• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to header navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

RecipeTin Eats

Fast Prep, Big Flavours

Small book

My cookbook "Dinner" now available!

  • My RecipeTin
  • My cookbook!
  • Recipes
  • Recipes By Category
    • Christmas ⭐️
      • Starters
      • Mains
      • Sides: Warm & Hearty
      • Sides: Light & Fresh
      • Desserts
      • Breads
      • Christmas Leftovers
    • Iconic + cult classics
    • Mains
      • Chicken
        • Chicken mince
      • Beef Recipes
        • Ground Beef (Mince)
      • Pork
      • Lamb
      • Turkey
      • Shrimp / Prawns
      • Salmon
      • Fish recipes
      • Salad Meals
    • Quick and Easy
    • Soups
    • One Pot
    • Stews
    • Slow Cooker
    • Sides
      • All
      • Salads & veg
      • Show Off Salads
      • Rice (all)
      • Fried rice recipes
      • Rice (plain)
      • Potato
    • Pasta
      • All
      • Pasta bakes
      • Pasta salads
    • Sweet
      • Cakes
      • Candy
      • Cheesecakes
      • Cupcakes & Muffins
      • Cookies
      • Puddings & Cosy Desserts
      • Bite Size
      • Pies
      • Slices & Bars
      • Frosting & Icing
      • Ice cream
    • Cuisine
      • Asian
        • All
        • Stir fries
        • Noodles
        • Soups
        • Chinese
        • Japanese
        • Korean
        • Thai
        • Vietnamese
      • French
      • Greek
      • Indian
      • Italian
      • Mediterranean
      • Mexican
      • Middle Eastern
      • South American
    • Dietary
      • Gluten Free
      • Low Calorie
      • Vegetarian
    • Other Categories
      • BBQ
      • Breakfast
      • Burgers
      • Cocktails
      • Party Foods
      • Rice Recipes
      • Roasts
      • Sandwiches & Sliders
    • Cookbook recipes
  • Collections
  • About
    • Me
    • RecipeTin Meals
    • Free Recipe Books
    • Contact
    • Nitty Gritty
      • Policy: Use of Recipes & Images
      • Privacy & Disclosure
Home Soups

Vegetable Beef Soup (Fall apart beef!)

By:Nagi
Published:8 Mar '20Updated:30 Oct '23
387 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

A hearty Vegetable Beef Soup with melt-in-your-mouth slow cooked chunks of beef, potato and vegetables simmered in a herb infused savoury broth. You’ll love how the broth of this beef soup recipe is slightly thickened so it’s like gravy and has extra flavour from a secret ingredient!

Close up photo of Vegetable Beef Soup with tender, slow cooked beef

Vegetable Beef Soup

So many beef soups are watery and dull. Not this one!!! The thing that sets this beef soup recipe apart from the rest is the broth. It’s slightly thickened so it’s more like a thinnish gravy. It’s infused with herb flavour and also gets an extra depth of flavour from the secret ingredient: red wine. Or beer or stout. (They’re all good)

It’s not about boozing up our soup! It’s about adding complexity and character to the soup broth flavour without simmering for hours up hours like we do with Beef Stew and Pot Roast.

Without the wine, the broth still tastes very, very good.

With the wine, it’s stellar! (And in care you’re concerned, the alcohol gets cooked out, just leaving behind flavour.)

Beef Soup in a pot, fresh off the stove ready to be served
This Beef Soup is like beef stew in soup form – except faster to make!

What goes in Vegetable Beef Soup

Here’s what you need.

  • Stewing beef – anything economical, in small bite size pieces (remember, we’re making a soup here, not a stew)

  • Red wine, stout or guinness – all of these work great here. Red wine gives it a classic beef stew flavour, Guinness or stout will give the soup a more intense, deep flavour like Irish Guinness Stew. I use wine most frequently because I always have some on hand, and because I prefer not to just use part of a can of beer that I wouldn’t choose to drink!

