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!!!)
Delicious recipe. My only advice is use 4 level tablespoons of flour not heaped. I used a 220g sirloin steak and bulked out with extra veg. I would give this recipe a 3/5 on day 1 one and 5/5 on day two with my variations but I’m sure it would be much nicer if made as written. Thanks alot!
You’re so welcome Chantelle – N x
I liked this recipe but I made two changes. I replaced the potatoes and peas with a bag of gnocchi and a bag of spinach. That worked well but next time I will use just 1/2 bag of gnocchi because it swells sitting in the broth. I think I am also going to ditch the guinness and go for red wine because the guinness seemed to have a slight aftertaste that I did not care for.
Sounds great Robert, just like a dumpling soup!
Hi Nagi,
I made your vegetable beef soup and it was delicious. I didn’t have any stout beer on hand so used some India Red Ale. Although the soup was lighter in color it still had a wonderful aroma and taste. I’m looking forward to my leftovers tomorrow.
Thank you again for sharing another great recipe.
I’m so happy you enjoyed it Chuck!
Hi Nagi may I substitute the beef with lamb?
Hi Jann, you sure can! Enjoy – N x
Hi I make my stew soup in the pressure cooker. I brown well then use onion soup mix brown broth and pressure cook for about 15 min. Then release pressure and add all Vegas and cook for 5 min. More . Release pressure and taste if gravy isn’t thick enough I ad corn starch and water and thicken up and it is great.
Excellent recipe! You are my go-to blog because of recipes like this. Next time I’ll add some smoke paprika to give it a bit of a kick. Otherwise an easy recipe that requires simple ingredients easy to find year around in Canada!
Thanks so much Agill, I really appreciate the feedback!
The recipe looks delicious. What is the roll thing you pull apart in the video. It also looks divine🤤
Lovely soup. My 8 year old really enjoyed it if though “it had things in it she knows she doesn’t like” (celery).
Only question I have is why my budget meat cuts always take way longer to cook than recipes say? This took about 3 hrs for the meat to be soft. That’s the case with all recipes I try.
Hi Magda, I’m so glad you loved it – What kind of meat were you using? – N x
Oyster blade.
Hi, I just made this for the 3rd time in 2 weeks – it was a MASSIVE hit in our house!
Because I dont use the whole litre of stock, I freeze the left overs, but would that affect the taste?
Thank you for all your great recipes!
Hi Sarah, freezing stock is fine, the perfect way to store it long term!
How is this recipe if i use crushed tomatoes instead of wine or stout?
Does it still taste the same?
Hi Nikki, it doesn’t taste quite the same but still great – I have the non alcoholic subs in the recipe notes – N x
Hey Nagi would you leave the salt out if you were to use normal beef stock and not low sodium?
Hi Jo, I’d just adjust omit the salt and then salt to taste after cooking – N x
Thanks Nagi made it today. Was really good
Thanks for your great recipes, have just made this soup recipe – huge success, very tasty.
I appreciate your clear instructions for recipes, the pic. showing all the ingredients needed and the video of the process.
I’m so happy you loved it Gloria!
Hi Nagi, if we wanted to bulk out the soup with some extra veg, what would you recommend?
Hi Mai, you could add mushrooms, broccoli – anything you like!!
Devouring a big bowl for lunch and had to stop by to say Yummmmmm!
Thanks so much for the feedback Debbie!
Absolutely wonderful! Cook it for as long as you have time to- it definitely makes a difference! I used a full can of guinness and some extra water so I could leave it to simmer longer. This is definitely one of those recipes that tastes even better the day(s) after! Stashed my leftovers in the freezer for a rainy day.
Yes, great for left overs! I’m so glad you loved it Katie!!!
Hi Nagi, Made this for dinner last night for my daughter and I. Hearty, delicious soup with some sourdough bread on a cold winter’s night. Yum. Thank you for sharing your great recipes. Dozer is a cutie pie.
I’m so glad you both loved it Michelle!
So when you say servings 5 or hover over to scale what does that mean?
Hi Fiona, at the top of the recipe card there is the number of servings – you can change this number and all the ingredients will adjust for you – N x
Hi Nagi, I made this beautiful soup this weekend and didn’t eat it for a day. It is beautiful. I loved the flavors from the beef. Only thing I changed was I used spring onions and no garlic. Thanks for the recipe.
I’m so glad you loved it Marlene, thanks for letting me know – N x
This was absolutely delicious!
I’m 40 weeks pregnant and had a massive craving for something hearty and nutritious and this definitely hit the spot! My husband absolutely loved it too! I added a couple of sliced zucchini with the mushroom and also threw in a tin of chickpeas and a tin of canellini beans 😊
Sounds like you nailed it Emily!
OMG – made this today – Nagi – you certainly didn’t disappoint – absolute sheer DELICIOUSNESS!! Thank you for the recipe – another repeat winner – just like your lamb shanks in port and wine – HEAVEN ☺
Wahooo! Thanks Helen – N x