Old Fashioned Vegetable Beef Soup

This Old Fashioned Vegetable Beef Soup is a cozy, tomato-kissed one pot dinner with ground beef and tender vegetables that tastes like it simmered on Grandma’s stove.

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef
• 4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
• 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup green beans, cut into pieces
• 1 cup corn kernels
• 1 cup green peas
• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
• 1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
• 4 cups beef broth
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 bay leaf
• To taste Salt and black pepper

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion and chopped celery, then sauté for 4 to 5 minutes, until the onion turns soft and translucent.
2. Add the ground beef and break it into small crumbles with a wooden spoon. Brown for 6 to 8 minutes, until no pink remains, then spoon off the excess fat, leaving a thin film for flavor.
3. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, until fragrant.
4. Mix in the tomato paste and cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly, until it darkens to a deep brick red. Sprinkle in the Italian seasoning, paprika, and dried parsley, then stir for 30 seconds.
5. Pour in the beef broth, scraping the bottom of the pot to loosen the browned bits. Add the diced tomatoes with their juices, tomato sauce, bay leaf, potatoes, carrots, green beans, and corn, then stir well.
6. Bring the soup to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to low and partially cover. Simmer for 40 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes and carrots are fork-tender and the broth looks rich and slightly thickened.
7. Stir in the green peas and simmer uncovered for 5 to 10 minutes, just until they turn tender and bright green.
8. Taste the soup and season with salt and black pepper, adding a little at a time. Let the pot rest off the heat for 5 minutes before serving. Fish out the bay leaf before serving.

Notes

• Brown beef properly: Let the ground beef sit undisturbed for a minute before crumbling so it browns instead of steams, leaving flavorful browned bits to season the broth.
• Cook the tomato paste: Stir the 2 tablespoons of tomato paste until it darkens to brick red to avoid a raw, tinny edge in the broth.
• Cut vegetables evenly: Dice potatoes to about 3/4 inch and slice carrots about 1/4 inch thick so they turn fork-tender together during the 40 to 45 minute simmer.
• Add peas last: Stir frozen green peas in for only the final 5 to 10 minutes so they stay bright and sweet.
• Season at the end: Use low-sodium broth if possible and add salt and pepper only after tasting.
• Reheating and thickness: The soup thickens overnight as potatoes release starch; warm gently with a splash of beef broth or water and taste before adding salt. If the soup seems too thick after simmering, stir in a splash of beef broth or hot water until it reaches your favorite consistency.
• Storage: Cool within 2 hours, remove the bay leaf, refrigerate in shallow airtight containers for 3 to 4 days. For freezing, leave 1 inch headspace and freeze up to 3 months; consider adding peas fresh when reheating to keep them bright.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 generous bowl (about 1 1/2 cups)
• Calories: 320 kcal
• Sugar: 6 g
• Sodium: 650 mg
• Fat: 14 g
• Saturated Fat: 4 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
• Trans Fat: 0 g
• Carbohydrates: 29 g
• Fiber: 5 g
• Protein: 22 g
• Cholesterol: 70 mg