Vegetable Beef Soup ingredients

How to make Beef Soup

The key step here is to brown the beef well – aggressively is the term that I use. This adds a ton of flavour to the beef itself and the broth, from the brown bits on the bottom of the pot that dissolves into the broth.

I like to sauté the mushrooms in butter and add them towards the end – but this is optional. Because golden brown buttery mushrooms vs mushrooms just simmered in the broth? There is no contest! (But really, it is optional 🙂 )

How to make Vegetable Beef Soup

Overhead photo of Vegetable Beef Soup with tender, slow cooked beef in a bowl, ready to be eaten

Fall-apart slow cooked beef!

I promised you fall-apart beef, and fall apart beef you shall get. And you will see just how tender the beef is in the recipe video below using the most ridiculous method – chopsticks of all things!! 

I know, I know, it’s soooo Asian.

But right at that moment while I was filming, it was the first thought that came to me as the easiest way to show it on camera! 😂 I mean, how else can I pry a piece of beef apart using one hand??


What Beef Soup goes with

There’s a ton of veggies in this soup, and you could add even more into the soup. Green beans would be ideal, but they were extortionately overpriced on the day I shot this and I just couldn’t do it.

So it’s an ideal meal-in-a bowl that doesn’t need anything more. But I’m pretty sure no one would say no to a side of quick Cheesy Garlic Bread!!! Or try one of these soup dunkers:

Soup Dunkers

Cheese stretch picking up piece of Quick Cheesy Garlic Bread
Quick Cheesy Garlic Bread
Close up of crispy crust of world's easiest yeast bread
World’s Easiest Yeast Bread recipe – Artisan, NO KNEAD crusty bread
These No Knead Dinner Rolls are like magic! Astonishingly easy, no stand mixer, just mix the ingredients in a bowl! recipetineats.com
Soft No Knead Dinner Rolls
Close up photo of a stack of Savoury Cheese Muffins
Savoury Cheese Muffins
Close up of slice of Irish Soda Bread (no yeast bread)
World’s best No Yeast Bread – Irish Soda Bread
Better than Pizza Hut! For a truly religious Garlic Bread experience, skip the artisan bread and use a basic French stick. And no skimping on butter! recipetineats.com
Better-Than-Dominos Garlic Bread
Cheese, Herb & Garlic Quick Bread (No Yeast)
Close up of sandwich bread without yeast
Sandwich Bread WITHOUT yeast
No Knead Soft Dinner Rolls fresh out of the oven, ready to be eaten
Breads

Also, this soup just gets better with time and freezes 100% perfectly. So make a double batch! ~ Nagi x


Watch how to make it

Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.

Close up photo of Vegetable Beef Soup with tender, slow cooked beef

Vegetable Beef Soup (Fall apart beef!)

Author: Nagi
Prep: 15 minutes mins
Cook: 1 hour hr 50 minutes mins
Total: 2 hours hrs 5 minutes mins
Mains, Soups
Western
4.98 from 124 votes
Servings5
Tap or hover to scale
Print
  • 250
Recipe VIDEO above. Melt-in-your-mouth chunks of beef, vegetables and potato in a hearty herb infused broth. You'll love how the soup broth is slightly thickened and the extra flavour the wine or beer adds to the soup (the secret ingredient!).
20 minutes active cook/prep.

