This hearty vegetable soup is packed with tender beef and veggies simmered in a flavorful broth. It’s a simple and nourishing soup recipe ready in an under an hour!
Other cozy soups that warm us up on chill days include crockpot beef stew and chicken and rice soup, especially when paired with a dinner roll.
Table of Contents
Hearty Vegetable Soup
This hearty vegetable soup recipe is one of my favorite cozy soup recipes! It’s similar to my delicious hamburger soup or even this albondigas soup with meatballs, but with a few more seasonings and veggies like my favorite cabbage soup.
Beef and vegetable soup is one of my favorite soups to make during the winter to serve with Lion House rolls or sweet cornbread. It’s a Whole 30 recipe that’s made with wholesome yet hearty ingredients.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy. No complicated steps or ingredients and this hearty vegetable soup is easily made in one pot on the stovetop!
- Versatile. Adjust the spices and veggies to what your family likes and you have on hand.
- Soup that freezes well. This soup freezes well for meal prep! Make a big batch to have on hand all winter long.
Vegetable Soup Ingredients
The best thing about this hearty veggie soup is that you can add in any vegetables that you have on hand and it always tastes delicious!
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Meat: I used lean ground beef, but ground turkey or a combination of the two could be used for a lighter beef vegetable soup. You could also make a chicken vegetable soup!
- Vegetables: I used onion, bell pepper, celery and carrots but cauliflower, spinach, zucchini, squash, peas, green beans, corn and cabbage also work. Frozen vegetables add near the end of coking time.
- Potatoes. Russet potatoes are a popular choice for vegetable soup, but red potatoes or Yukon gold also work.
- Tomato broth: Rotel, or a can of diced tomatoes and green chiles, tomato sauce, balsamic vinegar and water (or chicken broth, beef broth, vegetable broth etc).
- Seasonings: Simple yet flavorful chili powder, salt and black pepper.
How to Make Hearty Vegetable Beef Soup
Prep veggies. Heat oil over medium heat in large pot or Dutch oven. Add onions and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Then stir in ground beef and cook until browned. Drain remaining fat.
Add in potatoes, celery, carrots, rotel, tomato sauce and water and bring to a simmer. Then add balsamic vinegar, chili powder, salt and pepper and stir. Turn heat to low and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes, until root veggies are fork tender. Stir occasionally.
Top this comforting soup with fresh basil, fresh parsley, and Parmesan cheese if desired.
Tips and Variations
- Consistency. Add vegetable broth or beef broth to thin out the consistency and make this hearty vegetable soup stretch even further.
- Meatless. If you would like to make a plant based hearty soup recipe, omit the meat and add in beans or chickpeas.
- Scrape sides of pan: When adding your liquids, scrape the bottom of the pot incorporate the browned bits from your meat and onion for even more flavor.
- Time-saving tip: Look for pre-cut onion, carrots and celery in your produce department or use frozen, no need to thaw first.
- Spices. Add a dash of hot sauce or a sprinkle of red pepper flakes for a little heat. Substitute the chili powder for Italian seasoning for a different flavor.
- Garnish. Top with fresh herbs for more flavor (basil, oregano or parsley taste great). Freshly grated Parmesan cheese or avocado slices also taste delicious on top.
Serving Suggestions
This vegetable beef soup recipe is great with some fresh bread to soak up all the juices! Try some garlic bread, breadsticks, or rolls. Our family favorite is to serve it with grilled cheese!
Looking for more easy soup recipes? Try this corn chowder, chicken tortilla soup, or creamy sweet potato soup!
More Easy Soup Recipes
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Hearty Vegetable Beef Soup Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 small onion , diced
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic , more if desired
- 1 pound lean ground beef , or turkey
- 2-3 small potatoes , peeled and diced
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- 14.5 ounces rotel , or can of diced tomatoes and green chiles
- 15 ounces tomato sauce
- 1 ½ -2 cups water , more as needed (can also use broth)
- 1-2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1-2 teaspoons chili powder , more or less to taste
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt , more to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper , more to taste
For serving (optional): Fresh basil or parsley, parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Brown ground beef. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the 1 small chopped onion and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in 1 teaspoon garlic and 1 pound ground beef and cook until browned. Drain any remaining fat. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
- Add veggies. Stir in 2-3 small diced potatoes, 1 cup celery and 1 cup carrots, rotel, 1 can rotel and 1 can tomato sauce and 1 1/2 cups – 2 cups water (or broth). Bring to a light simmer and then stir in 1-2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 1-2 teaspoons chili powder and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add more water or broth as needed, depending on preference.
- Simmer. Reduce the heat to low and let simmer for about 30-45 minutes (or until the potatoes and carrots are fork tender), stirring occasionally. Add more water as needed. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Top with fresh basil or parsley and parmesan if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
FAQs
That should work. You will still need to brown your meat first, than add all ingredients to your crock pot and cook on low 6-7 hours until your potatoes are tender.
Soup refers to your ingredients being cooked in liquid until tender, it is usually thinner and contains more broth or liquid. Stew on the other hand means stewing your ingredients which includes submerging your ingredients in just enough liquid to cover them. The result is that your stew is very thick.
Vegetable beef soup is so versatile and that include the type of beef used! You can use beef stew meat or chuck roast instead of ground beef but you will need to simmer your beef in the tomato broth mixture for about 30 minutes until it becomes tender chunks of beef before adding remaining ingredients.
