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Home Soups

Vegetable Beef Soup (Fall apart beef!)

By:Nagi
Published:8 Mar '20Updated:11 Mar '21
338 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.)

This Beef Soup is like beef stew in soup form – except faster to make!

Beef Soup in a pot, fresh off the stove ready to be served

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

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

Vegetable Beef Soup (Fall apart beef!)

Author: Nagi
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 1 hr 50 mins
Total: 2 hrs 5 mins
Mains, Soups
Western
5 from 99 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 @RecipeTinEats.

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

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338 Comments

  1. Nick says

    February 3, 2023 at 10:20 pm

    Nagi.
    Do you have a recipe for a braised beef tendon? Whether it is cantonese/chinese style or the japanese style that you can find in an izakaya

    Reply
  2. Rhonda Horne says

    November 1, 2022 at 7:39 am

    5 stars
    This was just what I was looking for….I needed a base for a Beef Barley Soup. In stead of adding potatoes and peas, I added barley and cooked it for another 40 minutes….hmm, hmmm good! Thank you so much for your great recipes and videos.

    Reply
  3. Robyn says

    October 15, 2022 at 5:04 am

    Nagi if I cook this in the slow cooker should I reduce or leave out some of the liquid

    Reply
  4. Robyn says

    August 9, 2022 at 1:25 pm

    5 stars
    Read that Shay said hers had a bitter taste mine also I individually tried the meat and vegetables and they were fine the next day it was less bitter and on the 3rd day not bitter at all in fact it was delicious I used Guinness that’s not the problem because I’ve used Guinness in your delicious Irish stew will I cook it again yes but I’ll eat it on day 2 or 3 and freeze the rest

    Reply
  5. LaylaH says

    July 23, 2022 at 8:46 am

    5 stars
    Huge favorite of my family. I add a shake of red wine vinegar at the end with the parsley. Thank you for another family favorite.

    Reply
  6. Katie Sleeman says

    July 21, 2022 at 9:35 am

    You are my go to for recipes. Have tried so many and always a winner with my husband and two small kids.
    We are trying this soup tonight. Cold, rainy day here. Thank you for your amazing recipes.

    Reply
  7. Cassandra says

    July 19, 2022 at 11:03 am

    Hi, I loved this recipe the first time I made it and I’m about to make it again and will be making double. My question is do I double all ingredients or are them some things that should not be doubled?
    If I could have your input it will be very much appreciated.
    Also just want to say that I have been making many of your recipes for some time now and I’m so impressed and grateful for you and the way you present is wonderful. You leave no stone unturned and you make cooking so much fun and I find myself so much happier when I’m making your recipes. I love cooking and cooking with your amazingness guiding me is such a joy!!! Thankyou!

    Reply
  8. Lydia Cano says

    July 11, 2022 at 11:18 am

    5 stars
    I just made your Vegetable Beef Soup for my husband who is the most finicky eater ever! IT WAS AMAZING! He said it was the best he ever had! (This comment came after turning his nose up a few times as he passed by me in the kitchen as I prepped!)

    Reply
  9. Shaz says

    June 24, 2022 at 3:14 pm

    Hi everyone,

    I’ve made this twice and I always seem to have a bitter tasting soup – is that normal? I’ve followed the recipe to a T and I’m not sure what I could be doing wrong. Any one else have this issue? Could I use sugar to sweeten? thnx 🙂

    Reply
  10. Joanne says

    June 20, 2022 at 4:30 am

    Doubled the recipe and giving this to grandpa for a Fathers Day gift. Nothing better than home cookin! The wine does bump up the flavor nicely. My favorite beef soup recipe ever! Thank you!

    Reply
  11. IRENE says

    June 17, 2022 at 10:57 am

    5 stars
    Oops! Forgot to say in my last comment that this recipe calls for celery which my husband and children (influenced by my husband) don’t eat. So, what I did was to blend them and add them into the mix. Haha! No trace of celery but I know that my family is getting the nutrition from it. 🙂

    Reply
  12. IRENE says

    June 17, 2022 at 10:52 am

    5 stars
    I made this last week. It was great. We had enough for dinner and next day’s school lunch and WFH lunch.

    While I cooked this, my 12 year old daughter made the No knead soft dinner roll (which was one of the recommended sides). They turned out really good (I have to say that my 12 year old is into baking and cooking).

    Coincidentally, my sister cooked this the next day. My mum doesn’t eat beef so my sister substituted beef with lamb. We gave some of our leftover No Knead Soft Dinner Rolls. They liked it.

    Reply
  13. Amanda Ell says

    June 12, 2022 at 11:35 am

    5 stars
    Hi Nagi ive made this a few times and its a winner with my lot! Just wondering if you were to convert this to a slow cooker to cook once you have browned the beef and onion /garlic etc, how long would you cook it for on low? Trying to do this so I can prep mid morning but leave to the slow cooker to do the rest while we are out at sport!

    Reply
  14. Anton says

    June 9, 2022 at 7:27 pm

    5 stars
    Absolutely delicious! Used a bottle of so-so wine (doubled the recipe) and it was unreal how tasty it was. Added some cauliflower and broccoli that was in danger of being binned. My partner said it is the best beef and vegetable soup she ever tasted!

    Reply
  15. Alison says

    June 9, 2022 at 10:21 am

    This was amazing! Really well balanced and so delicious even my picky vegetarian 9 y.o. devoured it. I have tried beef stews / soups before and all have failed. Thank you Nagi, I’m currently addicted to working my way through your recipes 🙂

    Reply
  16. Aisah says

    June 3, 2022 at 8:13 pm

    Haven’t made this yet but I feel we’re going to love it as a family as we always do 😍

    Question : For non alcoholic sub, can I use 400 g of passata instead of crushed tomatoes? Will add the Worcestershire sauce as per your directions.

    We don’t like crushed tomatoes 🙈

    Reply
  17. Mike says

    June 2, 2022 at 8:26 pm

    5 stars
    Superb! I served it with garlic bread (excellentas well) and basked in appreciation. My only modifications were more garlic, half the flour and a bit more meat – trifling.
    Thank you Nagi, this is well done!

    Reply
  18. Mercedes Herrera-Mishler says

    May 30, 2022 at 7:14 am

    Could it be made on a instant pot?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      May 30, 2022 at 1:51 pm

      Yes Mercedes, that should work although you might have to simmer on the stove with the lid off at the end if it’s too thin. N x

      Reply
      • Mercedes Herrera-Mishler says

        May 30, 2022 at 2:18 pm

        Thank you Nagi! I am so looking forward to eat this soup.

        Reply
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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

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