What Are the Best Spices to Use in Vegetable Beef Soup
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04/08/2006
I did make a bunch of changes to this soup, but it made for a really good basic recipe that you can add/change to your liking. First, when I was sauteing the beef and onions, I also added 2 cloves of fresh minced garlic towards the end for extra flavor. I did not drain the oils because I used fairly lean beef and there wasn't much in there and the fat also adds flavor to the soup. Then I used 5 cans of low sodium beef broth instead of water, but I did keep the use of the boullion cubes for an extra kick because I did add some extra ingredients. I added 2 sliced italian zucchini squash, 3/4 cups frozen corn kernels, 3/4 cups barley, and a pinch of ground pepper to the recipe. It came out really great with deep flavors and everyone loved it.
12/19/2003
This is a very good soup. Very flavorful and my whole family loves it. I often give extra to friends and they all love it as well. I make very little alterations to it. I rarely drain the meat because I use beef stew meat or a large sirloin steak cut up that's equal to or more than the 1.5 lbs. of ground sirloin that the recipe calls for. I find that the "drippings" it makes gives it all the more flavor. I increase the spices by doubling or more (I do most measuring by sight and taste) and add more vegetables, so I add more water and sometimes throw in a can of tomato soup which makes it creamier. This can also be made with vegetable stock (or half veggie stock/half water) which increases the flavor evermore. It's good with broccoli or cauliflower added as well. And since we are a meat & potatoes household, we increase the potatoes to 4 or 5 medium. We often have this for dinner two nights in a row and have it for lunches or snacks as well. We have been making it often this winter and we haven't gotten tired of it yet. This is a wonderful recipe and I don't see how anyone could not like it. It makes ALL the difference in cutting fresh vegetables rather than using frozen. Try this!
10/30/2005
I was looking for a recipe for vegetable soup to take to work for our soup and salad day. I came across this recipe and it sounded so good I just had to try it. Everyone loved it and wanted the recipe. I've made it two more times since then and it always a hit. I made a few changes I use stew meat, beef broth, more potatoes, carrots, tomatoes and added green beans. Thanks so much for a great recipe I will make this often.
06/25/2008
Very good...when I doctored it up. Double the spices- very important. Also, I used beef stock, instead of water and I still used the bouillon. I also added about 1/4 cup of red wine and about 1 tsp of fresh dill, 2 tsp fresh parsley, and a pinch of red pepper flakes for full flavor. Even better the second day!
01/30/2011
Fantastic! We'll make this often! And yes, add leftovers if you have them - I had a beautiful prime rib for Christmas and froze the bones with some of the meat hanging on - I tossed the bones into beef stock (had to use up!) and simmered - then removed the bones, cut off a little meat and went on with the recipe. . .so freeze your steak bones and enjoy this wonderful soup!
06/29/2006
...File this one under "leftovers" because it is the perfect recipe for leftover steak.. I had 2 grilled sirloin steaks that had marinated in steak seasoning and cooked rare...cut them into small dice and added to the onion and garlic I had sauteed in butter. I pureed the tomatoes and added 4 cups of beef stock (Tone's Beef Base) instead of the 5 cups of water. I also used 2 cups of frozen mixed veggies (peas, corn, gr beans and carrots) since I needed my fresh veggies for a crudites..added a good size pinch of br sugar and after simmering for 45 mins I ended up with a really flavorful soup. Had this for lunch with french bread and salad.. I also ended up with enough to give to my neighbor who could tell I was cooking and happened to stop by...Thanks Priscilla!
01/22/2011
Holy ! I don't even like vegetable beef stew and I couldn't stop eating this. made it as the recipe said and it was wonderful!
03/25/2002
My family loves this recipe. My husband cannot get enough. I make it once sometimes twice a week in the winter. I use frozen bagged veggies (except onion and stewed tomatoes). VERY economical and easy. Thank you so much!
01/20/2011
This is a good hearty beef soup, I have not made this type of soup in a long time, but I wanted more vegetables and so I added fresh tomatoes, zucchini, lots of fresh basil and fresh thyme. Did not have beef bouillon so I added 2 tsps of bragg amino acids acting like soy sauce. My husband suffers from high blood pressure so I am trying really hard not to give him salt. It did not come out the way I thought it would, I like alot of salt, so this dish left me not too excited. It was me not the recipe.
