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Easy Old-Fashioned Vegetable Beef Soup with Tender Stew Meat

Close-up of a white bowl filled with rich vegetable beef soup, featuring large chunks of beef, potatoes, carrots, and green beans.
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Make this hearty vegetable beef soup from scratch for a classic comfort food dinner. This recipe uses tender stew meat and fresh vegetables, perfect for a satisfying family meal.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 large yellow onion, chopped
  • 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
  • 3 celery stalks, sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 6 cups homemade beef broth soup or low-sodium beef broth
  • 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 1 cup chopped potatoes (Yukon Gold or Russet)
  • 1 cup frozen green beans
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (optional, for thickening)
  • 1/4 cup cold water (if using flour)

Instructions

  1. If you prefer a thicker soup, toss the beef stew meat with the flour until lightly coated.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high heat. Brown the beef in batches, ensuring not to overcrowd the pot. Remove the browned beef and set it aside.
  3. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the chopped onion, carrots, and celery to the pot. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes until the vegetables soften slightly.
  4. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
  5. Return the beef to the pot. Pour in the beef broth and add the diced tomatoes (with their juice). Stir well.
  6. Add the potatoes, frozen green beans, thyme, bay leaf, salt, and pepper.
  7. Bring the soup to a boil, then immediately reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer for 1.5 to 2 hours, or until the beef is very tender.
  8. Remove and discard the bay leaf before serving. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
  9. If you skipped the flour step, you can thicken the soup now by mixing 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water and stirring it into the simmering soup until the desired consistency is reached. Simmer for 5 more minutes.

Notes

  • For a quick weeknight soup using ground beef, brown 1.5 pounds of lean ground beef instead of stew meat. Drain excess fat, then proceed with the vegetables. Simmer time reduces to about 30 minutes for the ground beef version.
  • To make this a slow cooker beef vegetable soup, brown the beef and sauté the aromatics on the stovetop first. Transfer everything to the slow cooker, add the liquids and remaining ingredients (omit the flour/cornstarch thickener). Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours. Thicken at the end if desired.
  • Use homemade beef broth soup for the deepest flavor in this old fashioned beef soup.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://mayaplate.com/vegetable-beef-soup-easy-old-fashioned-recipe/