an additional side, check out a salad like Baked Bree’s Roasted Beet Salad with Walnut and Bleu Cheese. The flavors pair well with this hearty soup.
How to Store
Soup always tastes better the day after it’s made, so making ahead is definitely an option here. Make ahead and store in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. Or, freeze in airtight containers for up to 4 weeks. This works for leftovers too, since the recipe makes a lot of soup.
Vegetable Beef Soup
Ingredients
- 2 pounds stewing Beef trimmed and cut into cubes
- ¼ cup Flour
- 3 Tbsp Olive oil
- 1 Onion finely diced
- 3 cloves Garlic crushed
- 3 Carrots peeled and chopped
- 2 large sticks Celery chopped
- 1 ½ cups Mushrooms quartered
- 3 medium Potatoes peeled and cubed into small cubes
- 1 ½ cup Guinness
- 14 oz can Crushed Tomato
- 3 cups Beef stock
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 1 Tbsp Tomato paste
- 1 tsp Italian Herbs
- Salt and Pepper
- 4 small Zucchini 1 cup, chopped
- 1 small bunch Parsley
Instructions
- Pop the beef into a bowl and toss it with the flour salt and pepper.
- Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large heavy-based pot over high heat and pour the floured beef into the pot. Cook it until it is browned on all sides. About 5 – 8 minutes. There will be pieces that stick to the bottom, but don’t worry about that.
- Remove the beef from the pot and set aside. Then pour in the remaining olive oil and the prepared onions, garlic, carrots, celery, mushrooms, and potatoes. Saute for 5 minutes.
- Toss the beef back into the pot along with the Guinness, crushed tomato, beef stock, bay leaves, tomato paste, Italian herbs and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cover with the lid and bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for 45 minutes.
- Add the zucchini and simmer for another 15 minutes.
- Serve with parsley chopped on top.
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