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My Mom’s Old-Fashioned Vegetable Beef Soup Recipe

My Mom’s Old‑Fashioned Vegetable Beef Soup – Smile Sandwich

Every night can be soup night, if you ask me. This cozy, comforting vegetable beef soup is the kind of meal that makes you feel hugged from the inside out.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 6 bowls
Course: Main, Soup
Cuisine: American, Comfort Food
Calories: 227
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Beef & broth base
  • 1 kg kg beef chuck or stew meat, cut into 2‑3 cm chunks Trim excess fat
  • 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 cups beef broth low‑sodium if preferred
  • 400 g crushed tomatoes
  • 2 Tbsp tomato paste
Vegetables
  • 3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1 cm‑thick slices
  • 2 celery stalks, sliced
  • 3 potatoes, peeled and cut into bite‑sized pieces
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen green beans Cut if long
  • 1 cup peas (fresh or frozen)
  • 1 cup sweet corn (fresh or frozen)
Seasonings & herbs
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 2 bay leaves
  • fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)
  • to taste salt and pepper

Equipment

  • Large heavy‑bottomed pot or Dutch oven
  • Wooden Spoon
  • Knife and cutting board

Method
 

  1. Heat the oil in a large heavy‑bottomed pot over medium‑high heat. Add the beef chunks and brown on all sides—this will give your soup a richer flavour.
  2. Once the beef is browned, add the diced onion and minced garlic. Sauté until the onion becomes translucent and the garlic is fragrant.
  3. Pour in the beef broth, crushed tomatoes and tomato paste. Stir well, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pot—those are flavour gold.
  4. Add the carrots, celery, potatoes, dried thyme and bay leaves. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover. Let it simmer gently for about 1¼ to 1½ hours, until the beef is fork‑tender and the potatoes are nearly done.
  5. Stir in the green beans, peas and corn, and continue simmering for another 20 minutes so the fresh vegetables stay tender but retain a bit of texture.
  6. Remove the bay leaves, taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls, garnish with chopped parsley, and serve hot with crusty bread.

Notes

You can adapt this recipe depending on what vegetables you have on hand—swap in whatever looks good and you’ll still end up with a soup full of warmth and flavour.