A hearty Vegetable Beef Soup with melt-in-your-mouth slow cooked chunks of beef, potato and vegetables simmered in a herb infused savoury broth. You’ll love how the broth of this beef soup recipe is slightly thickened so it’s like gravy and has extra flavour from a secret ingredient!
Vegetable Beef Soup
So many beef soups are watery and dull. Not this one!!! The thing that sets this beef soup recipe apart from the rest is the broth. It’s slightly thickened so it’s more like a thinnish gravy. It’s infused with herb flavour and also gets an extra depth of flavour from the secret ingredient: red wine. Or beer or stout. (They’re all good)
It’s not about boozing up our soup! It’s about adding complexity and character to the soup broth flavour without simmering for hours up hours like we do with Beef Stew and Pot Roast.
Without the wine, the broth still tastes very, very good.
With the wine, it’s stellar! (And in care you’re concerned, the alcohol gets cooked out, just leaving behind flavour.)
What goes in Vegetable Beef Soup
Here’s what you need.
Stewing beef – anything economical, in small bite size pieces (remember, we’re making a soup here, not a stew)
Red wine, stout or guinness – all of these work great here. Red wine gives it a classic beef stew flavour, Guinness or stout will give the soup a more intense, deep flavour like Irish Guinness Stew. I use wine most frequently because I always have some on hand, and because I prefer not to just use part of a can of beer that I wouldn’t choose to drink!
How to make Beef Soup
The key step here is to brown the beef well – aggressively is the term that I use. This adds a ton of flavour to the beef itself and the broth, from the brown bits on the bottom of the pot that dissolves into the broth.
I like to sauté the mushrooms in butter and add them towards the end – but this is optional. Because golden brown buttery mushrooms vs mushrooms just simmered in the broth? There is no contest! (But really, it is optional 🙂 )
Fall-apart slow cooked beef!
I promised you fall-apart beef, and fall apart beef you shall get. And you will see just how tender the beef is in the recipe video below using the most ridiculous method – chopsticks of all things!!
I know, I know, it’s soooo Asian.
But right at that moment while I was filming, it was the first thought that came to me as the easiest way to show it on camera! 😂 I mean, how else can I pry a piece of beef apart using one hand??
What Beef Soup goes with
There’s a ton of veggies in this soup, and you could add even more into the soup. Green beans would be ideal, but they were extortionately overpriced on the day I shot this and I just couldn’t do it.
So it’s an ideal meal-in-a bowl that doesn’t need anything more. But I’m pretty sure no one would say no to a side of quick Cheesy Garlic Bread!!! Or try one of these soup dunkers:
Soup Dunkers
Also, this soup just gets better with time and freezes 100% perfectly. So make a double batch! ~ Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Vegetable Beef Soup (Fall apart beef!)
Ingredients
- 1.5 tbsp olive oil , separated
- 500g/1 lb stewing beef , cut into 1.75cm / 2/3″ cubes (Note 1)
- 1/2 tsp salt and pepper
- 1 onion , chopped
- 3 garlic , minced (1 tbsp)
- 2 celery , cut into 0.8 cm / 1/3″ slices
- 3 carrots , cut into 0.5 cm / 1/5″ thick slices (halve larger ones)
- 4 tbsp flour
- 2 1/2 cups (625ml) beef broth/stock , low sodium
- 1 1/2 cups (375ml) dry red wine, Guinness beer or stout (Note 2)
- 1.5 cups (375ml) water
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp thyme dried
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 2 potatoes (any), cut into 1.5cm / 2/3″ cubes
Buttery mushrooms (optional):
- 1 tbsp (15g) butter or oil
- 200g/ 6oz small mushrooms , quartered or halved
Instructions
- Heat 1 tbsp oil until very hot in a large, heavy based pot over high heat.
- Pat beef dry with paper towels, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Brown beef aggressively in 2 or 3 batches, adding more oil if needed. Remove browned beef into a bowl.
- If pot looks dry, add a touch more oil.
- Add garlic and onion, cook for 2 minutes.
- Add carrot and celery, cook for 2 minutes or until onion is translucent.
- Stir in flour, then slowly pour in beef broth while constantly stirring.
- Add beer, water, tomato paste, bay leaves and thyme, stir well. Then add the beef back in.
- Cover, adjust heat to medium low so it’s bubbling gently. Simmer 1 hr 15 min or until beef is pretty tender.
- Add potatoes and peas, simmer for a further 20 minutes without the lid. Add cooked mushrooms in the last 5 minutes.
- The soup is ready when the potatoes are cooked and beef is very tender (see video).
- Adjust salt and pepper to taste (I like lots of pepper in this!).
- Ladle into bowls. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with crusty bread if desired. Try quick Cheesy Garlic Bread or super easy Irish Soda Bread!
Buttery Mushrooms (optional):
- Melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes until browned. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Recipe Notes:
- Red wine – any dry, full bodied red wine. Cab Sauv and Merlots are ideal.
- Guinness Beer and Stout are dark beers, labelled as such on the cans. You should find these at most liquor stores. Use some, drink some – or tip the whole can in an simmer for longer with the lid off!
- Non alcoholic sub – add 400g/14 oz can of crushed tomato, 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce. This will add alternative flavour to compensate.
Nutrition Information:
Originally published May 2019. Updated for housekeeping matters March 2020, no change to recipe.
