During those cold winter months, our family loves to have a cozy night in, especially on the weekends. This vegetable beef stew is one of our favorite recipes to make to use up any leftover veggies or even beef we have from earlier in the week. It’s so quick to prepare and can either simmer on the stove for 30 minutes or up to a couple of hours depending on how much time you have.
My kid’s love it served with rice or noodles, but my husband usually likes creamy mashed potatoes. It’s also great on it’s own! And if you have any leftovers it’s ideal to freeze for a later date when you’re in a dinner pinch. For another hearty meal, try our ham and lentil soup or turkey wild rice soup.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- A 30-minute stew recipe if you prep the ingredients correctly. Chop everything up to 2 days before to keep the prep work minimal!
- The best recipe to clean out the fridge. We love using the beef and vegetable stew to use up any leftover vegetables at the end of the week.
- Be sure to add our secret ingredient, lemon juice. This is key and will change the game on your beef stew recipe. The addition of acid at the end brightens all of the flavors and makes it even more delicious.
Tips for Busy Cooks
Prep your vegetables in advance for easy cooking. This is a great meal prep tip and something I always do. Chop all the veggies correctly and store them in containers or bags in the fridge. The only thing I chop right before adding is the potatoes. When you’re ready, to make the soup there is no prep time involved!
Key Ingredients
- Beef – Stew meat is the most common cut for making vegetable beef soup. Make sure to cut it into smaller pieces. Cheap lean steaks, like sirloin steak, are also a great option, especially if you don’t have lots of time for cooking.
- Beef stock – Every other week, I make my homemade beef bone broth in my Instant Pot and I just reserve the cooked beef to add it to the soup. But if you choose another cut of beef, use your regular beef stock, I like to use “Better Than Bullion” beef base.
- Carrots and celery – The a base for pretty much any soup I make. I usually chop and freeze bunch as my weekly meal prep routine.
- Potatoes – make this soup so filling and satisfying! This’s the only thing that I prepared for this soup right before cooking. Wonder which potato is best for soups? Learn all about potato varieties.
- Cabbage – You can use any kind of cabbage here. I had Napa cabbage and red cabbage on hand (also shredded and frozen), so that’s what I used here. But regular green cabbage works just as great. One thing to note though: If you’re not adding beets, I don’t recommend using red cabbage, because the soup will turn out kind of weird blueish color. 🙂
- Beet – I used roasted beet here in this soup, that’s why it’s added at the end. You can use raw beet, but add it with the potatoes, so it has time to cook through.
How to make this vegetable beef stew
- Chop and prepare all the vegetables before you start cooking. (TIP: I do this as part of my for the week. Some of the vegetables here are frozen.)
- Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of oil. When the oil is hot, add beef in one layer and sear on both sides until nicely seared. Transfer onto a clean plate.
3. Add remaining tablespoon of oil into now empty dutch oven and add shallots and garlic. Cook stirring frequently until aromatic, about a minute. Then add carrots and celery. Cook until softened, 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Stir in seared stew meat, potatoes, beef broth and salt. Cover and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 5-10 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
5. Add roasted beet and cabbage. Cook for another 10 minutes.
6. Squeeze in lemon juice from half a lemon. (Lemon juice is the secret ingredient that instantly brightens the flavors.) Salt and pepper to taste and serve!
Expert Tips:
- The secret to a well-rounded soup is lemon juice! If your soup tastes like something is missing, try adding a little bit of acidity before adding more salt! As soon as you squeeze in some lemon juice, the flavors round up so perfectly and it’ll just make sense.
- Use any of your favorite vegetables. Whatever you have on hand is great, that’s the beauty of this beef and vegetable stew.
- Pat your stew meat very dry before cooking. This will help it get a better sear on all sides for a deeper flavor.
- When you add the stock, be sure to scrape the browned bits up off the bottom of the pan. This is called deglazing and it’s a classic cooking technique. The browned bits is where so much flavor thanks to searing the meat and it will infuse the broth.
- Add the vegetables in the correct order. This is so important because you don’t want any of the veggies to be mushy in texture. Sturdier veggies like carrots, potatoes, and celery should go in first. Right before you’re ready to serve add greens like the cabbage or pre-cooked beets that only need to gently warm through.
- There are several beef options for this stew. You can use sirloin steak in place of stew meat. Or any other type of quick cooking lean steak that’s affordable.
- If you have time to make a homemade beef stock in advance, it’s so worth it. But if not, then I also use “Better Than Bullion” beef base and I highly recommend it!
Storage
Leftovers store well for this vegetable and beef stew (they often taste better the next day)! Store the soup in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. This soup also freezes well. Cool to room temperature and then freeze it for up to 3 months.
Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave for a few minutes until warmed through. If frozen, thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
FAQs:
If you prefer more flavor, you can add some spices like basil, parsley, and onion powder. You can also add more garlic.
Yes, it will seal in the flavor and help keep the vegetables firm after they are added to the soup.
You need to place the vegetables in that take longer to cook first, that’s usually your root vegetables.
More easy soup recipes:
Vegetable Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 8 oz beef stew meat Note 1
- 1 shallot minced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1-2 carrots peeled and sliced
- 1-2 celery ribs chopped
- 2 medium potatoes cubed
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt more to taste
- 6 cups beef stock Note 2
- 1 medium roasted beet cubed, Note 3
- 2 cups shredded cabbage Note 4
- 1/2 lemon
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Chop and prepare all the vegetables before you start cooking. (TIP: I do this as part of my meal prepping for the week. Some of the vegetables here are frozen.)
- Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of oil. When the oil is hot, add beef in one layer and sear on both sides until nicely seared. Transfer onto a clean plate.
- Add remaining tablespoon of oil into now empty dutch oven and add shallots and garlic. Cook stirring frequently until aromatic, about a minute. Then add carrots and celery. Cook until softened, 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in seared stew meat, potatoes, beef broth and salt. Cover and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 5-10 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
- Add roasted beet and cabbage. Cook for another 10 minutes.
- Squeeze in lemon juice from half a lemon. (Lemon juice is the secret ingredient that instantly brightens the flavors.) Salt and pepper to taste and serve!
Share your thoughts! If you make this please leave a review letting me know how it was!
Notes
– Refrigerate in an airtight container, for 3-4 days.
– You can also freeze this soup for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
* Disclaimer: All nutrition information are estimates only. Read full nutrition disclosure.
Tried this recipe?
Make sure to leave a recipe review below!
Sharing of this recipe is encouraged and appreciated. Copying of full recipe to any social media is prohibited.
Comments + Reviews