Easy Beef Vegetable Soup

Easy Beef Vegetable Soup is comfort in every spoonful! Full of beef or steak, vegetables and more, this creamy, restaurant quality soup recipe is the best! Really. A flavor explosion in your mouth!

Beef Vegetable Soup

My late friend Marcel introduced us to this easy creamy steak soup years ago and we can not help but make it over and over again. Total comfort in every spoonful. I kid you not!

In my opinion, the best soups are hearty soups and this easy vegetable beef soup is as hearty as it gets, including all of your favorite vegetables, and the most tender beef or steak.  This is the ultimate soup for a cool or cold day.

This Easy Beef Vegetable Soup is the perfect way to use up extra vegetables inside your fridge! This is a super versatile recipe so feel free to swap vegetables with others you may have on hand, prefer or want to use up.

I have used everything from fresh, frozen and canned vegetables to make this amazing soup. Everything from potatoes of all kinds, turnip, sweet potatoes, cabbage, tomatoes, peas, green beans, zucchini, corn and my regular celery, carrot, onion, mushrooms!

You have to at least give this easy beef soup a try and let me know your thoughts below in the comments!  I can't wait to hear what you think!

Beef Vegetable Soup Recipe from Scratch

I am a huge fan of soup and I have been all of my life. I will literally enjoy almost every kind of soup with almost every vegetable in it. To date I have not encountered a soup that I did not like but there is always a possibility that I will so I have to say it like that.

Don't get me wrong I have encountered soups I decided I wouldn't make again from scratch or even eat again but the main reason always is that there are others I prefer more. 

My grandmother lived on a farm and we ate soup almost daily, they were always different and I loved all of them. My grandpa grew lots of vegetables so she had lots to choose from!

Now that I think about it I am sure we ate a lot of soup because she had so many vegetables she had to continually make sure she used. She also jarred and canned every vegetable under the sun!

This Easy Beef Vegetable Soup can be made differently every time you make it from scratch too! 

Best Beef for Soup

It sounds kind of strange but you need a cut of beef that sees a lot of movement on the animal, a strong muscle, a cut that you would never buy to sear and cook quickly because it would be like trying to eat a leather work boot.

You need a cut of beef that has a great deal of connective tissue, not fat, that when cooked for an extended period of time, will break down, enhance the flavor of your soup and become melt in your mouth tender.

You will not be able to speed up or rush your soup's cooking time or your meat will be tough and chewy. For really tender meat, simmer your soup on a gentle boil or low and long or low and slow depending on where you are from!

This is exactly what you will need to include in any restaurant quality beef or steak soup, including this one and it is generally inexpensive, all things considered.

Chuck

The best and cheapest beef soup meat comes from the front shoulder, also known as the chuck, which is generally a pretty tough cut of beef.  What I tell people is that any hunk of meat with the word chuck in it will work and work well! 

Chuck roasts tenderize perfectly during the slower cooking process, has lots of flavor, and you can cut it into bite sized pieces for even, uniform cooking.

Rump or Bottom Round

The rear leg muscle or round can be used as well, think rump roast or bottom round, but for better flavor, in our opinion, chuck is definitely the best choice.

So you have the option to buy a chuck, rump or bottom round roast and cut it into pieces. 

Stewing Beef or Stew Meat

The two cuts of beef are used to make stewing beef or stew meat is chuck or round and is a perfect, already prepared option. My local market always cuts the stewing beef too big so I always end up cutting it into smaller, bite sized pieces. You might want to do the same.

Even though the pieces are too big it is still always a time saver buying stewing beef.

Steak

Buy a 1 - 1 ½ pound sirloin, ribeye, striploin or any other well marbled steak and cut it into cubes or thin slices, about ¼ of an inch thick and against the grain or diagonally.

You don't want the leaner cuts like beef tenderloin or eye of the round or your steak will not be melt in your mouth tender!  

Ground Beef

About 1 ½ to 2 pounds of ground beef can be used, instead of a chuck or round roast or even steak. I find that once the ground beef is cooked you will end up with less and that is exactly what you are looking for.

If you enjoy a meatier soup use two pounds, we always do, otherwise use a pound and a half.

Simply sauté your ground beef over medium heat using a wooden spoon until cooked and crumbled. No pink should remain. Add cooked beef to soup instead of beef or steak and follow the recipe as written, or typed in this case! ?

