Beef soup is a classic comfort food, perfect for chilly days and nourishing meals. This article explores a variety of healthy beef soup recipes, focusing on ease of preparation, nutritional value, and delicious flavor. Whether you're looking for a quick weeknight dinner or a make-ahead meal, there's a beef soup recipe here for you.
Why Beef Soup is a Great Choice
Beef soup offers a multitude of benefits:
- Nutrient-Rich: Packed with protein from the beef and vitamins and minerals from the vegetables, beef soup is a wholesome and balanced meal.
- Versatile: You can customize beef soup with your favorite vegetables and seasonings, making it easy to adapt to your dietary needs and preferences.
- Budget-Friendly: Using ground beef or less expensive cuts of beef, along with seasonal vegetables, makes beef soup an economical choice.
- Freezer-Friendly: Beef soup freezes well, making it ideal for meal prepping and saving leftovers for future meals.
Hearty Italian Vegetable Beef Soup
This recipe is a flavorful and filling option, perfect for lunch or dinner. It's easily adaptable for various dietary needs, including Whole30.
Ingredients:
- Ground beef
- Garlic
- Onion
- Carrots
- Celery
- Diced tomatoes
- Crushed tomatoes
- Tomato sauce
- Oregano
- Basil
- Thyme
- Cabbage
- Beef broth (or water)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
- In a large pot, cook and crumble the ground beef with garlic and onion until browned and fragrant.
- Add carrots, celery, and water (or beef broth) to the pot. Increase heat to high.
- Stir in diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, oregano, basil, thyme, salt, and pepper.
- Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes, until the carrots are tender.
- Stir in the cabbage and simmer for a few more minutes, until the cabbage has wilted.
- Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
- Top with cheese, if desired, just before serving.
Freezer Tip: This soup freezes well and can be reheated in the microwave straight from the freezer or allowed to thaw in the refrigerator and then reheated on the stove or in the microwave.
Healthy 30-Minute Hamburger Soup
This recipe is a quick and easy option for a busy weeknight, ready in just 30 minutes. It's loaded with ground beef or turkey, potatoes, and fresh vegetables in a delicious beef broth.
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Ingredients:
- Lean ground beef or turkey
- Beef stock or beef broth
- Potatoes (Yukon gold, russet, baby, fingerling, or red)
- Fresh or frozen green beans
- Onion
- Dried herbs and spices (Italian seasoning, paprika)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
- In a large pot, brown the ground beef (or turkey) and diced onion. Drain any excess fat.
- Add beef stock or broth, diced potatoes, green beans, and spices to the pot.
- Bring to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
- Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
- Top with chopped fresh parsley and a side of garlic bread, if desired.
Tips and Variations:
- Meat: Ground beef or ground turkey both work well in this soup.
- Potatoes: Yukon gold potatoes are a favorite, but other varieties also work. For a lower-carb option, substitute cauliflower rice.
- Vegetables: Fresh vegetables are recommended for the best texture, but frozen mixed vegetables can be used as a substitute.
- Pasta/Beans: For a more filling soup, add cooked pasta (small shells or elbow noodles) or white beans.
Easy Vegetable Beef Soup
This recipe features lean ground beef, an array of colorful veggies and herbs, and comes together in around 30 minutes.
Ingredients:
- Olive oil
- Onion, diced
- Celery, diced
- Carrots, diced
- Parsnip, peeled and diced
- Lean ground beef
- Garlic, pressed
- Italian seasoning
- Paprika
- Russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
- Diced tomatoes with juices
- Beef broth or beef stock
- Chopped kale (or spinach)
- Frozen green beans
- Frozen green peas
- Chopped flat-leaf parsley
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
- In a large soup pot, sauté onions, celery, carrots, and parsnip in olive oil until slightly softened.
- Add ground beef, salt, and pepper, and cook until browned.
- Stir in garlic, Italian seasoning, and paprika.
- Add potatoes, diced tomatoes with juices, and beef stock or broth. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 22-24 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
- Off heat, stir in kale, green beans, peas, and parsley.
- Ladle into bowls and drizzle with a little extra olive oil if desired. Serve with warm, crusty bread or pearl couscous, if desired.
Tips & Tidbits:
- High-Quality Ground Beef: Opt for organic, grass-fed ground beef for the deepest flavor.
