Old-Fashioned Vegetable Beef Soup
Vegetable beef soup was how a little cheap stewing beef fed a big table. A tough cut too sinewy for the frying pan, a rack of vegetables past their best, and the last of a tin of tomatoes — none of it much on its own, all of it simmered on the back of the stove all afternoon into a deep, savoury pot that smelled like Sunday.
Two things make it. First, brown the beef hard, in batches — a crowded pot steams the meat grey, but a few well-spaced pieces at a time colour to a deep crust and leave a sticky, savoury residue on the bottom that becomes the backbone of the broth. Second, give the beef a long, gentle simmer and add the vegetables in stages — the carrot and potato once the meat is nearly tender, the green beans, sweetcorn and peas only in the last few minutes — so the beef turns meltingly tender while every vegetable keeps its shape instead of collapsing to mush.
This is a brothy soup, not a stew — a proper spoonful of savoury tomato-beef broth with tender beef and vegetables in every bite. Season it well at the end, once the beef has given its flavour to the pot, and serve with crusty bread and butter. Like all good soups it's better on the second day, once everything has had a night to settle.
Old-Fashioned Vegetable Beef Soup
Browned stewing beef and a potful of vegetables in a rich, brothy tomato-beef broth.
Ingredients
- 700 g stewing beef (chuck), in 2 cm cubes
- 2 tbsp oil or beef dripping
- 2 onions, chopped
- 3 carrots and 3 sticks celery, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 tbsp tomato purée and 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
- 1800 ml beef stock
- 2 large potatoes (about 400 g), diced
- 150 g green beans, cut into short lengths
- 200 g sweetcorn (tinned or frozen)
- 150 g frozen peas
- 2 bay leaves and 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp sugar, if needed to balance the tomato
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
Method
- Brown the beef. Pat the beef dry, season, and brown it hard in the hot oil in batches — never crowd the pot — until deeply coloured all over. Lift each batch out as it's done.
- Build the base. Soften the onion and celery in the same pot for 6–8 minutes, then stir in the garlic and tomato purée for a minute, scraping up the sticky brown bits from the bottom.
- Simmer low. Return the beef with the tomatoes, Worcestershire, stock, bay and thyme. Bring to a gentle simmer, then partly cover and cook softly for about 1¼ hours, until the beef is nearly fork-tender.
- Veg in stages. Add the carrot and potato for 15 minutes, then the green beans for another 8, and finally the sweetcorn and peas for the last 5 — so every vegetable keeps its shape.
- Season & serve. Fish out the bay leaves, season well with salt and pepper, and add a teaspoon of sugar if the tomato tastes sharp. Serve brothy, with crusty bread and butter.
Make it a day ahead if you can — vegetable beef soup is always better on the second day, once the broth has settled and the flavours have married. It also freezes beautifully for 3 months; undercook the potatoes slightly if a batch is heading for the freezer, as they soften further when reheated.
Tips for a rich, brothy pot
Brown means flavour
Colour the beef hard and in batches. A crowded pot steams the meat grey and you lose the deep, savoury base the whole soup is built on.
Add the vegetables in stages
Long-cooking potato and carrot first, then green beans, and the sweetcorn and peas only at the very end — so nothing turns to mush.
Keep it brothy, not thick
This isn't a stew. Keep it loose with plenty of stock, and top up with a splash of hot water if it reduces too far.
Questions, answered
What is the best beef for vegetable beef soup?
A cheaper stewing cut with some marbling and connective tissue — chuck, sold as braising steak, is ideal. It is tough and inexpensive, and a long, gentle simmer turns it meltingly tender while giving the broth its body. Avoid lean cuts like fillet or sirloin, which stay dry and stringy in soup.
Why is my vegetable beef soup tough?
The beef needs time. Stewing beef only turns tender once its connective tissue has slowly melted, which takes about 1¼ to 1½ hours of gentle simmering. Rushing it at a hard boil makes the muscle tighten and go tough and dry, so keep the pot at a lazy simmer with just a few bubbles breaking the surface and give it the full time.
Can I make vegetable beef soup in a slow cooker?
Yes. Brown the beef and soften the aromatics in a pan first, as that is where the flavour is, then tip everything except the green beans, sweetcorn and peas into the slow cooker with the stock and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours. Stir in the green beans, corn and peas for the last 30 minutes so they keep their colour and bite.
Can I freeze vegetable beef soup?
Beautifully, for up to 3 months. Cool it quickly, freeze in portions, and thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating gently. The potatoes soften a little more on freezing, so undercook them slightly if a batch is destined for the freezer, and add a splash of water when you warm it through.