Ingredients

  • 1.5 tbsp olive oil , separated
  • 500g/1 lb stewing beef , cut into 1.75cm / 2/3″ cubes (Note 1)
  • 1/2 tsp salt and pepper
  • 1 onion , chopped
  • 3 garlic , minced (1 tbsp)
  • 2 celery , cut into 0.8 cm / 1/3″ slices
  • 3 carrots , cut into 0.5 cm / 1/5″ thick slices (halve larger ones)
  • 4 tbsp flour
  • 2 1/2 cups (625ml) beef broth/stock , low sodium
  • 1 1/2 cups (375ml) dry red wine, Guinness beer or stout (Note 2)
  • 1.5 cups (375ml) water
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp thyme dried
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 2 potatoes (any), cut into 1.5cm / 2/3″ cubes

Buttery mushrooms (optional):

  • 1 tbsp (15g) butter or oil
  • 200g/ 6oz small mushrooms , quartered or halved

Instructions

  • Heat 1 tbsp oil until very hot in a large, heavy based pot over high heat.
  • Pat beef dry with paper towels, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  • Brown beef aggressively in 2 or 3 batches, adding more oil if needed. Remove browned beef into a bowl.
  • If pot looks dry, add a touch more oil.
  • Add garlic and onion, cook for 2 minutes.
  • Add carrot and celery, cook for 2 minutes or until onion is translucent.
  • Stir in flour, then slowly pour in beef broth while constantly stirring.
  • Add beer, water, tomato paste, bay leaves and thyme, stir well. Then add the beef back in.
  • Cover, adjust heat to medium low so it’s bubbling gently. Simmer 1 hr 15 min or until beef is pretty tender.
  • Add potatoes and peas, simmer for a further 20 minutes without the lid. Add cooked mushrooms in the last 5 minutes.
  • The soup is ready when the potatoes are cooked and beef is very tender (see video).
  • Adjust salt and pepper to taste (I like lots of pepper in this!).
  • Ladle into bowls. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with crusty bread if desired. Try quick Cheesy Garlic Bread or super easy Irish Soda Bread!

Buttery Mushrooms (optional):

  • Melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes until browned. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Recipe Notes:

1. Beef – Use any stewing or braising beef, usually sold pre cut into small pieces ideal for this recipe. Otherwise, get a slow cooking cut like chuck or boneless short rib, then cut the beef into pieces. Look for beef that’s nicely marbled with fat for best results!
2. Red Wine, Guinness or Stout – will add incredible extra flavour into this soup broth! I use all 3, and enjoy them all. If you love Irish Beef Guinness Stew, you’ll know what the Guinness does to add flavour.
  • Red wine – any dry, full bodied red wine. Cab Sauv and Merlots are ideal.
  • Guinness Beer and Stout are dark beers, labelled as such on the cans. You should find these at most liquor stores. Use some, drink some – or tip the whole can in an simmer for longer with the lid off!
  • Non alcoholic sub – add 400g/14 oz can of crushed tomato, 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce. This will add alternative flavour to compensate.
3. Storage – Like stew, it’s even better the next day! Will keep for 4 to 5 days in the fridge. Also freezes perfectly.
4. Nutrition per serving.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 419cal (21%)Carbohydrates: 32g (11%)Protein: 28g (56%)Fat: 19g (29%)Saturated Fat: 7g (44%)Cholesterol: 75mg (25%)Sodium: 473mg (21%)Potassium: 1246mg (36%)Fiber: 6g (25%)Sugar: 6g (7%)Vitamin A: 6590IU (132%)Vitamin C: 28.4mg (34%)Calcium: 87mg (9%)Iron: 6.6mg (37%)
Keywords: Beef Soup, Vegetable Beef Soup
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @recipe_tin.

Originally published May 2019. Updated for housekeeping matters March 2020, no change to recipe.

More chunky, hearty soups

Bowl of Minestrone Soup ready to be eaten
Minestrone Soup
Close up of creamy tomato White Bean Soup in a bowl
Creamy Tomato Bean Soup
A chickpea soup exploding with flavour! Tastes like Chicken Shawarma in soup form with lamb, quick to make, nutritious and filling. recipetineats.com
Lamb Shawarma Chickpea Soup
Big pot of Taco Soup fresh off the stove
Taco Soup
Why settle for a bland Lentil Soup when you make a standout one? Just a hint of spices and finishing it off with lemon zest makes all the difference! www.recipetineats.com
Lentil Soup (seriously amazing!)
Fish Chowder Soup in a bowl, ready to be eaten
Fish Chowder Soup
Close up of a freshly made pot of Celeriac Soup
Celeriac Soup
Soups

Life of Dozer

This is what a doggy smile looks like.