More chunky, hearty soups
Life of Dozer
This is what a doggy smile looks like.
(And we’d be smiling too if we had Life of Dozer!!!)
Nagi This is extra special and its on my Saturday menu.Love IT. Today was shopping and bought for 4$ beef slow cooking got ALL veggis, Wine, home grown bay leave, thyme and I use few home grown komquat and few leaves shreded and Bon Appetite! Dozer is having time Of his life.
Woah!! Bargain Vera – I’m coming over for dinner!
Could I do this in a slowcooker? How would I change the recipe steps to accommodate for this? Love your recipes!!
Hi Jessica, you’s need to start it all in a pan (as you need to sear the beef) then transfer back to the slow cooker – then back to a pot to simmer it over the stove. It’s not really suitable for the slow cooker unfortunately N x
Thank you for this easy gummy recipe
I can’t wait to make this over the weekend. I’m subbing barley because neither my son nor I are big potato eaters. I figure I’ll just watch it close and add more liquid if needed. Making a loaf of no knead bread to go with.
This is truly delicious! We subbed some leftover green beans (that we needed to use) for the peas but kept everything else the same. The flavor of the broth
was amazing! We doubled the recipe in anticipation of the leftovers. It did not disappoint, Will be making this often. Thank you, Nagi!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Chris!!
Hello,i want to try this but in the crock pot,how long would I cook it?
Hi Melissa, you really want to get this soup to a simmer and reduce to get the flavours – N x
Made this soup for a friend that just got out of the hospital. I used green beans in place of peas, seasoned the beef with S&P, shallot and garlic powder and browned up on the grill, then added to soup, and drained a can of fire roasted tomatoes, and used the juice to make a slurry with the flour (because I forgot to make the roux). It had a wonderful complex flavors! Thanks for sharing. And no lie, I kept a couple bowls for us. : )
That’s the best gift to give! I’m so happy you enjoyed it Elizabeth! N x
Great recipe! Made it tonight and even though I did not cook the meat for an hour it turned out good. I used sirloin steak for meat and I went the no alcohol and no mushrooms route.
Sounds like you nailed it Irena!!
Hi Nagi! This looks amazing. Could you add barley? If so, what tweeks would you advise to make sure the soup remsins a soup?
What is I want to make enough for 12 servings? how much should I use of each ingreident
Hi Teresa, use the sliding scale on the recipe to adjust the servings and it will automatically adjust each ingredient for you – N x
I plan to make this today, can’t wait! It looks and sounds delicious!
Absolutely amazing. I added some beef bouillon and that’s it. Family loved it. My husband said to not lose the recipe. I just make again.
That’s wonderful Saundra!
I’ve made this recipe four times. It’s absolutely wonderful, especially on a cold winter day like today. My husband said “you can’t get a bowl of soup outside anywhere like this one!” Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe. It might be one of my favs.
That’s so great to hear Monie!
I must say my house smelled amazing while this soup was simmering. I made a rustic bread so we could dip bread in the broth…. yum! My husband and I have found our favorite soup. Thank you Nagi!
YUM!!! Bread is a MUST for dunking!
Full disclosure, I have never been a fan of vegetable soup. I thought this recipe wouldn’t be any different.
If I could give this recipe ten stars, I would. Even my husband who only likes the ground beef vegetable soup, loved it too.
I am currently making the vegetable beef soup, simmering as I type. By the smell I think this will be a big hit with my family. I am wondering how/what steps to make this in the crockpot on busy days? Thank you for your recipes I have added so many into our rotation so things don’t get boring.
Hi Stacey, at step 9 you could transfer to a slow cooker and cook for 4 hours on low, I’d at the potatoes & peas with about 2 hours to go – N x
This looks so enticing! Only questions before j make this tomorrow, when you say you use all three of the Guinness, red wine and stout, do you mean all three at one time or just one? Just wanna make sure I read this right! Can’t wait to make it!
Hi Katelyn, you can use dry red wine, Guinness beer OR stout – just one of the three – N x
Awesome! Thank you!!! That’s what I thought but I was just making sure! Making it tonight! So excited!
Hi Katelyn! Use just ONE of those 🙂 Not all 3!! N xx
OMG, I wanted a hearty vegetable beef soup and I came across yours. This was the BEST soup I ever had. The only thing I didn’t add was the flour and I’m glad I didn’t. Only because I wanted more of a soup then a stew like soup. I did add both a Cabernet and the Guinness. This was awesome!!! I’ll have to follow you now and try some of your other creations. Thank you SO much! Your too kind for sharing your talents.
I love you for this recipe (although my husband might love you even more!!! lol) This is my second time making this recipe in the last two weeks! This may not be a big deal to some but my husband is a very particular eater. But he’s been in love with this recipe since the first spoonful! He’s been bugging me to make this again… thank you so much!!! (I also loved your mexican rice casserole recipe).. Any other suggestions for one-pot recipes that will last a week at a time? We are both workaholics with little time on our hands for cooking purposes so these recipes in the last month have been lifesavers!!! 💜
You’ve totally converted him Kim, this is the best compliment ever!
I had a hard time with this recipe followed directions took a long time to get the potatoes cooked completely. Any suggestions for the next time
Hi LeAndra, sorry you had issues – was it just the potatoes? What type did you use? – N x