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.
Hi question… are you supposed to bring to a light boil after adding the veggies, before adding the spices? The recipe says bring to a light simmer so my husband has never brought it above a simmer or 2 setting since he cooked the meat and added the veggies. And well over an hour later our veggies are not soft. I don’t understand how carrots and potatoes are supposed to cook through in a reasonable time if they haven’t been par boiled for a bit before turning down to a simmer…
Hi Jami! I’m sorry your veggies didn’t soften after an hour. I would definitely bring them to a boil and then turn down to a simmer so they are actually simmering the whole time. Also, covering the pot will help soften them as well! :)
Okay super silly question- I’m putting this in my Fitness pal app and I’m wondering what I should consider one serving? This is my absolute favorite Whole30 go-to recipe so I use it a ton! Thanks again for sharing!
Hi Catherine! I’m going to say about 2 cups. :)
This soup is SO easy to make and it is SO delicious! You can change things around to your liking so easily too, but I made it just as the recipe said and it was hard to stop eating it! Perfect for any occasion too! You can put cilantro on top instead of basil and top with guacamole too….so many different options. This might just be a weekly recipe too. I love how many servings it makes, so it’s great for company!
I’m so glad you love this recipe! Thank you so much for your comment Barbara. :)
I am hoping to make this tomorrow. I am very weird because I absolutely do not like balsamic vinegar (and pretty much any vinegar for that matter). Anyways, I was wondering if I could omit it from the soup? Do you think it would take away from the flavor significantly? Thanks in advance!
It will change the taste a bit but I think it will still be delicious! :)
Loved this soup, made it without meat and it was perfect! My boyfriend also loved this soup and said it’s “the best soup I’ve had.” Well done!
I’m so glad it was a hit with your family! I love how many veggies you can pack in this soup! :)
I’m on day 6 of Whole 30 and I am SO happy to have come across this recipe today! I had most ingredients already and decided to make a double batch! I used the lower end of chile powder and because the meal is so low on fat I added some canned coconut milk. I’m so glad I have a double batch of this made! Yum!
My wife and I LOVE this soup! We discovered in during Whole 30 and have made it half a dozen times since. It’s EXCELLENT with half an avocado diced over the top, just saying.
Made this today and it was so so yummy. Super thick and savory. I added a bit of veggie stock to make it a tad more brothy and to stretch the soup out for a few more days. I definitely recommend this soup. Loved it with a slice of avocado.
I tried this tonight on the Whole30. I couldn’t find organic rotel, so used roasted tomatoes with chilies. Added a little habenero sauce to my own bowl. Loved It. We have added it to our monthly rotation for this winter.
I made this last night and it was amazing!! I used ground bison bc it is what I had on hand. The balsamic vinegar gave a wonderful flavor!
I started the whole 30 diet yesterday and made this for my first meal. It was excellent. Unfortunately, I think I bought the regular Hunts Tomato Sauce which contains sugar. Now, I have all these leftovers that I was looking forward to eating. I still may eat it and then restart the program.
Oh no! Can you relocate the can, that’s so disappointing! (Glad you enjoyed the soup, though!)
This is on the stove right now. My mother and I decided to do Whole 30 together and I’ve really been craving chili – but no beans! This is perfect and I dumped in a lot more chili powder than called for to take it in a more chili-like direction. Thanks!
Made this the other week and my 18 month old LOVES IT. I subbed ground turkey for the beef because that’s what I had in my freezer and I subbed wild rice for the potatoes! Came out a little more like a stew but it was SO YUMMY. Thank you for the inspiration!!
I made this soup for dinner tonight. I sort of missed the winter cold, it was pretty hot here in Florida today but we turned the temperature down on the air conditioner and that helped create the illusion of a winters night. I am vegan so the only thing I changed in the original recipe was to leave the meat out of the soup. This was delicious!! You are correct when you say it has a kick but that is certainly easy enough to tone down for anyone who doesn’t like spicy foods. Thank you for sharing the recipe, I will definitely be making it again (and having soup for lunch tomorrow).
Hi! I’m about to start Whole 30 and am super excited to make this soup! Can you tell me what kind of tomato sauce you used?
Thanks!
I picked an organic one that had no sugar and no weird ingredients. Best of luck, I love Whole30!
Man, oh man. This recipe. This right here. It is absolutely perfect as written, no changes necessary. Since first trying it about six months ago, I have made this again, and again, and again. I have even had it requested at parties. Very simple, and so. darn. good.
I added a can of Great Northern Beans (and omitted the ground beef) and it was good!!!! Love this recipe!!!!
This is on my stove right now. It smells delicious! Its a cold, winter day here in Chicago so we need something to warm us up!
I did make a couple of changes. I couldn’t find ripe tomatoes so I used a large can of diced tomatoes with the liquid. I also added a can of mushrooms because my husband and I love them and substitutted chicken broth for the water. I also made a big pan of cornbread to serve with it. Yummy! Thanks for the great and easy recipe!