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Vegetable Beef Soup

Vegetable beef soup, hearty weeknight comfort food.  Easy ground beef soup loaded with vegetables in a savory broth of beef stock, tomatoes and red wine.

Bowl of vegetable beef soup.

When my mom was recuperating from hip replacement surgery several years ago, my aunt brought us some homemade soup.  It was freezing outside in Chicago and we heated up the soup and I was in heaven.  I kept saying, "Did she put wine in this?  I think I taste wine, a lot of wine, do you?  What's in this soup, it's so good?!?".

Vegetable beef soup in serving bowl with spoon.

Once again, like so many of the recipes in my drawer, I have a piece of a notepad that my mom jotted down how to make the soup, while she was on the phone with my aunt.  And let me tell you, she jotted down the ingredients and a few instructions.  But I have managed to make it many times, and it's delicious, almost as good as my aunt Nancy's.

WHAT VEGETABLES SHOULD I USE?

Cutting board filled with prepped and chopped vegetables.

I'm fond of hearty root veggies, like potatoes, carrots and parsnips.  I also love cabbage and lots of onions.  And green beans.  Then add anything else you like, such as canned corn, lima beans or peas.  The chopping of all the vegetables is the hardest part.  But you gotta do it.  And I'm of the opinion that more is better.

HOW TO MAKE GROUND BEEF VEGETABLE SOUP

It's easy once you've got all those veggies prepped and ready to go.

Process collage pfoto of making the soup.

  1. Brown the ground beef, onions and garlic.
  2. Add tomatoes, beef broth and red wine. Then some seasonings and all the veggies.
  3. Stir well to combine it all, bring to a steady simmer, pop a lid on and simmer for about 1½ hours until veggies are tender and soup broth has fully developed.

Pot of vegetable beef soup.

If I use extra veggies, I add more beef broth, about 4 cups to start.  When finished, if the soup seems too thick, add some chicken stock/broth to thin.  My dad always used chicken stock in his sauces and gravies, even with beef or pork.  He said adding more beef broth was too strong.  My aunt is the same.  So use beef broth to cook, and if needed, thin it with some chicken broth.

And a note about the red wine which contributes greatly to the flavor profile of the broth.  Go easy on it.  My mom says my aunt gave her some more of her soup and it tasted like pure wine and she couldn't eat it and had to dump it.  That's what my mom said, rather dramatically.  A cup of dry red wine is plenty.

Bowl of soup with spoon.

Soups and stews and slow braises are what I crave this time of year, and this is one of my favorites.  Try this easy hamburger vegetable soup, it will warm you up and put a smile on your face. Kelly🍴🐦

Close up of soup in bowl with spoon.

Are you a soup lover?  You might also want to try these bowls of comfort:

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UPDATED: Originally posted in January, 2016, soon after I first started this blog.  Recently updated in November, 2019, with spruced up copy and photos, and minor changes to original recipe.

Bowl of vegetable beef soup.

Vegetable Beef Soup

Hearty homemade soup with ground beef and lots of veggies in a savory tomato red wine broth.
4.88 from 8 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Servings: 10
Calories: 266kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 yellow onions, diced
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • pound ground beef I like ground sirloin
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 cup potatoes, peeled and cubed about 2 Yukon Gold
  • 1 cup celery, sliced about 2 ribs
  • 1 cup fresh green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 cup carrots, peeled and diced about 2 medium
  • 1 cup parsnips, peeled and diced about 2 medium
  • ½ head small green cabbage, roughly chopped in bite-size pieces
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
  • ½ teaspoon basil
  • ½ teaspoon thyme
  • 3 cups beef broth or stock preferably unsalted
  • 1 cup dry red wine
  • 2 (29-ounce) cans whole tomatoes and their juices, crushed by hand I like San Marzanos
  • Kosher salt and pepper, to taste
  • Optional: canned and drained corn, peas or lima beans, about ½ - ¾ cup each

Instructions

  • In a large dutch oven, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Add chopped onions, a pinch of salt, and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, cook 1 minute until fragrant and then add the ground beef. Break up beef with wooden spoon and cook until no longer pink.
  • Add the tomatoes, beef broth and wine. Stir well and then add the parsley, basil and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Add the vegetables: potatoes, celery, green beans, carrots, parsnips and cabbage (and any other optional veggies). Stir well to combine and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 1½ hours, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are all tender and the soup broth has fully developed. Enjoy.

Recipe Notes

  • When prepping the vegetables, cut them in uniform bite-size pieces.
  • If soup seems too thick, thin it with some chicken stock.
  • Depending on the fat content of the beef, if needed, skim any excess fat or foam that surfaces.
  • If you have a small piece of rind from Parmesan cheese, add that to the pot (remove before serving). Absolutely delicious addition to soups and stews! Never throw out that rind.

Nutrition

Calories: 266kcal Carbohydrates: 18g Protein: 16g Fat: 13g Saturated Fat: 6g Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g Monounsaturated Fat: 5g Trans Fat: 1g Cholesterol: 52mg Sodium: 362mg Potassium: 677mg Fiber: 4g Sugar: 4g Vitamin A: 2448IU Vitamin C: 33mg Calcium: 63mg Iron: 2mg
Did you make this recipe? Please comment, rate it and share! And mention me on Instagram @thehungrybluebird or tag #thehungrybluebird so I can see!
 

 

Recipe Rating




Cher

Thursday 21st of October 2021

I made this soup exactly as written and it is delicious and worth the time to chop those vegetables!

Kelly

Wednesday 17th of November 2021

Thanks so much, Cher. Yep, the hardest part is all the vegetable prep!

Michelle

Monday 20th of September 2021

Can you use red wine Vinegar instead of red wine????

Kelly

Tuesday 21st of September 2021

I would not use red wine vinegar, just leave the wine out if you don't want to use it.

Teresa

Wednesday 28th of April 2021

Love this recipe - have made it multiple times since discovering it. It’s much easier (and leaner!) than using stew meat. Love it - and the entire family loves it!

Kelly

Wednesday 19th of May 2021

We love this soup, so happy to hear you did, too!

Alison

Sunday 28th of March 2021

Can I use ground turkey chicken broth and apple cider vinegar instead of ground beef beef broth and wine?

Kelly

Monday 29th of March 2021

I have never made those substitutions but you can use ground turkey and chicken broth but just omit the wine, I wouldn't use cider vinegar.

Teresa

Monday 28th of December 2020

Delicious! Made an adjustment by adding more beef stock and less tomato - otherwise a perfect recipe! Made this for the first time 5 weeks ago and have made it two more times since. Super easy and soooooo good!

Kelly

Tuesday 29th of December 2020

Glad you liked it, Teresa! Your adjustments sound like they worked for you. We love this soup!