10/24/2004
Wow, what a great, easy recipe! This soup had a really great flavor and was a big hit at our house. I added some fresh parsley during cooking and also added a cup of frozen green beans during the last ten minutes of cooking - great flavor. This is the perfect recipe to prepare on a cold, rainy day. You can also substitute uncooked rice for the potatoes - we've made it both ways and will definitely make this one again.
10/09/2004
This was a HUGE hit in our house and it only took a few minutes. I doubled the recipe and have plenty in the freezer for leftovers. Thanks for what I know will be a big favorite.
11/11/2005
This was tasty, although I thought it could use some pasta or rice to help thicken it up a little. I used all beef broth instead of the water. Great on a cold day with some nice warm home made bread.
11/26/2000
All my family loved it. especially my 18mos old daughter.
01/14/2011
I followed the directions. Once made, I thought it made a great base, but I felt it needed a little doctoring. I added a bag of frozen mix veggies, another chopped carrot, another celery stalk, increased both the basil and thyme seasonings by another 1/4 tsp, added a sprinkle of onion powder, added a sprinkle of garlic powder, and added a couple of sprinkles of black pepper, plus a dash of hot sauce, and a little pinch of sugar to try and break up some of the acidity. It is a great base recipe that you can do a lot with to make it shine! Plus, it came out delicious! My family loved it!
03/17/2011
We had some leftover pork rib roast--slices and bones. So I decided to try that with this recipe. Turned out great! Basically followed the recipe exactly as written. Added extra onion and 1 more potato. Otherwise stuck to the plan & it was a great success. In the future, I'll try some variations.
07/20/2011
This is a great base recipe- I cook it in a crockpot and use what I have on hand- water and bouilon or beef or vegetable stock, the stewed tomatoes are VITAL as I love the flavor this creates, but all the other veggies you can play with or just use what you have in the fridge that needs to get used. It's very tender and flavorful from cooking in the crockpot all day- great recipe and fabulous springboard for new or last minute ideas:)
03/03/2011
This is a great recipe. I added more seasoning than it called for but it turned out great. I added garlic powder and corn to it also. My husband loved it!
02/10/2004
I love this soup. I don't use frozzen veggies but fresh ones. Loved it.
03/10/2011
A nice and easy beef veg soup with a good flavor. I added some frozen green beans but followed the recipe otherwise.
01/19/2009
I used this recipe as a basis to use up the ingredients I had on hand so it was adapted to our tastes! Versatile recipe could adapt easily! I also used ground beef but it was not sirloin, however it was not greasy at all and I did not drain the grease. I added garlic toward the end of browning the beef, onion & carrot. I used a jar of homemade canned tomatoes, a small can of tomato sauce & reduced the water to 4cups & used 3 bouillion cubes (my family likes a bit thicker stoup but 2 cubes probably would've been enough), I didn't use celery and I used 2 idaho potatoes (one diced a bit smaller than the other for added thickness) and i only used a bay leaf (no thyme or basil). I did salt and pepper each layer. To add to the heartiness, I then added a 1/2 can of each: gr. beans, corn & right at the end, peas. We just finished eating and my family LOVED it! Its a quick recipe but tasted like I slaved away!
12/08/2010
I took other's advise and used 5C beef broth (low sodium) instead of water. I also added a can of green beans (drained). I doubled the spices and still used the boullion cubes. Overall, very good! I would definitely make again but next time I think a little red wine would add a nice flavor as well! Thank you for the recipe!
09/11/2010
This is a great soup recipe. I made 1 modification. Every time I steam vegetables, I freeze the water after cooking. Instead of water or bullion cubes, which aren't really healthy for you because 1 cube has 900 mg of salt, I use the frozen vegetable water. This certainly makes a difference in the taste of the soup.
12/15/2010
Very good soup base recipe. I used 1 can stewed tomatoes, 1 can tomato soup [reviewers suggestion] & 1 can fire roasted tomatoes. 5 cups or maybe more of home made veg broth, 1 can [low sodium] ckn broth, 1/2 cup merlot, extra sauteed veggies, no potatoes [personal choice] garlic, Italian seasoning, 3 bay leaves, S & P & crushed red pepper flakes. Has always with soup, it always tastes better the next day. I wanted to add some barley but the cupboard was bare so I added a little cooked pasta.