- Colorful Vegetables: The more color, the better the health benefits and flavor. Feel free to substitute vegetables based on your preferences.
- Make Ahead: Soups always deepen and meld more after a few days in soup the pot. So if you'd like richer flavor, prep this soup a day or two ahead of when you'd like to enjoy it.
Homemade Vegetable Beef Soup
This recipe is super easy to make, hearty and filling, tasty, and so comforting.
Ingredients:
- Sirloin steak (or your favorite cut), cubed
- Fresh garlic cloves
- Low-sodium beef stock (or chicken broth)
- Your favorite vegetables
- Tomato sauce
- Olive oil
- Italian seasoning
- Worcestershire sauce
- Potatoes
- Green beans
- Corn
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions (Stovetop):
- Heat olive oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat.
- Add cubed sirloin steak and cook, stirring frequently, for about 2-3 minutes.
- Add in onion, celery stalks, carrots, bell pepper, and garlic cloves, and sauté for about 4-5 minutes, or until veggies soften.
- Stir in potatoes, Italian seasoning, beef broth, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and Worcestershire sauce.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until potatoes and beef are tender.
- Add green beans and corn, and cook for a couple of minutes more.
- Season with salt and pepper, and pour into bowls.
Instructions (Slow Cooker):
- Add the cubed beef into the slow cooker.
- Add in your favorite vegetables.
- Pour in the broth.
- Add the tomato sauce.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Set the slow cooker to Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.
Tips and Variations:
- Beef Cuts: Chuck roast or sirloin steak are the best cuts of meat to use for any soup.
- Thickening the Soup: To thicken the soup, mix 1-2 tablespoons of flour with 1/2 cup of cold water and pour it into the soup. Simmer for another 5-10 minutes. Alternatively, mash some of the potatoes and carrots and add them back into the soup.
Crockpot Healthy Hamburger Soup
This recipe is a must-try, packed with protein, fiber, and low in calories. You’ll need just 15 minutes of hands-on time and your trusty slow cooker to make this delicious and comforting soup.
Ingredients:
- Ground beef
- Olive oil
- Onion, chopped
- Green bell pepper, chopped
- Garlic, minced
- Diced tomatoes
- Beef broth
- Yukon Gold potatoes, cubed
- Carrots, sliced
- Celery, sliced
- Sweet potato, cubed
- Green beans, cut
- Kale, chopped
- Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Parmesan cheese, for garnish (optional)
Instructions:
- Add the oil to a large skillet and bring to medium heat. Add the ground beef, onion, green pepper, and garlic. Cook and stir until the ground beef is cooked and no longer pink for 3-4 minutes.
- Drain the beef mixture and transfer it to a slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients, except for the green beans and kale.
- Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours or on high side 4-6 hours.
- When there is 1 hour of cooking remaining, add and stir-in the green beans and kale.
- Cover and cook for the remaining 1 hour, or until the green beans are tender.
- Taste to season more if needed, serve with chopped parsley and a sprinkle of parmesan.
Tips and Variations:
- Browning Matters: Don’t skip browning the meat.
- Add More Veggies: Add more veggies to the soup to bulk it up.
- Vegetarian: Skip the ground beef in the recipe and use crumbled mock meat, textured soy protein, or cooked beans or lentils.
- Dairy-Free: To make a dairy-free version of this healthy ground beef soup, swap the Parmesan cheese for some nutritional yeast, any dairy-free cheese of your choice, or simply leave it off.
Slow Cooked Vegetable Beef Soup
This recipe features melt-in-your-mouth slow-cooked chunks of beef, potato and vegetables simmered in a herb-infused savory broth.
Ingredients:
- Stewing or braising beef (chuck or boneless short rib)
- Olive oil
- Garlic
- Onion
- Carrot
- Celery
- Flour
- Beef broth
- Red wine, Guinness or Stout (or crushed tomato and Worcestershire sauce)
- Tomato paste
- Bay leaves
- Thyme
- Potatoes
- Peas
- Mushrooms (optional)
- Parsley
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
- Heat oil 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 the 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.
- Ladle into bowls. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with crusty bread if desired.
Tips and Variations:
- 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.
- Red Wine, Guinness or Stout: will add incredible extra flavor into this soup broth! Non-alcoholic sub - add a can of crushed tomato and Worcestershire sauce.
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