Beef and Vegetable Soup (Printable Version)

Hearty soup with tender beef and root vegetables, perfect for cold weather.

# Needed Ingredients:

→ Meats

01 - 1.5 lbs beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes

→ Vegetables

02 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
03 - 1 large onion, diced
04 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
05 - 3 medium carrots, sliced
06 - 2 celery stalks, sliced
07 - 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
08 - 1 parsnip, peeled and diced (optional)
09 - 1 cup green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
10 - 1 cup frozen peas
11 - 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained

→ Liquids

12 - 8 cups beef broth

→ Herbs & Seasonings

13 - 2 bay leaves
14 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
15 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
16 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
17 - 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
18 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped for garnish

# Steps:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat. Add beef cubes and brown on all sides, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Remove beef and set aside.
02 - In the same pot, add onion, carrots, and celery. Sauté for 5 minutes until vegetables begin to soften. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
03 - Return browned beef to the pot. Stir in potatoes, parsnip if using, green beans, tomatoes with juice, beef broth, bay leaves, thyme, oregano, pepper, and salt.
04 - Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 1 hour 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is tender.
05 - Add peas and cook uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes, or until all vegetables are soft.
06 - Remove bay leaves. Adjust seasoning to taste. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with fresh parsley before serving.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The beef becomes meltingly tender after its long simmer, practically falling apart when your spoon touches it—a textural miracle that store-bought soup never achieves.
  • You can toss in whatever vegetables are looking sad in your crisper drawer, making this a brilliant end-of-week rescue mission for produce on the brink.
02 -
  • Cutting all vegetables roughly the same size ensures they cook evenly—I learned this the hard way after serving a soup with perfectly tender potatoes alongside practically raw carrots.
  • The soup tastes significantly better on day two after the flavors have had time to meld in the refrigerator, so making it ahead isn't just convenient—it's actually preferable.
03 -
  • Don't salt the soup fully at the beginning—as it reduces, the saltiness concentrates, so taste and adjust only in the final 15 minutes of cooking.
  • The fond—those browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot after searing the beef—is culinary gold, so deglaze thoroughly with a wooden spoon when adding the vegetables to incorporate all that flavor.
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