(And we’d be smiling too if we had Life of Dozer!!!)

Dozer smiling Port Stephens May 2019
Previous Post
Baked Ziti
Next Post
Chicken Enchiladas

Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative!

Read More

Free Recipe eBooks

Join my free email list to receive THREE free cookbooks!

Related Posts

Eating Thai Coconut Pumpkin Soup

Thai Coconut Pumpkin Soup

Pot of freshly made Creamy Tuscan Chicken Soup

Creamy Tuscan Chicken Soup

Dunking bread into Hungarian Goulash

Hungarian Goulash (beef stew-soup)

More Soups

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Cooked this? Rate this recipe!




387 Comments

  1. Patti says

    December 8, 2023 at 5:35 pm

    5 stars
    My favorite beef stew. Only change I made was adding the peas just before serving and giving them a minute or two to warm. Wish I’d doubled the recipe.

    Reply
  2. Meli says

    December 7, 2023 at 4:26 pm

    5 stars
    Great recipe. Thicken very nice. The wine was a bit too much. I was looking for more of a classic. But I will make again. With less wine possibly only 1/2 cup and use beef stock for the rest.

    Reply
  3. JoelC says

    November 24, 2023 at 5:57 pm

    Cooked this twice, second time double the ingredients. Really tasty! Left out the peas and mushrooms though since not a fan.

    Reply
  4. KB says

    November 14, 2023 at 10:55 am

    I’ve made this 4 times and each time it’s so good.
    First I marinate the beef with a can of French onion soup.
    And I add a can of beef consommé while cooking. It’s so rich and delicious.
    And don’t skip the beer or wine. I didn’t have the right beer one time, and though it was good, we could tell something was missing.

    Reply
  5. Janeleen says

    October 9, 2023 at 6:05 am

    5 stars
    I chose to do red wine and increased the water to 2C and it came out delicious! Perfect recipe for a chilly fall day!

    Reply
  6. TAMMY LEE GNADEN says

    September 22, 2023 at 6:44 pm

    5 stars
    This is literally the best soup I have ever made. I actually left onions out but added double the stock powder and it was unbelievable. Thanks for sharing! Will be a staple dish in my home now.

    Reply
  7. Jeffrey Rudes says

    September 21, 2023 at 6:03 am

    5 stars
    This recipe worked out great! I’m glad I could show my family in Germany what beef soup is all about. Of course I used a nice dark German beer and a bottle of half decent merlot. I made the recipe for 20 servings so we can eat for a few days. I am looking forward to these leftovers.

    Reply
  8. Telyse Tang says

    August 19, 2023 at 4:14 pm

    Hi, I’m wanting to make this recipe in my slow cooker. Would I need to change the quantities of liquid at all? And how long on low would I need to cook for? Thank you!

    Reply
  9. Cin says

    July 12, 2023 at 8:35 am

    Nagi, this looks fab but I would like to add barley, should I add extra stock do you think? Beef, barley & veg soup – maybe your next recipe?

    Reply
  10. Karen Gerszewsk says

    July 10, 2023 at 12:22 pm

    I made this soup for dinner this evening, and it was simply delicious. I opted for the red wine amazing flavor. I used fresh Bay leafs, and fresh thym..

    Reply
  11. Chic McInnes says

    July 3, 2023 at 4:33 pm

    This soup is amazing. I used chuck steak (and chicken stock because I was out of beef) and it was so delicious. Definitely a recipe I’ll put on repeat while we are having this colder weather. Big licks to Dozer. x

    Reply
  12. Guy says

    July 3, 2023 at 11:42 am

    Could I add barley to this recipe?

