Easy Vegetable Beef Soup

Wholesome, hearty, and savory, this easy vegetable beef soup makes for a healthy and cozy weeknight meal everyone will enjoy. Featuring lean ground beef for quick cooking, along with an array of colorful veggies and herbs, this recipe comes together in around 30 minutes!

A quick-cooking take on vegetable beef soup

While I absolutely adore my long-simmered Guinness beef stew made with beef chuck roast, or my braised pork shoulder recipe, each of which gently bubble for 2 to 3 hours until the meat is tender, I also appreciate a comfy-cozy pot of soup that's simmered up in no time flat!

Enter this easy vegetable beef soup, my quick-cooking version of classic vegetable beef soup.

What I love about this vegetable beef soup recipe is that it's chock-full of beefy flavor, loads of colorful vegetables, plus fresh and dried herbs.

It's savory, brothy, light and healthy, and only takes around 30 minutes to simmer up, just until those veggies are nice and tender.

This vegetable beef soup is the quick and cozy option to satisfy a hungry belly!

My recipe for easy vegetable beef soup

While a traditional vegetable beef soup usually calls for a tougher cut of beef, such as beef stew meat or beef chuck roast, which needs time to gently simmer to become tender, this easy version calls for ground beef to shorten that cook time.

I like to use a really good quality ground beef here—grass-fed and organic—to create lots of rich, deep, beefy flavor. And while I use the basic mirepoix of carrots, onions, and celery, I also add in even more nutrient-packed vegetables—kale, potatoes, and peas, just to name a few.

Adding in some dried herbs and seasoning during the cooking process helps create more depth along with the beef broth. Finishing with fresh herbs creates a bit of vibrant flavor. I really love how colorful and nutritious this soup is.

Ultra comfy and cozy, this easy vegetable beef soup is hands down one of our favorite soups!

Here's a glance at my easy vegetable beef soup recipe: (or just jump to the full recipe...)

1. To get started, I add most of the veggies to my soup pot, and allow those to gently soften.
2. Then, I add in the ground beef, breaking it up into small crumbles, and allowing it to brown a bit.
3. Next, I stir in the aromatics, then add my beef broth and bring the soup to a vigorous simmer.
4. I cover the soup pot with a lid and allow the soup to gently simmer for about 22 to 24 minutes, or until the potatoes and veggies are tender.
5. To finish, I add in the green beans, peas, kale, and fresh herbs, and stir those into the soup to soften.
6. To serve, I ladle the easy vegetable beef soup into a bowl and enjoy as is, or with warm bread.

Recipe

Easy Vegetable Beef Soup

by Ingrid Beer

Print Recipe

This easy vegetable beef soup is brimming with organic ground beef plus an array of colorful, healthy veggies, ready in around 30 minutes!

Category: Soup
Cuisine: American

Yield: Serves 8

Nutrition Info: 315 calories (per serving)

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 22 minutes
Total time: 47 minutes

Ingredients:

• Olive oil
• 1 medium white onion, diced
• 3 ribs celery, diced
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 large parsnip, peeled and diced
• Salt
• Black pepper
• 1 pound lean ground beef (organic and grass-fed, if possible)
• 6 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press
• 1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 1 (heaping) teaspoon paprika
• 2 small russet potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juices
• 6 cups beef broth or beef stock
• 3 heaping cups chopped kale (or spinach)
• 1 cup frozen French-style green beans
• ½ cup frozen green peas
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

Preparation:

1. Begin by gathering and prepping all of your ingredients according to the ingredient list above to have ready and organized for use.
2. Place a large soup pot (at least 6 to 8 quarts) over medium heat, and drizzle in about ¼ cup of olive oil. Once hot, add in the onions, celery, carrots, and parsnip, plus a couple of pinches of salt and pepper, and saute the veggies for about 3 to 4 minutes, until slightly softened.
3. Next, add in the ground beef, plus another pinch or two of salt and pepper, and using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, break up the meat into a crumble, cooking it with the veggies just until no longer pink, about 3 to 4 minutes.
4. Then, add in the garlic, the Italian seasoning and the paprika, and stir those into the ground beef to incorporate them.
5. Add in the cubed potatoes, the diced tomatoes with juices, and the beef stock or broth, and stir to combine. Bring the soup to a vigorous simmer, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook the vegetable beef soup for about 22 to 24 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
6. Off heat, add in the kale, the frozen green beans, peas, and chopped parsley, and stir to incorporate those.
7. Ladle the soup into bowls, and drizzle with a little extra olive oil if desired, and enjoy with warm, crusty bread on the side, or a couple of spoonfuls of pearl couscous, if desired.

Tips & Tidbits for my easy vegetable beef soup recipe:

• High quality ground beef for richest flavor: If you can, opt for organic, grass-fed ground beef (either lean 93/7 or 85/15 ratio) to give this easy vegetable beef soup the deepest flavor.
• A colorful assortment of veggies: When it comes to vegetables, the more color the better health benefits, and even flavor. You can use all of the veggies I have listed in the recipe, of course, but feel free to leave out or sub what you'd like. You could try butternut squash, corn, mushrooms, zucchini, etc. Instead of kale, you can use spinach or other hearty greens. Perhaps even add more of one veggie, and leave another out.
• Make this easy vegetable beef soup ahead: A soup's flavors always deepen and meld more after a few days in soup the pot. So if you'd like richer flavor, prep this soup a day or two ahead of when you'd like to enjoy it.
• Accompaniments and add-ins: We love to savor this soup with warm, rustic bread on the side drizzled with good olive oil, or even a little pearl (Israeli) couscous, if we want added texture.

Craving more simple and cozy soups? Check out my recipe for Vegetable Soup, Simple Lemony Chicken Soup with Spring Veggies, my Pastina Recipe, my recipe for White Bean and Ham Soup, Tuscan Kale and Sausage Soup, or even my recipe for Brussels Sprout Soup with Bacon!