With ground beef you can reduce your simmering time by 30 minutes. Using ground beef and frozen vegetables make this soup ready within 30 minutes.

Creamy Steak Soup

This soup can easily include steak and become the best creamy steak soup too! ? It is true that no matter which cut of beef you decide to use or want to use up will work.

It's true that some cuts will definitely work better than others but overall this wonderfully rich, flavorful, creamy broth will have you making this awesome steak soup over and over again!

True, you can always skip the cream if you prefer. I actually recommend tasting the soup before you add the cream just to check if you want to include it or not. Everyone's taste buds are definitely different!

Honestly sometimes I do and sometimes I don't. Adding cream or not adding it has no bearing on whether I prepare this soup or not at home. I totally love this soup both ways, with and without cream. I suspect you will too.

More often than not I have heavy or whipping cream in our fridge and sometimes I just don't include it. I am not even sure why really.

Soups with Steak

You also have to be aware that when I prepare this soup at home I never use a recipe at all anymore. I have just been making it for so long that I just toss in whatever I have or want to include.

Maybe I just don't remember or think about the cream? That seems to be just as good an explanation as any because as I sit here asking myself why, I can't think of a valid reason.

For what it's worth I just asked my husband why we don't include cream sometimes or more specifically why I don't and the look on his face was priceless. As you would expect he had no idea whatsoever.

The mystery shall remain a mystery. I figure I will probably figure this all out when I am lying in bed awake at 3 o'clock in the morning after getting up to go to the washroom! LOL

Best Beef Soup Recipe

I do believe that this Easy Beef Vegetable Soup is the best beef soup recipe around. I know it is the best I have ever tasted, and anyone else who has tried it will say the exact same thing.

Part of the reason this soup is delicious is a result of browning your meat, no matter which you choose to use. I know it adds an extra step to this recipe, but it is definitely worth every extra second!

The meat develops an incredibly flavorful and delicious crust or edge that adds so much to the soup and I practically beg you not to skip this step.

Next, the seared beef will tenderize perfectly while being cooked slowly and add lots of flavor to your creamy steak soup. 

What To Serve With Soup

This soup is an ultimate comfort food that has a taste that will blow you to the moon and back. And with our list of what to serve with soup, you can switch it up so many times and make an awesome meal every time!

If you've never tried wonton crisps, now is the time to do so. The crunch that compliments this soup brings it to next level goodness and you just have to try them.

Soup is delicious on its own, but adding a side dish elevates it to a whole new level. Check out What to Serve With French Onion Soup for many ideas.

Tips for the Best Beef Vegetable Soup Recipe

• this soup needs to simmer for at least an hour in order for the meat to get melt in your mouth tender so don't reduce simmering time.
• if you prefer your vegetables to be firm, after sauteing your carrots, onions, mushrooms and celery set them aside until you are almost ready to serve your soup, add them and and allow them to become heated through.
• trim the hard fat, which does not melt during the cooking process, and silver skin that is white and silver colored from your beef. It only takes a few minutes and is worth every second of your time. 
• as with most soups and stews, this soup tastes better the next day.
• brown and sear your beef, on all sides, seasoned with salt and pepper, trimmed and cut into chunks. 
• I always use fresh carrots because I find that frozen carrots can become rubbery which drives me crazy.
• this recipe is easily adaptable with any vegetables you desire, this recipe tastes great with a mixture of fresh, canned or frozen vegetables.
• using frozen vegetables and ground beef in this creamy steak soup recipe make preparation faster and cuts back on cooking time.

Creamy Steak Soup Options

• add cooked rice or pasta to individual portions so your soup will store properly for longer and will freeze. I make a side of rice or pasta and add it to each portion that I am serving. This soup stores beautifully without rice or pasta in it. The rice or pasta is the problem.
• choose any potato you desire from Russet, red, Yukon Gold, yellow fleshed potatoes, mini turnip or even sweet potatoes will work but I prefer using turnip believe it or not. Turnip freezes great, everyone thinks its potato and it holds its shape best
• instead of or with diced tomatoes use tomato paste, the concentrated tomato flavor adds more tomato taste to your broth and might be worth a try
• Everything from potatoes of all kinds, turnip, sweet potatoes, cabbage, tomatoes, peas, green beans, zucchini, corn and my regular celery, carrot, onion, mushrooms!

