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Vegetable Beef Soup

Vegetable beef soup with browned stew meat, a mahogany beef broth, and tender potato cubes. Simmered with carrots, celery, green beans, and corn for a hearty American main-dish bowl.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 380
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Beef stew meat, cubed
  • 1.5 lb beef stew meat, cubed
Potatoes
  • 3 potatoes, peeled and cubed
Carrots
  • 3 carrots, sliced
Celery
  • 3 celery, sliced
Onion
  • 1 onion, diced
Garlic
  • 4 garlic, minced
Green beans
  • 1 cup green beans, cut
Frozen corn
  • 1 cup frozen corn
Diced tomatoes
  • 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
Beef broth
  • 6 cup beef broth
Tomato paste
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Olive oil
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
Dried thyme
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
Bay leaf
  • 1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper
  • 0.25 tsp salt and pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Brown the beef
  1. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, then sear the beef stew meat in batches until browned on all sides. Move the browned pieces to a plate as you finish each batch.
Sauté vegetables and build the broth
  1. Sauté onion, carrots, and celery for 5 minutes, stirring until softened. Add garlic and tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes, stirring until fragrant.
  2. Return the browned beef to the Dutch oven, then add beef broth, diced tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, dried thyme, and bay leaf. Stir to combine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom.
Simmer and finish
  1. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes until the flavors meld and the beef is tender. Look for steady bubbling with a gentle simmer.
  2. Add the potato cubes and cook for 15 more minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. The potatoes should be fork-tender.
  3. Add green beans and frozen corn and cook for the last 8 minutes, keeping the simmer gentle. The green beans should turn bright and tender.
  4. Remove the bay leaf, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Taste and adjust until the broth is well balanced.

Notes

For best texture, don’t crowd the Dutch oven when searing the beef—browning improves the soup’s depth. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days; freeze for up to 3 months (bay leaf removed before freezing). For a lighter option, use reduced-sodium beef broth and substitute half the olive oil with a spray, keeping all vegetables the same.