Rich, very flavorful vegetable beef soup makes a comforting start to a winter meal, and is hearty enough to be served as a delicious, filling main course.
This rich, flavorful vegetable beef soup makes a comforting start to a winter meal. If you wish, it is certainly hearty enough to serve as a main course for four.
I used to think about soup as unsatisfying. A flimsy first course. If I had soup as my main course, I just “had” to have bread with it, or I wasn’t satiated.
Now I know that when soup is rich, hearty and flavorful, such as this amazing vegetable beef soup, there’s really no need for bread. A truly rich soup, much like chili, is a complete meal! Speaking of rich, satisfying soups, another hearty soup that I love is this spicy cabbage soup.
This vegetable beef soup has become one of my favorite winter lunches. It’s delicious, warming and very filling. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
The tomato brand you use makes a difference
I use Pomi chopped tomatoes in this recipe. They are imported from Italy, ands are sweeter and thicker than American canned diced tomatoes. You can find them in supermarkets, at Whole Foods and on Amazon. I highly recommend them in this recipe for the best results. Alternatively, you could try using two (14 oz) cans of diced tomatoes, undrained. But if the tomato chunks are big, chop them thinner.
Is this vegetable beef soup healthy?
I think it is. It has lots of vegetables and spices, and fresh unprocessed red meat is very nutritious. In addition to the basic nutrition label included below, a serving has 74% of your daily vitamin A needs, and 20% – 30% of vitamin B6, B12, C, niacin, phosphorus, selenium and zinc.
This is too high carb for me
For a lower carb version of this soup, you can omit the carrots. This version has 12 grams of carbs and 3 grams of fiber per serving. So it’s pretty low carb.
What about leftovers?
Leftovers keep well in the fridge for 3 days. Reheat them gently, covered, in a 50% power microwave, or on low heat on the stovetop.
Vegetable Beef Soup
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion, finely diced (8 oz)
- 2 cups diced carrots (2 large carrots, 8 oz)
- 2 cups diced celery (8 oz)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
- 1 lb. lean ground beef (85/15)
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 4 cups beef broth
- 1 (26 oz) container Pomi chopped tomatoes
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan for serving
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat, about 2 minutes. Add the oil.
- Stir in the onions, carrots and celery and season with half the salt and pepper.
- Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes.
- Add the ground beef, garlic, the remaining salt and pepper, oregano, rosemary and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring to break up the beef as it cooks, until the beef is browned, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the beef broth, tomatoes and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes.
- Remove the bay leaf. Divide the vegetable beef soup among six individual bowls (appetizer) or four individual bowls (main course) and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.
