Vegetable Beef Soup

Vegetable beef soup loaded with tender potatoes, carrots, fresh green beans and chunks of tender sirloin. This hearty beef soup doesn’t need to simmer for hours since it’s made with tender sirloin instead of a tougher cut that needs a longer cook time.

In my world, soup season starts at the end of August as, by that time, I can barely contain my excitement for fall. My summer-loving friends will send me hate mail over this, but I can’t help myself. I love sweater-weather, cozy dinners, and bowls of soup like this vegetable beef soup I’m sharing today. I am definitely a fall/winter type of person.

I was ready to share this a month ago, but I held off because not everyone is running with arms wide open into the new season. I get that. But, seeing as it’s the end of September and the temperature here is in the low 60’s I think it’s time, my friends. Let’s bring on soup season, shall we?

What to Know about this Soup

• While it’s not a fast and weeknight-friendly sort of soup, this vegetable beef soup cooks a lot faster than other versions. Instead of using a tough cut of beef (that takes hours to cook until it’s tender) I used sirloin, which is a tender cut of beef that doesn’t need a long cook time. So, it’s more of an hour and a half project instead of a half-a-day soup project.
• You can make it ahead. Want soup on Monday night? Make this vegetable beef soup Sunday afternoon, pop it in the fridge and dinner is ready for the next night. In fact, it tastes even better the next day after all of the flavors have mixed and mingled together. You can also freeze it for up to three months.
• You can scale it to serve more or fewer people. It’s a forgiving sort of soup, so you can easily cut it in half to serve two or double it to serve eight.
• It’s loaded with fresh vegetables. I hate a thin soup that’s mostly broth with only a few sad veggies floating in it. This vegetable beef soup is heavy on the vegetables and beef and light on the broth. There’s just enough to still call it a soup.

Vegetable Beef Soup: The Steps

• First, sear the sirloin in a large pot. You want to cook it long enough to develop a nice thick crust, but not too long because you don’t want to cook it through at this point. You will add it back to the soup at the end to finish cooking.
• Add all of the veggies, except the green beans, to the pot. As they release their moisture you can scrape up all of the browned bits left behind from the beef.
• Add all of the liquids – in this case, a little Worcestershire sauce, beef stock and some water – bring it to a boil and simmer the veggies in it for 15 minutes.
• Add the fresh green beans, simmer the soup for 20 or 30 minutes longer or until the potatoes and carrots are tender. Just before the soup is done, add the sirloin (which you will cube while the soup is simmering) and chopped parsley.

All in all, this vegetable beef soup takes about an hour and a half start to finish. Most of it is hands-off time while the soup simmers.

Some Notes about Beef Stock

I used store-bought beef stock to make this soup because I’ve made beef stock before that I turned into a demi-glace and it takes a very long time. Like 18 hours long. I did it for fun and never did it again and these days lean on store-bought beef stock for all of my soup needs.

Store-bought beef stock has a bad rep and it’s mostly because there’s a lot of low-quality options that are loaded with salt and lack flavor. My best advice is to look for a brand that is organic and low-sodium for the best results.

How to Season the Soup

Salt can be tricky in soups because depending on the kind of stock you use the salt content can vary. Here’s how I season vegetable beef soup:

• First, I season the sirloin with salt and pepper.
• I add salt to the soup after the veggies have softened. At this point, I don’t add any more until the soup is done.
• I find it’s hard to taste the seasoning when the soup is boiling hot. So, I like to let it cool down a bit in the pot before serving it. Just before serving, I give it another taste and, if needed, add a bit more salt.
• If you make the soup ahead, be sure to give it a taste when you rewarm it and adjust the seasoning, if needed.
• The best advice is to always use a light hand because it’s a lot easier to add salt than it is to take it away. I indicate the amount of salt in the recipe, but you can always start with less and add more later.

Happy soup season!

More Soup Recipes

• Salsa Verde Taco Soup
• Chicken Enchilada Soup
• Black Bean Soup
• Broccoli Cheese Soup

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