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 veggies.
This crockpot soup is perfect for meal prep. Store it in the fridge and heat it up throughout the week or keep it in the freezer!
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It’s soup time again!
Honestly though, it was never not soup time around here…I’m not mad about it. 😉
My kids? They’d prefer I crank out a few more mac and cheese or spaghetti recipes. One day I’ll get them to love soup. And maybe this Crockpot Vegetable Beef Soup will be the one that changes their minds. I mean, it is pretty hard not to love.
This soup is cozy, comforting, healthy, and easy to make ahead of time and stash in the slow cooker! It’s packed with veggies, tender beef, so much delicious flavor, and makes the perfect easy weeknight meal.
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.
- 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!
- Brown the beef, veggies, and aromatics: In a frying pan, heat oil then add in the beef. Cook until browned. Add in carrots, celery, and onion, then stir in tomato paste and seasonings. Cook for 1 minute.
- Combine and cook: 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.
Crockpot vegetable beef soup FAQs
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. 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!
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.
Yes! If you’re shorter on time, you can make beef stew on the stove using my stovetop beef stew recipe which is ready in under an hour!
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.
This soup freezes great! 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 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.
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.
Serving suggestions
I love to serve this soup with a bread to soak up the broth! Try it with garlic bread, breadsticks, or homemade garlic herb dinner rolls!
More beef soup recipes you’ll love
Crockpot Vegetable Beef Soup
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 lb beef cubes *see post for notes
- 2 large carrots peeled and finely chopped
- 2 ribs celery chopped
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 cups low sodium beef broth
- 1 lb potatoes finely chopped (about 4 medium)
- 14 oz canned diced tomatoes
- 1 cup chopped green beans fresh or frozen
- ¾ cup tomato sauce
- ½ cup canned or frozen corn
Instructions
- In a large frying pan over high heat, fry beef in oil just until browned on all sides. Add beef to a 6 quart crockpot.
- To the same frying pan, add carrots, celery and onion to the pan and cook until onions are softened. Stir in tomato paste, garlic, salt, parsley, thyme, paprika and pepper and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the vegetables in the pan to the slow cooker with the broth, potatoes, tomatoes, green beans, tomato sauce, corn and bay leaf.
- Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, until beef and vegetables are tender. Serve immediately or keep on warm until ready to serve.
Notes
Nutrition Information
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Kerri Cochran says
This is a STAPLE in our house during the colder months. I have made this with and without the beef cubes. Thanks for sharing!
Kerri Cochran says
I also added fresh green beans, and corn/peas from the can and it turned out perfect!
Ashley says
I have been making a different soup or chowder each weekend this winter. My husband requested vegetable beef this week and I found this recipe on Pinterest. He couldn’t stop “sampling” this soup while it was cooking. I used some leftover fresh green beans I had in the fridge that I had bought for a different recipe and I really liked that they didn’t turn to mush like I think most canned green beans do if you add them too soon. This soup is SO good! I will be keeping this recipe to make again and share with family/friends. I served with homemade dinner rolls and it’s so nice on this 19 degree day.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Ashley! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this review!
Christine says
Chuck roast
Christine says
Great recipe, Ashley! I cut up a cuck roast and browned it in a pan with a bunch of garlic and spices, then added it to the slow cooker with doubled the veggies , and let cook. My kitchen had a wonderful aroma! Delicious results!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Christine! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this review!
Beth says
Great recipes but as a UK amateur cook I have a question. Measurements in cups are tricky, I believe American cups aren’t the only cups measurements either and converting is a pfaff! I there any reason all recipes aren’t in the fairly universal kilos/litres; grams/ millilitres?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Beth! Unfortunately I don’t have the measurements in grams for some of my recipes. It’s relatively easy to do a Google search and convert to ounces to grams (etc.), but if you are having trouble with a particular recipe next time send me an email and I can help you convert it.
Beth says
Thank you, Ashley, that’s a kind offer 😊 I can convert, just find it a pfaff and wondered if in terms of websites being global, using the fairly universal metric system might attract more cooks to these recipes 🤔 I’ll just keep doing the sums though!
Beth says
Sorry, meant to add that from a UK point of view, lbs and ounces (as you mention) aren’t an issue either, it’s the cups! 🥴
Mooszka says
This is my first review on a Pinterest recipe. I would like to say as a beginner cook your recipe was easy to follow, with pictures and illustrations and detailed instructions. This will be the fourth time I’ve made this soup, my entire family and friends love it! With no changes or modifications, exactly to the recipe. If I can do it, anyone can, I truly recommend this soup to anyone who likes vegetable beef soup. Your family and friends will think you cook like a pro…. Thank you
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Mooszka! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Letha Lawrence says
This is a very good recipe, it is a little bland but I found if I cut back on the broth and didn’t add the tomato sauce and substituted spicy v8 juice it liven it up and made a great soup. For those that feel it needs more flavor you might try this.
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Letha! Thanks for sharing! Did you try the original version so that you know it is bland?
Crystal says
That sounds delicious. I’ll try that but it sounds like a winner
The Recipe Rebel says
Hope you enjoy it Crystal!
Maria says
That’s what I did and it really gave the flavor the kick it needed!
Karen says
This soup is delicious! I used the beef chuck roast and all fresh veggies…great flavor. Thank you.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Karen!
Kambree says
This just didn’t work for me. It didn’t have flavor, I had to add ketchup for some flavor. And it didn’t even cook 8 hours and the veggies were mush. I don’t know how to avoid mushy veggies in the crockpot.. Unless you kept an eye on it every hour which defeats the purpose for a crockpot meal to me.
Ashley Fehr says
I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy it! The cook time for everything will really depend on your brand of slow cooker as they are all a little different.
Victoria says
Instead of tomato sauce I used v8 juice
Sooo good but I love this recipe
Judy says
Can I add a can of diced tomatoes to this recipe ? If I do will it have to much of a tomato taste . Thank U
Ashley Fehr says
I think that would be great!
Mary says
Weather just turned cold enough for me to make this. My husband and I both loved it! It’s a keeper for this household.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Mary!
mary says
I have this in the slow cooker this morning. It was very easy to put together. I am looking forward to having this for dinner tonight.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Mary!
Sheila says
How much beef is used? I do not see it listed in recipe.
Thank you
Ashley Fehr says
1 lb beef cubes
Theresa says
Can you cook on high for 4 hours instead?
Ashley Fehr says
You definitely can, I just prefer low for soups!
Cynthia Nelson says
I am smelling this cooking in my crockpot as we speak!
How much is one serving? 1 cup ?
Thanks!
T says
Simple recipe but lacks flavor. I think it would taste better with additional seasoning.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks for your feedback!
mark says
made it by mistake, sposed to be beef and barley, left the spuds out for krto reasons but it was bloody beautiful, cheers
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Mark!
Linda says
I was thinking about the usual what to make for dinner and found your recipe. It’s excellent easy to follow and season it the way you like. It invthe crockpot till I get home tonite .It smells so delicious!!! Thank You