Vegetable Beef Soup

Oct 27, 2024 Modified: May 12, 2022by Lyn Corinne Liner This post may contain affiliate links.

My vegetable beef soup hits that old-school, soul-satisfying comfort food button super hard, y’all!! Seasoned chuck roast chunks, boiled until fall-apart tender in water to create an amazing homemade broth that sets the fierce flavor stage. Then, ALL the veggies including the trinity, cabbage, turnips, potatoes, and corn are stirred into the pot. Finally, tomato sauce and tomatoes with green chilies are added for that sassy, slightly spicy finish to every warm and nourishing bite. Yep and yay…

A round white bowl filled with vegetable beef soup alongside two spoon handles, a red bandana napkin, and yellow flowers.

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It’s a Momma Thing, Y’all…

Vegetable beef soup is a staple household recipe with just as many variations as cooks stirring the pot. I affectionately call it Momma soup because many moms I’ve known throughout my life prepare their own signature version of this dish regularly, especially when it’s cold out.

Beef and vegetable soup is also super comforting. Enjoying a piping hot bowl of it is like getting an internal “Momma” hug that warms your heart and chases your blues away.

And yes, my version of vegetable beef soup is based largely on my Mom’s recipe. It has my own original flavor and texture twists and turns here and there, but I pay full homage to my Cajun mom on this one, y’all. And my brother Chris, who also made a mean Momma soup, with flavors that I can still remember vividly after many, many years.

So, I guess you could say that vegetable beef soup is a family thing, y’all. And a mighty fine one at that. For sure!!

A black ladle holding a full scoop of vegetable beef soup out of an enameled cast iron Dutch oven.

Ingredient Essentials & Substitutions

Ingredients for vegetable beef soup in bowls on a white background.

I highly recommend only two cuts of beef: beef chuck roast or stew meat, for this vegetable beef soup. They both yield the same result, which is fall-apart tender meat that makes each bite of this soup a soul-warming, almost celebratory event. Honestly, I would stick with one or the other or make the soup another time if you just can’t get your hands on the right meat for now. If you just can’t wait, add at least an hour to the anticipated cooking time when using tougher cuts such as rump.
You need a small cabbage or half of a medium-sized or large one. You can also use a bag of coleslaw mix, as well, to save precious prep time, if necessary.
The dried seasonings work together with the Cajun trinity veggies to inject the customary south Louisiana spin on this unforgettably delicious vegetable beef soup recipe. Therefore, use as many as possible to experience this dish how it was intended to be enjoyed.
The tomato sauce and tomatoes with green chilies are also must-have ingredients. They amplify the flavors of the veggies and the broth, and bring a feisty lusciousness whose presence would be missed in every bite if skipped.
You can use as many potatoes as you want in the soup with full confidence. I usually just use one big one and find that it’s more than enough chopped potato pieces in the soup. However, only use one large or two small turnips, y’all. If you use too much, the soup may have an unpleasant spicy backbite that overpowers ALL of the other flavors in the dish.

Top Vegetable Beef Soup Recipe Tip

Once you prep the veggies, the vegetable beef soup practically cooks itself. So, do yourself a BIG favor and pre-cut the veggies. You can start doing this up to three days in advance and storing the cut vegetables in bags in the fridge.

The cabbage is the only vegetable that you want to chop and use within 24 hours, though. Otherwise, it may brown too much in the bag and end up releasing a slightly bitter flavor into the soup.

How to Make Vegetable Beef Soup

To start the recipe, season the meat and place it into the bottom of your biggest soup pot.

Seasoned chopped chuck roast in the bottom of a soup pot.

Bring the mixture to a rolling boil.

Seasoned beef and 5 quarts of water coming to a rolling boil for the base of vegetable beef soup.

Boil until the meat is fall-apart tender. Then, add the remaining ingredients and boil until the vegetables are tender.

All of the ingredients for vegetable beef soup in a stock pot.

And that’s it, y’all!!

This vegetable beef soup pleases the palate with a luscious, spice-studded broth, melt-in-your-mouth beef, and perfectly cooked vegetables. You can enjoy it straight out of the pot.

But, if you’re like me, you’ll want to add some piping hot pasta to your bowl. This rounds out the vegetable soup body, making it a deliciously memorable meal-in-one that you’re bound to put on permanent menu rotation repeat. Like me!!

Share this vegetable beef soup with those who are just as warm and deep as they are saucy and sassy. Much food love, and see y’all on the yum side…

More Scrumptious Soup Recipes

Other hot, body-warming south Louisiana soup recipes for cozy comfort food deliciousness.

NOTE: This post was originally published on February 25, 2016, and was updated and republished on October 27, 2024.

A classic soup electrified south Louisiana-style, this simmering labor of love is a meal-in-one event that you don’t want to miss.

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Course: Main Dish/Soup

Cuisine: American/Cajun

Keyword: vegetable beef soup

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours 30 minutes

Servings: 8 people

Calories: 103kcal

Author: Lyn Corinne Liner

Ingredients

For the Seasoned Beef Roast

For the Vegetable Beef Soup

4 to 5 quarts water see notes
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 small cabbage, chopped
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 32-ounce bag mixed vegetables with green beans, corn, peas, and carrots
1 large russet potato, chopped about one pound
1 large turnip, chopped about one cup
2 cups tomato sauce
1 10-ounce can diced tomatoes with green chilies
additional salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste
freshly cooked pasta for serving, optional

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Instructions

Season the beef roast with the dried spices, then place into the bottom of a large stock pot.
Cover with the water, and bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat.
Boil uncovered for 1 ½ to 2 hours, or until the roast is fall-apart tender. (Add more water if necessary, see notes).
Stir the remaining ingredients into the pot.
Continue boiling uncovered for an additional 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring occasionally, or until all of the vegetables are tender.

Notes

Store the leftovers covered in the fridge for up to three days.
This vegetable beef soup freezes well for up to three months when placed in vacuum-sealed bags.
I start out with 4 quarts of water, then add up to 1 additional quart if I feel that too much water has evaporated out of the soup during the beef broth-making process.

The information shown is an estimate provided by a third-party, online computer-generated nutrition calculator, not a registered dietitian or certified nutritionist. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods and individual portion sizes, along with other factors.

See our full nutrition disclaimer here.