USABrowning the beef in batches is the step most people skip to save time, and it's what makes the difference between soup that tastes like boiled meat and soup that tastes like it simmered all day. The colour on the meat is where the flavour comes from — there's no shortcut that replaces it.
The soup tastes noticeably better the next day. Make it ahead if you can. Skim the fat off the surface after it has chilled — it rises and solidifies, making removal easy.
Beef and Vegetable Soup
By Sergei Martynov
Cheap, tough beef cuts braised low and slow in broth with root vegetables until the meat is tender enough to break with a spoon. The collagen from those cuts dissolves into the broth over time and makes it thick and glossy. Expensive steaks make thin, bland soup.
Key Ingredients
What you'll need
Ingredients
- 800 g
See recipes with beef chuckbeef chuck, shin, or short ribs, cut into 3 cm chunks
i - 3 tbsp
See recipes with vegetable oilvegetable oil
i - 1
See recipes with large onionlarge onion, diced
i - 3
See recipes with carrotscarrots, cut into 2 cm rounds
i - 3
See recipes with celery stalkscelery stalks, sliced
i - 4
See recipes with garlic clovesgarlic cloves, minced
i - 2 tbsp
See recipes with tomato pastetomato paste
i - 150 mlSee recipes with red wine or extra beef broth
red wine or extra beef broth
i - 1.5 lSee recipes with beef broth
beef broth, low-sodium
i - 400 g
See recipes with canned crushed tomatoescanned crushed tomatoes
i - 1 tbsp
See recipes with worcestershire sauceWorcestershire sauce
i - 2
See recipes with bay leavesbay leaves
i - 1 tsp
See recipes with dried thymedried thyme
i - 500 g
See recipes with potatoespotatoes, peeled and cut into 2 cm cubes
i - 150 g
See recipes with green beans or frozen peasgreen beans or frozen peas, added last
i - 1 tsp
- 0.5 tsp
See recipes with black pepperblack pepper
i - 3 tbsp
See recipes with fresh parsleyfresh parsley, chopped, for serving
i
How to make it
Instructions
- 1
Pat the beef dry with paper towels — moisture prevents browning. Season generously with salt and pepper.
- 2
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large heavy pot over high heat until just smoking. Brown the beef in batches, one layer at a time, without touching for 2–3 minutes per side. Don't crowd the pot — crowding steams instead of sears and produces grey, flavourless meat. Remove each batch to a plate.
- 3
Reduce heat to medium. Add the remaining oil, then onion, carrot, and celery. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften. Add garlic and tomato paste. Cook 2 minutes, stirring, until the paste darkens slightly.
- 4
Pour in the wine. Scrape the bottom of the pot thoroughly — all the browned bits are flavour. Let the wine bubble for 1 minute.
- 5
Add the broth, crushed tomatoes, Worcestershire, bay leaves, and thyme. Return the browned beef and any juices that collected on the plate. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a very gentle simmer — barely a bubble.
- 6
Cover and cook for 1 hour 15 minutes. The beef should be tender but not yet falling apart.
- 7
Add the potato cubes. Cook uncovered for another 25–30 minutes until the potatoes are soft and the broth has thickened slightly. Add green beans or peas in the last 10 minutes.
- 8
Remove bay leaves. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Ladle into deep bowls and finish with fresh parsley.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did my beef and vegetable soup turn out bland with no depth — how to get a rich, flavourful broth?
Three things cause flat beef soup. First: the meat wasn't properly browned. Work in batches over high heat until each piece has a deep brown crust — that's the Maillard reaction, which is where all the flavour comes from. If you crowd the pot, the temperature drops and the meat steams grey. Second: the tomato paste needs to cook in the pot for 2 minutes until it darkens — that concentrates the umami. Third: deglaze the pan after searing and scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom — that's pure flavour dissolved into the broth.
What cut of beef is best for soup and why do cheap cuts give better results?
Chuck, shin, or short ribs are the best choices. They are heavily worked muscles loaded with connective tissue and collagen. During a long, slow simmer — 1.5 to 2 hours at a gentle bubble — the collagen dissolves into the broth and turns it thick, glossy, and rich. Steaks and tenderloin have almost no collagen, so they produce thin broth and tough meat. The cheaper the cut, the better the soup — this is one of the places where budget and quality genuinely align.
What order to add vegetables to beef soup so nothing gets mushy or stays raw?
Add in order of cooking time. Onion, carrot, and celery go in first and cook alongside the meat for the full simmer — they soften and flavour the broth. Potatoes go in 25 to 30 minutes before the end — long enough to cook through without disintegrating. Green beans, peas, or corn in the last 10 minutes — just enough to heat through and stay bright. Fresh herbs and leafy greens like spinach go in the bowl at serving, not the pot.
How long to simmer beef soup until the meat is tender and how to check?
Chuck or shin needs 1.5 to 2 hours at a very gentle simmer — barely visible bubbles, not a rolling boil. Boiling makes the meat tough and the broth cloudy. Check by pressing a piece with a fork: it should yield and separate easily without rubbery resistance. If it's still tough, give it another 20 to 30 minutes. When the meat starts to pull into thick fibres, it's perfect.
How long does beef and vegetable soup keep and what's the best way to freeze it?
4 to 5 days in the fridge — and it tastes better on day two as the flavours settle. Freeze without the potatoes: they turn watery and grainy after thawing. Freeze the soup base for up to 3 months, then add fresh potato when reheating. Reheat over low heat with a splash of water or broth if it has thickened too much in the fridge.
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Comments (1)
This beef and vegetable soup tastes significantly better the next day. I make it in the evening and reheat gently for lunch — the flavors meld and deepen overnight in a way that same-day cooking simply cannot replicate.