Ingredients for Hearty Beef Vegetable Soup

• steak
• butter
• flour
• canned tomatoes
• celery
• carrot
• onion
• mushrooms
• worcestershire sauce
• heavy or whipping cream
• beef broth
• salt
• pepper
• gravy browning
• fresh parsley for serving if desired

How do you make The Best Recipe for Steak Soup

In a large pot, over medium high heat, heat butter and brown the sliced beef for 3 or 4 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium, add flour and stir until smooth.

Add the onion, mushrooms, carrot and celery.

Cook for about 10 minutes.

Add undrained canned tomatoes, broth and Worcestershire sauce.

Season with salt and pepper.  

Simmer between 1 and 1 ½ hours.

Add cream 5 minutes before you are done cooking.

Sprinkle chopped fresh parsley on top if desired.

Serve and enjoy!

Using Gravy Browning in Beef Vegetable Soup Recipe 

The photo below is the original photo that I included on this site with this recipe and I apologize but I just had to leave it up. Not only because I actually remember taking this picture but I wanted you to see what this soup looks like with gravy browning included in it.

I used to always add gravy browning to this wonderful Beef Vegetable Soup recipe and as of late I just tend to leave it out. I realized that no one cared about the color of the soup except for me.

All everyone else cared about was the taste and the gravy browning has no influence on taste. I still think this soup looks richer and overall just better with the gravy browning but again, you don't need to use it.

How do you make Slow Cooker Beef Vegetable Soup?

This recipe can easily be adapted for your slow cooker.

You’ll still want to start out by browning your steak or beef as directed, adding flour, then sautéing the carrots, mushrooms, onions and celery.

You’ll pour both of those mixtures into a large slow cooker along with everything else.

Cook on low until beef is fork tender, between 6 and 7 hours.

If you are using fresh chopped or diced potatoes make sure to add them at about the 4 hour mark so you don't end up with mushy potatoes. 

Add any frozen or canned vegetables within 15 minutes of serving or until heated through.

How to Store, Freeze and Reheat

This Hearty Beef Vegetable Soup is always terrific to make ahead, especially because this soup tastes better the next day as these flavors just get better with time.  Consider making a double batch. I usually do!

• Store. Store your soup in an airtight container in your fridge for up to 4 days because it has no pasta or rice.
• Freeze. Place your room temperature leftovers into an airtight container or freezer bags in your freezer for up to 3 months in one container or appropriate portion sized containers. This soup freezes beautifully.
• Reheat. I usually allow the soup to defrost in my fridge overnight before reheating. When ready to serve I reheat leftovers in an appropriate sized pot on my stovetop over medium to medium low heat, adding broth if needed. You also have the option to reheat this soup in your microwave or slow cooker until you reach your desired temperature.

Beef and Vegetable Soup

Below, you will find a picture of a version of this soup that my son made. He always uses strips of steak, usually whatever cut he can find in my freezer, and follows the recipe to the letter.

He doesn't use gravy browning either and this is a picture of the creamy steak soup he made.

What to serve with Easy Beef Vegetable Soup

I love to serve vegetable beef soup or all soups, stews and chilis with similar things.

• a side of fresh crusty bread or baguette for dipping
• crackers of some kind
• a simple green salad
• cornbread muffins flavored with green onions and cheese

Serve this Beef Vegetable Soup with a delightful side dish. Many can be found at What to Serve With Chicken and Dumplings.

Delicious Soups to Try

Thai Carrot Ginger Soup

The Best Cream of Broccoli Soup

Slow Cooker Moroccan Tomato Soup

The Best Cream of Potato and Leek Soup

Slow Cooker Italian Hamburger Soup

Perfect Sweet Potato Soup

Butternut Squash, Pear, Leek, Carrot and Parsnip Soup

My Grandma's Cream of Tomato Soup

Creamy Mushroom Soup

Marcel's Lentil Soup

Copycat PF Changs Canada Green Veggie Soup

Easy Beef Vegetable Soup Video

If you're looking for some more Dinner Recipes Using Beef Broth look no further. All of our favorites in one place for you to check out if you're interested.

Note that the soup will have more broth than what’s pictured, I like to remove some of the broth so you can see the ingredients in the soup. But with that said you can use less broth if desired or even simmer the soup uncovered during cooking.