Get ready to dive into a bowl of a Hearty Vegetable Beef Soup that’s incredibly delicious & familiar! Boasting an unforgettable rich, comforting flavor and smooth consistency. This isn’t just a Soup, it’s a reminder of Home, Family, and the simple joys of a delicious, homemade meal. Every spoonful is a testament to the enduring appeal of a Wholesome, Healthy Soup. This is pure comfort food, ready to become a cherished staple in your home.
Vegetable Beef Soup Ingredients
Ground or Diced Beef, Vegetables (Onion, Carrots, Celery, and Garlic), Tomato Paste, Beef Bouillon Cubes, Pimento Paste, Fat, Smoked Paprika, Lemon Juice, Chickpea Flour, Bay leaves. With or without Potatoes.
Beef
Ground Beef is used for the Vegetable Beef Soup. But small dice beef from Whole Cuts or Steaks can be used just as well. Either one you use, it goes into the pan with fat to brown before adding in the vegetables.
Cheap Vegetable Beef Soup
Make it stretch using only 1/2 lb of ground Meat. Which you can make twice to get about 20 bowls of Soup from 1 lb (ca. 454 g) of meat, now that’s really cheap. It’s not as meaty, but just as good. Making 1/2 lb of meat stretch out for 10 meals is not only impressive, it will make both your Belly & Wallet Smile too.
Fat
Use a light tasting EVOO or Neutral Oil as an all around fat to use for this soup. Other options are Beef Suet instead of the Oil, for an even more beefy taste, and is really the best for this soup. Optionally use Bacon Grease, Butter or Lard.
Vegetables
The Aromatic Vegetables used are Carrots, Celery, Garlic, and Onion. These are briefly cooked in Fat to soften, before pouring in the Soup Base. Additional Vegetables such as a Frozen Vegetable mix can also be included during the simmering time or towards the end, depending on how much softening they need.
Mirepoix
- 3-5 Cloves Garlic — minced
- 2 Med Carrots — diced
- 2 Stalks Celery — diced
- 1 Med Onion — diced
Potatoes
Potatoes are optional and added last during the last 5–10 minutes of simmering the soup, depending on how large the potatoes are diced.
- Peel 1 Medium-Large Potato and dice about 1/2 inch, about the same size as the Vegetables. Add to the pot during the last 5 minutes of simmering, mixing often and scraping the bottom to ensure nothing gets stuck. Then cover and remove from heat to rest for 20 minutes.
- For larger diced Potatoes, about 3/4 inch or slightly larger. Add the Potatoes when 10 minutes of cook time remain and then rest for 20 minutes or a bit longer, until the potatoes are softened.
Vegetable Beef Soup Base
The Vegetable Beef Soup Base is what brings it all together. Combine all the ingredients into a bowl and add it after the Vegetables have cooked and softened a bit. If a little heat is desired, add some Black Pepper, Chili Flakes, or Cayenne.
Vegetable Beef Soup base Ingredients
- 8 C Water
- 1 C Tomato Paste
- 4 Beef Bouillon Cubes
- 1/2 C Sweet Pimento Paste
- 3 Tbl Smoked Paprika
- 2 Tbl Lemon Juice, & Chickpea Flour — each
- 1/4 tsp Ground Bay Leaves — or use 3-5 Bay Leaves
Broth
Beef Bouillon is used for this soup. Use Maggi or Knorr Bouillon Cubes, Maggi is the best. Not only for exceptional flavor, but you get a lot for very cheap, about $5.00 CAD for 48 Bouillon Cubes. I do a Food for Thought Post just on Maggi Bouillon Cubes and why it really is the best and the various places it is used. Although the Beef ones can be hard to find.
Knorr is good too, but you only get 6 Bouillon Cubes for about $3.00 CAD. You can also use the equivalent amount of Beef Broth Powder. Another one that is good is Aurora Bouillon Cubes, and they’re cheaper too. Hands down though are the Maggi Bouillon Cubes, you just get so much, for cheaper and the Flavor is excellent.
