Loaded Vegetable Beef Soup

If you are gearing up for the fast approaching holiday season (say WHAT????? please bring back summer – I missed it) and the associated food fest(s), you are going to need this Vegetable Beef Soup. It’s a humble soup, but is packed with flavor and vitamin goodness. It will erase all of those errors in judgement you are about to make with Holiday binging.

Don’t tell me that you don’t binge during Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. I mean, I don’t (liar!), but I’m just weird.

Wild thing. You make my heart sing. You make everything groovy, wild thing…I think I love you.

That’s how I feel about this soup. It’s a wild soup in the sense that you could put just about any group of vegetables in it and the end product would be fantastic. Plus, it can be made in an Instant Pot, a slow cooker, or on the stove-top. I made mine in an Instant Pot for this post, but good heavens I have made many renditions of this powerhouse soup on the stove and in a slow cooker over the years. I give instructions for each method in the recipe below.

What do I put in vegetable soup?

The Beef. I love adding beef to vegetable soup. The beef provides solid protein and ups the satiety level. Browning the beef first adds even more dimension to this soup’s flavor profile.

I used beef cubes, but ground beef could also be used. My family prefers the mouth-feel of the cubes. Most grocery stores in the U.S. label beef cubes as ‘stew beef’. You could even cut your own from whatever beef-cuts you have on hand. I have used roasts and inexpensive cuts of beef in the past, as well as the ready-cut cubes.

Whether using cubes or hamburger, be sure to brown the meat. Season with salt and pepper while cooking. If using beef cubes, be sure to brown them really well in the oil. They are at their flavorful best when they are dark brown on the outside and a beautiful crust has formed, This is the secret to truly rich, deep flavor.

Vegetables. Use a variety of vegetables for this soup. Think about flavor, color and mouth-appeal. Corn, for instance, doesn’t really add a lot of flavor, but it is really fun to eat. Carrots offer flavor, nutrition, and a nice pop of color. Tomatoes are great for color and flavor depth.

Speaking of tomatoes, don’t skip the crushed tomatoes. They are the life of the garden party in this soup and compliment every element.

Onion Powder and Garlic Powder. These are two of my go-to seasonings, along with salt and pepper. I use them in many dishes even when I am already using fresh garlic and onions. In my opinion, they add another rich layer of flavor.

Cabbage. Although I have already talked about vegetables, cabbage gets its own paragraph. I have tried cabbage in a couple of different ways in this soup. It can be added at the beginning or in the last 5 minutes of the soup making process. If added at the beginning, it will most likely fall to pieces before the soup is done. That’s okay. It still brings nice flavor to the soup even if it is not visually identifiable at the end of cooking.

If, however, you want the addition of cabbage to be apparent, then don’t add it until the end, after the pressure has been released. Chop it small to make it easier to contain on a soup spoon. It will cook quickly and only needs a few minutes. Add it at the same time the frozen peas and corn are added.

Other Add-Ins. There are several other additions that can be made.

• One tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce offers a big flavor boost.
• Use kale, collards, or other greens instead of cabbage.
• Use fresh herbs instead of dry herbs. Triple the listed amount of dry herbs for fresh herbs. Example: 1 tablespoon dry parsley would increase to 3 tablespoons for fresh parsley. Fresh bay leaves, however, would remain at 2.
• Use diced turnips instead of potatoes.
• Try parsnips in addition to the carrots.
• Grated parmesan cheese is great on top of this soup.

Prep and Cooking Times. The times stated at the top of the recipe are for cooking in a 6-quart Instant Pot.

• Stove-Top. For stove-top cooking, allow at least 2 hours of cooking time. This will give the beef time to get tender. Brown the beef really well first. Make sure that it gets nice and crusty (but not burnt) before turning it over to brown on the other sides. After browning, simmer the beef in the broth, along with the onions and garlic, for at least 1 1/2 hours. Remember, low and slow for tender beef. Additionally, you will need to increase the amount of broth to 8 cups. This accounts for fluid evaporation during cooking (hello chemistry class). The root vegetables will be added for the last 30-45 minutes of cooking, just until they are tender, but not mushy. The cabbage, frozen peas, and frozen corn are added for the last 5 minutes.
• Slow Cooker. Allow 4-8 hours for cooking in a slow cooker. This is in addition to prep time and browning the beef. There is no escaping browning the beef before adding it to the slow cooker. Be sure to plan enough time for this step. It is the secret to truly deep, rich flavor for this soup. After the beef has been seared to a beautiful crusty, brown on all sides, put it in the slow cooker. Add all of the other ingredients (EXCEPT the cabbage, frozen peas, and frozen corn), put the lid on the slow cooker, and set the cooker for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low. The last 30 minutes of cooking, add the cabbage, peas, and corn. Stir, cover the pot, and continue to cook until cabbage is tender. Please note: Depending on the size of your slow cooker, you may need to adjust the quantities of the ingredients.

How do I make vegetable soup?

Brown the beef cubes in the oil. Get it nice and dark. See those dark places on the beef? That’s what you want. Not burned, just rich and dark. It has amazing flavor. If you are doing this in the Instant Pot, set the pot for “Saute”. When the control panel says “Hot”, add the oil then the beef. You’ll need to work in batches with browning the beef; don’t overcrowd them. Once all of the cubes are browned, add them back into the Instant Pot liner.

There’s a fair amount of cutting and chopping to be done with the vegetables. However, this can easily be done while the beef is getting all brown and beautiful.

Add the vegetables to the pot along with the beef. Stir everything together. Don’t add the cabbage, peas and corn at this time. They will be added at the end.

Next comes the crushed tomatoes. Just dump them right on top of the vegetables.

Add in the broth. Chicken or beef broth work equally well, but I used beef broth in this recipe. Four cups is perfect for a 6-quart Instant Pot.

The herbs and seasonings go in next. My goodness, what a whole pile of absolute loveliness.

Stir everything together. This is the perfect time to wipe off the rim of the Instant Pot liner before locking the lid in place.

Lock the lid in place. Set the pressure release valve to “sealing”. Press the “Pressure Cook” button (or “manual” button). Cancel the “Keep Warm” button – you won’t need it. I had not yet canceled it in this picture.

Set the time for 8 minutes at high pressure. It could take 15 or 20 minutes for the pot to come up to pressure before the 8 minute countdown begins. When the end timer beeps, allow the pressure to release naturally for 20 minutes. If there is any pressure still in the pot after 20 minutes, release the pressure manually.