Vegetable Beef Soup
Published January 30, 2025
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
- Total Time
- About 2 hours 20 minutes
- Prep Time
- 20 minutes
- Cook Time
- About 2 hours
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
1½ pounds beef stew meat
Kosher salt and pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 small onion, diced
2 large celery stalks, diced
4 large garlic cloves, chopped
4 sprigs fresh thyme or ¾ teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons tomato paste
½ cup dry red wine (optional), or use water
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 quart low-sodium beef stock or broth
2 medium russet potatoes (about 1 pound)
2 cups chopped mixed vegetables, such as green beans, corn, peas and carrots, frozen (unthawed) or fresh (see Tip)
½ cup chopped fresh chopped parsley, plus more for serving
Butter crackers, for serving (optional)
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
31 grams carbs; 75 milligrams cholesterol; 349 calories; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 12 grams fat; 6 grams fiber; 1342 milligrams sodium; 33 grams protein; 5 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Pat beef dry with paper towels. If necessary, cut into equal-size pieces (about 1½-inch cubes). Season generously all over with salt and pepper.
- Step 2
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high. Add half of the beef in a single layer. Cook until browned on one side, about 3 minutes. Flip beef and brown the second side, 2 to 3 minutes more. Remove to a plate. Repeat with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and the remaining beef, transferring to the plate when finished.
- Step 3
Stir onion and celery into the pot. Cook, stirring frequently, until starting to soften, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and thyme; cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
- Step 4
Pour in wine and bring to a boil, scraping the bottom of the pot to release any browned bits. Add tomatoes and their juices, the beef, beef stock, 2 cups water and 1½ teaspoons salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a very low simmer. Cover and simmer for 1 hour 15 minutes, occasionally opening the lid to stir and adjusting the heat as needed to maintain a low simmer.
- Step 5
Meanwhile, after the soup has simmered for 1 hour, peel the potatoes and chop them into 1-inch cubes. After soup has simmered for 1 hour 15 minutes, stir in the diced potatoes; cover and cook the soup for an additional 15 minutes.
- Step 6
Stir in the frozen vegetables and return to a simmer. Cook until the vegetables are just tender, 7 to 10 minutes more. Stir in parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Step 7
Spoon the soup into bowls and serve with a sprinkling of parsley and crushed butter crackers. Once cool, soup can be transferred to an airtight container and refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
Frozen, pre-chopped vegetables streamline this recipe since there’s no chopping (or even thawing) involved. Adding a mixed bag is easiest, but a customized blend of individual bags can also be used. If opting for fresh, add the vegetables a few minutes earlier than the frozen ones to ensure they’re tender at the same time as the meat and potatoes.
Private Notes
Comments
Parboil some barley in salted water until it is almost completely cooked. Drain and add it to the soup for the last 15 minutes of cooking. It's fantastic. (If you don't parboil it first, it will soak up the liquid in your soup.)
Try beer instead of wine to deglaze the pot. Shredded cabbage is an excellent addition. I like a bottle of Spicy V8 in mine as well.
I made this soup pretty much exactly as the recipe states. Here are some process changes I would make. Instead of buying stew meat, buy a chuck roast and brown it on two sides before cutting it into bite sized pieces. And make the pieces smaller than 1-1.5 inches. The same with the potato chunks. The other veggies, especially if you use frozen, are much smaller. I used more than two cups of tomatoes because that's how much I had frozen last summer. I think less or more would be OK.
Only had flank steak in the house, so I just seared it with a lil sazon and then didn't cook it as long in the soup to keep it from getting tough. Didn't have canned tomatoes so i threw the cherry tomatoes that no one was eating in instead. Had sweet potatoes on hand instead of russet. Skipped the crackers. Smashy Smashied a few of the potatoes and tomatoes to thicken it up a smidge. Yowza this was a crazy great soup.
This was hearty and excellent. I used homemade bone broth with clearly added depth and flavor. I also added both celery and fennel with the onions. Additionally, I doubled the tomatoes, reduced the water, put an extra tablespoon of tomato paste in the mix. Lastly, i added carrots, peas, and zucchini, and I only had Yukon golds, so in they went. I made it in the morning and refrigerated, and reheated it for dinner. The flavors were rich and satisfying. Thanks.
Slow cooker option: Started this on the stove as described, except using only half the potatoes and using Guinness instead of wine. After browning the meat and adding all but the potatoes and the veggies, transferred it to the slow cooker for 8 hours on low. Near the 7th hour added the veggies. Also cooked the potatoes in some of the soup broth on the stove and did the same with 1/3 cup of farro- then added both to the soup. Seconds were enjoyed!