Salt & Pepper Blend
If additional seasoning is needed to lift the flavors, use the Salt & Pepper blend to season as needed. Just combine all the ingredients into a small bowl and mix. I find this soup doesn’t really need it, but it’s there just in case. Optionally, just season with Pepper to add some heat if desired.
Salt & Pepper Blend Ingredients
- 1 Tbl Sea Salt
- 1 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/2 tsp White Pepper
How to make Vegetable Beef Soup
First, prepare the Soup Base & Vegetables, along with any Meats that will be used, set aside. Brown the Meat in Fat, add the Vegetables to cook a few minutes, then the Soup Base and simmer. Take it off the heat to cover and rest to finish cooking the Vegetables and cool the Soup down for serving. Adjust the seasoning if needed.
Soup Base
Add all the ingredients together in a bowl for the soup base and set aside until needed.
Mirepoix with Garlic
Prepare the Vegetables and place into another bowl. Set aside the meat.
Meat
Heat a deep skillet or soup pot over medium heat with fat and add the meat to brown.
Vegetables
Add the Vegetables and continue to cook for about 5 minutes, just to soften and mixing frequently.
Simmer
Add the Soup base and mix while bringing it to a boil over Max heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 20 minutes. Cover and remove from the heat to rest 20 minutes. Adjust the seasoning if needed before serving.
Soup & Sandwich
Make it a Soup & Sandwich Combo! The one below is a Lumberjack Sandwich toasted in the oven for 5 minutes at 400 F right before the Beef Vegetable Soup was ready to serve. What an awesome meal! I mean, just look at that! Imagine how that would taste, right about now.
The cool thing with the Lumberjack Sandwich, is that it can be chopped into 4x 6 inch subs. For smaller portions, especially with this soup, into 10 pieces with 10 bowls of soup. It’s too good, a 10 out of 10!
Buttered Dinner Rolls
Oven Fresh Buttered Dinner Rolls are also exceptional! Slathered with Butter and dipped into the Soup to soak it up and munch on. You can make the Classic Dinner Rolls, or prepare them as Split Rolls, or Clover Rolls.
Equipment
- 1 Deep Skillet or Soup Pot
- 3 Bowls
Ingredients
- 1 lb Ground Beef - or small diced beef
- 1/4 C Oil - see notes
- 1 Large Potato - optional, diced
Soup Base
- 8 C Water
- 4 Cubes Beef Bouillon
- 1 C Tomato Paste
- 1/2 C Pimento Paste
- 3 Tbl Smoked Paprika
- 2 Tbl Lemon Juice & Chickpea Flour - each
- 3-5 Bay Leaf - or 1/4 tsp ground bay leaf
Mirepoix
- 3-5 Cloves Garlic - minced
- 2 Med Carrots - diced
- 2 Stalks Celery - with leaves, if present, diced
- 1 Med Onion - diced
Instructions
- Prepare the soup base, combining all the ingredients into a large bowl. Mix well and set aside until needed. Optionally, peel and dice a Potato and place into a bowl filled with water. Prepare the Mirepoix Vegetables and set aside the meat.
- Heat a deep skillet or soup pot over medium heat and add Fat & Meat to brown while mixing. Add the Mirepoix and mix while cooking for about 5 minutes.
- Turn the heat up to max, add the soup base and mix while bringing to a boil. Reduce the heat back to medium and simmer for 20 minutes. Mix every so often, scraping the bottom. If adding Potatoes, when 5–10 minutes of simmer time remain, strain out the potatoes and add them to the pot to cook. About 5 minutes for 1/2 inch diced Potatoes, or 10 minutes for larger diced potatoes. Mix every so often, scraping the bottom.
- Cover and remove from heat to rest 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft. Adjust the seasoning if needed before serving, using two half cup ladles per bowl. Serve with Dinner Rolls, Crackers, or a Sandwich.