    Reply
  13. Shirley du toit says

    June 24, 2023 at 4:57 pm

    Made this soup was delicious will make it again

    Reply
  14. Ursila says

    June 14, 2023 at 3:34 am

    Can I cook this in a slowcooker, if so, how many hours?

    Reply
  15. Danielle says

    May 29, 2023 at 2:37 am

    4 stars
    I enjoyed the soup – it is very flavourful! However, most of the liquid boiled off so I ended up having to top it off with some more stock and water about 3 times in the hour.

    Reply
  16. Lee says

    May 23, 2023 at 9:42 pm

    5 stars
    Best vege, beef soup I’ve ever had in my life. I’ve made it about 10 times. I use a cheap cab sauv instead of Guinness and it’s absolutely delicious.

    Reply
  17. Kathryn says

    May 22, 2023 at 2:44 pm

    5 stars
    Oh my goodness – this soup is SO flavorful and beautifully thick. I used bone broth for the stock, the wine only and added the mushrooms, it was so much goodness in a bowl. Went down a treat with some crusty sourdough. Thank you for such a wonderful recipe!

    Reply
  18. Bridget McCormick says

    May 5, 2023 at 7:52 am

    3 stars
    This is the first time we didn’t care for a recipe -and we have tried many of Nagi’s (&Dozer’s) creations.
    It was way too bland for our taste and rather on the sweet side.
    I added a can of fire-roasted tomatoes, frozen corn, 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, 1 tbsp Worcestershire, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1 tsp dried parsley, and 1 tsp dried basil as well as some oregano and 2 beef cubes (plus more beef broth).

    Reply
    • Stephanie Hoogerwerf says

      November 24, 2023 at 7:30 am

      I don’t understand why you would give us all your edits to the recipe and then give it 3 stars. Rate the recipe as given next time.

      Reply
    • Lanie Saunders says

      October 25, 2023 at 7:33 pm

      5 stars
      Not only did you alter it but you altered it with stuff that will absolutely sweeten any soup, like corn. ( think: corn syrup)
      I think you should make it again and this time do it without the corn. I have a feeling it’s going to be a totally different experience for you.

      Reply
    • Kieran says

      October 21, 2023 at 5:23 pm

      You altered the recipe that much then were surprised it didn’t work out?

      Genius.

      Reply
  19. Jessy says

    April 27, 2023 at 4:25 am

    5 stars
    Excellent recipe with wine substitute instead. Fun and simple. Time consuming unless you buy pre cut veggies but that’s to be expected. Any alcohol added to recipe is just overpowering so I just go with tomato paste etc and it’s perfect!

    Reply
  20. Me says

    April 18, 2023 at 8:17 am

    5 stars
    Excellent! I made a few adjustments 1/2 cup white wine (didn’t have red wine) substituted tomato paste for 1 can 14.5 oz diced tomatoes

    Reply
Older Comments

Primary Sidebar

Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

Free Recipe eBooks

Join my free email list to receive THREE free cookbooks!

Meet Dozer

Official taste tester of RecipeTin Eats! Meet Dozer
As Featured On
  • Goodfood
  • Food Network
  • Better Homes Gardens
  • Taste
  • Nine
  • Network 10
  • BuzzFeed
  • Daily Telegraph
  • Women's Day

Never miss a recipe!

Subscribe to my newsletter and receive 3 FREE ebooks!

Subscribe
Recipes
  • All Recipes
  • By Category
  • Collections
About
  • About Nagi
  • About Dozer
  • RecipeTin Meals
Related
  • RecipeTin Japan
  • Food Bloggers Central
Help
  • Contact
  • Image Use Policy
© RecipeTin Eats 2023
  • Privacy Policy & Terms
Site Credits
Maintained by Zao Designed by Melissa Rose Design Developed by Once Coupled
All Rights Reserved

Subscribe to my newsletter

Sign up and receive 3 FREE EBOOKS!