This Old-Fashioned Vegetable Beef Soup is full of flavor thanks to a highly seasoned tomato base and loads of cabbage, carrots, and celery. This soup hearty enough for winter and light enough for spring.
This Vegetable Beef Soup may seem like a bold choice for this time of year where we are craving those tender, spring vegetables. But I can assure you, it’s not.
Here in the Midwest, spring is the time of year we hold our breaths every time it is beautiful outside, hoping that we have gotten through the thick of winter and are on our way to warm sunny days. It is the time of year we watch the dreary landscape, covered in frost and snow, break way into this new world with green grass and can’t help ourselves but to go outside and enjoy it.
Yet, all too often, those dreary days return, and we hunker down and wait for the cold weather to pass. For these days, we need soup. There are always the classics: Chicken Noodle, Cream of Tomato, and Chili. But this Vegetable Beef Soup is different. While not revolutionary, it is delightfully forgiving, freezes exceptionally well, and is one of the best ways to capture the flavors of produce in the summer with minimal effort.
The tomato base provides a perfect backdrop to all the flavors the season has to offer, while loads of cabbage, carrots, and celery make this soup hearty enough for winter and light enough for spring. This soup is best if you let it simmer in the pot or make it the day before (it always tastes better), though it is still doable for a weeknight if you have a little extra time. If you make it ahead of time, there is nothing more satisfying than knowing you have a back-up dinner in the freezer, ready for eating.
HOW TO MAKE OLD-FASHIONED VEGETABLE BEEF SOUP
- Chop the vegetables and set aside.
- Sauté the ground beef and onions in a heavy pot.
- Add the garlic, herbs, and chopped vegetables to the pot and stir to combine.
- Add the tomato sauce, beef bouillon, broth, and water to the pot and bring to the boil.
- Add the rice and cook the soup until the rice is fully cooked and the soup thickens.
Possible Substitutions for this Vegetable Beef Soup
GROUND BEEF. Feel free to use ground turkey instead of ground beef. Make this soup vegetarian by substituting the beef for canned or pre-cooked dry black beans.
ZUCCHINI. Zucchini is often reserved for the summer months and is easily substituted for an in-season vegetable or left out, depending on your tastes.
RICE. Brown rice or white rice works beautifully. Feel free to eliminate the rice completely as well (the soup won’t be quite as thick).
CANNED TOMATO SAUCE. Canned crushed tomatoes are a great substitute for the canned tomato sauce if that’s what you have on-hand or you want a bit more texture in the tomato-base. You can also puree canned whole tomatoes in a food processor and use that as a substitute as well.
BEEF BROTH. Feel free to substitute beef broth and Better Than Bouillon beef base for vegetable broth and vegetable base for a vegetarian version.
MORE HEARTY RECIPES TO TRY
- Slow Cooker Italian Beef
- Spring Grilled Cheese with Charred Scallions
- Citrus Pulled Pork Tacos with Garlic-Lime Sauce
Hearty Vegetable Beef Soup
This Old-Fashioned Vegetable Beef Soup is full of flavor thanks to a highly seasoned tomato base and loads of cabbage, carrots, and celery. This soup hearty enough for winter and light enough for spring.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped small
- 1 pound (455g) ground beef*
- 1.5 teaspoons kosher salt
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- One 15oz (425g) can tomato sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon dried sage
- 1 cup (90g) cored and chopped cabbage
- 1 cup (125g) chopped carrots
- 1 cup (100g) chopped celery
- 1 cup (125g) chopped zucchini, optional
- 1 1/2 cups (14.5 ounces) homemade or store-bought beef broth
- 2 teaspoons Better Than Bouillon Beef Base
- 4 cups (32 ounces) water
- 1/3 cup (67 g) rice*
Instructions
- Sauté the ground beef and onions. Heat a large 3.5 or 5-quart heavy-bottom pot over medium-high heat. Coat the bottom of the pan with olive oil. Break up the ground beef into small pieces and add it along with the onions and salt to the pan. Cook, stirring often until the meat is cooked through and nicely browned, about 10 minutes. Drain any excess fat from the pan.
- Add the seasonings and chopped vegetables. Add the garlic, oregano, and sage. Stir the mixture until the garlic smells fragrant, about 1 minute. Add all of the vegetables and stir the mixture for 1 minute.
- Add the wet ingredients. Add the tomatoes, Better Than Bouillon beef base, and water. Stir the mixture and scrape up any browned bits that are stuck at the bottom of the pan. Bring the mixture to a boil, about 5 minutes.
- Add the rice. After the mixture is boiling, add the rice, and reduce heat to medium. Partially cover the pot with a lid and cook until the rice is tender, 15 – 30 minutes. Prevent the bottom of the pot from burning by stirring the mixture frequently, about every 5 minutes.
- Serve. Once the rice is tender, adjust the seasonings to taste. Serve with crusty bread, crackers, or alone. OPTIONAL: Reduce the heat to low, and simmer the soup for 30 minutes, occasionally stirring, before serving.
Notes
VEGETARIAN VERSION. Saute the onion in Step 1 and continue straight to Step 2. Add the beans when you add the rice in step 2.
RICE. White rice takes 15 minutes to cook, while brown rice takes longer at 30 minutes. Basmati and Jasmine rice are both great options.
DO AHEAD. This Vegetable Soup with Ground Beef freezes so wonderfully, it’s worth doubling! To freeze, cool the soup to room temperature and place it in a freezer zip-lock bag. Spread the soup evenly in the bag so it lays flat. Seal the bag, making sure there are no air pockets in the bag. Place the bag flat in the freezer. Alternatively, freeze the soup in a freezer-safe container with a lid, such as a glass food storage container. Keep frozen up to 3 months. To reheat in a slow cooker: Place frozen soup in a slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours. To reheat on the stove-top: Defrost soup in the refrigerator overnight, and reheat in a large heavy-bottom pot on medium-low, about 10 minutes. Make sure to stir the mixture frequently to prevent the bottom of the pan from burning.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 cups
- Calories: 339 calories
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 1125mg
- Fat: 8g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Carbohydrates: 24g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 39g
- Cholesterol: 101mg
Keywords: ground beef, soup
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