Crockpot Vegetable Beef Soup Recipe

This Crockpot Vegetable Beef Soup is a hearty and healthy recipe that takes just 15 minutes to prep! It’s loaded with chunks of tender beef and tons of hearty vegetables slowly simmered in a delicious broth. 

Love low-effort soups? Try my Slow Cooker Creamy Vegetable Soup, Slow Cooker Creamy Tomato Soup (with hidden veggies!), or Crockpot Chicken Taco Soup!

This hearty Vegetable Beef Soup soup is cozy, comforting, healthy, and easy to make ahead of time and stash in the slow cooker! It’s packed with veggies, tender chunks of beef, so much delicious flavor, and makes the perfect easy weeknight meal. 

This easy slow cooker soup is perfect for meal prep. Store it in the fridge and heat it up throughout the week, or keep it in the freezer!

Why we love this Crockpot Vegetable Beef Soup recipe:

• Best for busy days: You can prep this soup in the morning, let it cook for 7-8 hours on the stove top, and dinner will be ready by the end of the day!
• Perfect for any time of year: I love making this soup during the winter months, but you could totally eat it throughout the year because it’s that good. 
• Makes a ton: This easy recipe makes around 8 servings, so it’s perfect for larger families or eating throughout the week!

Ingredients needed for Vegetable Beef Soup:

• Oil: used to brown the beef and aromatics before adding them to the slow cooker.
• Beef: any cut of beef will work! The crockpot does a great job at tenderizing normally tough cuts of meat.
• Carrot, Celery, and Onion: the trio of veggies, called a mirepoix, that creates a flavor base in so many soups and stews.
• Tomato Paste: adds richness and flavor depth.
• Garlic: I like to use freshly minced garlic for the best flavor, but pre-minced will work as well.
• Seasonings: you need a simple blend of salt, dried parsley, dried thyme, paprika, and black pepper to give this soup tons of flavor.
• Beef Broth: I use low sodium beef broth. If you use regular beef broth, you may want to lessen the amount of salt you add yourself.
• Additional Vegetables: I like to use a blend of potatoes, canned and diced tomatoes, fresh or frozen green beans, and frozen corn. You could also add diced bell peppers, mushrooms, canned or fresh green beans, or you could toss in a bag of frozen mixed vegetables!
• Tomato Sauce: thickens the broth and adds even more flavor.
• Bay Leaf: adds a subtle undertone that helps enhance the other flavors within the soup. Be sure to remove the bay leaf before serving!

How to make Vegetable Beef Soup in the Crockpot:

This crockpot soup requires just 15 minutes of hands-on time. Just prep your meat and veggies and toss it all in the slow cooker! See recipe card below for the full instructions.

• In a frying pan, heat oil, then add to the beef.
• Cook until browned.

• Add in carrots, celery, and onion.
• Then stir in tomato paste and seasonings.

• Cook for 1 minute.
• Transfer the beef/veggie mixture to the slow cooker, then add in the broth, veggies, and bay leaf. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

Variations on this crockpot soup:

• Use another meat. You can swap the cubed beef for ground beef (cooked and drained) or try it with shredded chicken instead! Alternatively, check out my stovetop Chicken Vegetable Soup recipe.
• Make it creamy. Prefer a creamier soup? Add a splash of half-and-half or heavy cream before serving! 
• Add other veggies. This soup is definitely not limited to the veggies I used. Feel free to add in whatever veggies you like! Broccoli, cauliflower, frozen peas, kale or spinach, sweet potatoes, you name it.

How to store this beef vegetable soup:

Pour the soup into an airtight container and store it in the fridge for 4-5 days. Reheat in a small pot over low heat on the stove top.

Can I freeze this Slow Cooker Vegetable Beef Soup?

Yes! Simply cool it to room temperature and place it into a large freezer bag or container. I like to use bags because it freezes in a thin layer and thaws more quickly. Freeze for up to 3 months.

To serve, thaw overnight in the refrigerator or for 6-8 hours at room temperature. If you need to thaw it quickly, place it in the sink in a few inches of room temperature water for 30 minutes, breaking it into chunks. Warm in the microwave or on the stove top until heated through.

Keep in mind that the texture of potatoes does change when they are frozen, so if you are picky about that, this might not be the best soup for your freezer stash.

What cut of beef to use?

Any cut you want! Because the meat is slow-cooked in broth, it doesn’t need to be an expensive cut to be super tender. Some great options would be chuck roast or beef stew meat. I like to check my grocery store flyers to see what’s on sale. If there’s a particular roast that’s going for a good price, I’ll buy one, cube it up, and use it in this soup. If there’s extra, I stash it in the freezer for my next soup craving!

Should you brown the beef first?

It’s not totally necessary, but I like to do so. Browning the beef adds a delicious layer of flavor that just can’t be quite achieved by only cooking it in the slow cooker. If you’re lower on time and want to skip that step, that’s totally fine, too.

Can this be made on the stove?

Yes! If you’re short on time, you can make beef stew on the stove using my stovetop beef stew recipe, which is ready in under an hour!

Can vegetable beef soup be made ahead of time?

Absolutely! This soup is great for making ahead because it just gets better as it sits. You can make it ahead and keep it warm in the crockpot if you’re serving it the day you make it. You can also transfer it to an airtight container and keep it in the fridge for 4-5 days.

Serving suggestions:

I love to serve this soup with bread to soak up the broth! Try it with garlic bread, breadsticks, or homemade garlic herb dinner rolls!

More crockpot soup recipes you’ll love:

• Slow Cooker Garlic Parmesan Chicken Stew + Video
• The BEST White Chicken Chili recipe
• Chicken Rice Soup (Stove Top or Slow Cooker)
• Crockpot Zuppa Toscana