This hearty veg soup will keep for about 3 to 4 days in the fridge in an airtight container. You can also freeze the soup for up to two months. When you’re ready to eat, thaw in the fridge overnight. Then reheat in a pot in the stove until warm. You may need to add in a little water or broth to thin out the consistency.
Categorized as: American, Beef, Beef, Dairy-Free, Dinner, Freezer-Friendly, Freezer-Friendly, Gluten-Free, Kid-Friendly, Meal Prep, One Pot, Soups, Stovetop, Stovetop, Whole 30
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
Made this last night–so simple, and so, so good! I used sweet potatoes and added some organic frozen beans. Also drained some diced tomatoes instead of using fresh. After two big bowls, my husband said, “This one’s a keeper!”
Can I do this in a crockpot and it so, how long? Looks delicious!
Yes, you can! I’d still brown the meat and then add everything to the crockpot, heat on high 2 to 3 hours, low 4 to 6 hours. If it gets too thick, you could thin it out with water or stock. :)
Making this tomorrow in the crock pot I have all ingredients on hand! Thank you
Hope you enjoy! :)
Looks delicious!! Making it now, my only question is that 30 min was not enough to for the potatoes and carrots to get done! Am I doing something wrong lol!!
Perhaps they were cut larger than what we cut them – the smaller the dice, the quicker they cook. :)
Looks delicious, can’t wait to try it. I’d like to leave out the meat, can I substitute it by something to keep the taste? Many thanks!
I would add some mushrooms and/or crumbled vegetarian meat substitute, depending on which you prefer!
This came out more like a chili for me but man, super delish nonetheless!
Can’t wait to give this soup a try! Is there any reason why this could not be made in the crockpot?
I think it could be made in a slow cooker quite easily! :)
Thanks for this! It was yummy. I made a few substitutions since I didn’t have all the ingredients on hand, but it still came out great! I was a little skeptical of the balsamic because I’ve never had it in a soup before but it added such great flavor! It’s a keeper!!
Sorry, I meant rotel.
Could you please tell me what is 1 ( 14.5 ) can of hotel.
Thank you
YES YES YES. This soup is the absolute best. I discovered it on day 7 of our Whole30, and, per my husband’s request, have made it FOUR times since then. We are on day 17. (He came home and I had made it again yesterday while he was at work and he was so excited I’d made it again!) This soup is insanely good, and it brings all the veggies and glaciers together in a comforting way. I love the zing that the Ro-tel has. My husband LOVES the spiciness, loves the heartiness, loves the soup. He asks for it in his lunch err day. I am becoming a master at making this filling masterpiece…haha. I don’t feel like I’m on a diet, or that I’m even eating celery, which I hate. I am definitely going to make this soup for pretty much the rest of my life. Our children will grow up asking for this amazing soup. Ok I’m being dramatic but seriously it is incredible. Kbye.
This is the best vegetable soup recipe I’ve ever tried. And it’s even better that it’s Whole 30 compliant. If you haven’t tagged it Whole 30 you should. Thanks for posting.
I made this last night as part of my Whole30. OH man I could have eaten the whole pot! Very good, it has a little heat to it from the rotel which was nice! 10/10 would make again!
I’m so glad you liked it!! Thanks for your comment. :)
Hi Rebecca! No ingredients missing, just an extra bullet by accident! :)
Best vegetable beef soup recipe!! Love your page
I notice there is space for another ingredient next to a bullet, but nothing is listed… Is something missing? Thanks so much! I can’t wait to try this soup! Rebecca
Hi Rebecca! There is nothing missing, just an extra bullet. :)
Craving this delicious beef vegetable soup recipe. Perfect antidote for these cold winter days!
Mmmmmm. That looks yummy. Just a regional note…I had to look up what rotel was. No big deal. I’m not sure if it is because I’m from Canada, or if it’s because I tend to shy away from hot peppers and chilies because our family is nicknamed the ‘Marlon Blandos’. Myself and my middle daughter have especially sensitive taste buds. The upside is, plain food is delicious and I use very little salt. The downside is mild wings, mild salsa, etc. are excruciatingly painful to eat. If somebody even has hot sauce in the same room, my nose and throat burn painfully.
In addition, my middle daughter is a picky eater. Flavours are so intense for her, she prefers carbs. This can make it challenging at meal time. The only vegetable she likes is the lowly carrot. I can get her to eat applesauce with other fruits snuck in and I try to sneak sweet potatoes in macaroni and cheese. Do you or your friends have any suggestions?
So, that’s probably why I’ve not heard of rotel but it won’t stop me from making this soup (sans chilies).
Thanks again for your great ideas. I subscribe to a few blogs but yours seems the most reasonable an realistic for regular, non supermoms like me.
Elizabeth, I also have very sensitive tastebuds, mouth, etc. I used to love jalapeños, but now even ketchup and soda pop can be too much, causing intense pain and making my eyes tear up and my nose run. I don’t know what caused this change. I enjoyed your response because I don’t really know others that react as I do to acidic food. Sometimes I mix my food with cottage cheese to cool it down/make it more bland. I think you maybe are a super mom. You go the extra mile to help your daughter to enjoy her meals and get the nutrition she needs.
So delish! :) It makes the house smell amazing too!