08/05/2011
Easy and tasty
10/06/2010
Doubled the herbs and it was great. Thank you
04/30/2011
Use beef stock/low sodium beef broth instead bouillon cubes and water. Add other frozen, fresh or cooked leftover veges depending on what we have or need to use up. Good soup, better leftover.
01/03/2011
Great soup. Didnt use meat, doubled the spices, and added extra carrots, potatoes, then corn and cabbage. Can do anything with this soup as a base. Very easy!
02/06/2011
I didn't find this had any taste at all as made.
01/02/2008
This is very good hamburger soup. My changes: added 2 cloves of garlic, 5 cups salt reduced beef broth and 1/4 tsp. pepper...omitted bay leaf, salt, and 2 beef bouillon cubes. I was in a hurry and needed to be gone from the house for awhile so I heated up the broth and tomatoes before adding all the ingredients to my crockpot. I put it on high and it was all done in 3 hours. This makes a lot so I'm freezing the left overs. Made house smell great!!
04/09/2010
Simply delicious!! Great winter soup!
09/06/2010
I made this for the 1st time and found it to be delicious. My son who can be picky with veges ate a whole... Thank you, it will be one soup i make over and over.
02/03/2010
I made this soup and it was ok..I know it will be better tomorrow..
02/24/2009
Definitely need to use canned beef broth instead of water. Instead of celery and carrots, I used frozen veggies and it turned out delicious! I also used ground beef instead of sirloin. A great basic recipes for your own favorite add-ins!
04/10/2011
This recipe was perfect. I took the advice of others and doubled the seasonings, added dill, did not drain the meat & added a bag of frozen mixed veggies to thicken it up & it was great.
04/10/2011
This was great! Even better the second day. I followed this recipe to a T!
12/31/2009
Awesome and easy.
10/16/2005
What a wonderful soup for a crisp fall day! I made a couple of changes to this and it was fantastic: used low sodium beef broth in place of water, added fresh green beans, peas, herbs, and mushrooms to the veggies. I love the sweetness the stewed tomatoes add, just next time I will hand crush before adding, they tend to be large and don't break up easily. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
09/27/2010
Here are the changes I make with this recipe besides adding minced garlic with the onion when I brown the meat and I add crushed red pepper for a little kick, is not using potatoes. I boil bow-tie pasta separately after it's all done and add a scoop to everyone's individual servings - that way there's no gummy pasta. This is a great recipe. Serve with bread and salad! Also very good using stew beef - Makes it so you don't really have to drain the fat.
01/12/2003
Fantastic soup! This is exactly the recipe I was looking for to satisfy my vegetable beef soup craving. Tastes just like what I get at MiMi's Cafe. I used top sirloin steak, cubed, instead of the ground beef, and simmered with liquid and seasonings an hour and a half before adding the veggies. I also added diced zucchini. Yum.
12/11/2004
Like chili, this soup is best warmed up the next day. I guess the sirloin juice has time to soak into all of the vegetables.
12/12/2005
I love it! I thought my mom's was the best and I could never find anything close to it, but here it is! We just bought a house so we're saving every penny and this recipe makes a lot, is SO good and is cheap!
10/13/2009
This soup was fair. The flavor was a little shallow. I used a high quality beef broth in lieu of water and bouillon (which no doubt added flavor), and I added fresh kale and black-eyed peas. I believe this soup needs more spice. (I followed the receipe to the letter on the spice.) With all the good beef soup recipes out there, I probably won't make this one again.
11/27/2004
This was easy and good.
10/03/2005
Very good flavor, especially for not having a million ingredients (a turnoff for me as the cook! ;-) ). My husband loved all the ground beef- I thought it was especially good with grated parmesan cheese on top. Will make again- thanks, Priscilla!
12/16/2010
good basic recipe that i will use again
04/28/2010
No beef bouillon for me because it contains MSG. I substitute the 5 cups of water for 4 cups of beef broth + 1 cup of water. Have always used 1 lb ground beef instead of the sirloin (that is what was on hand first time I made this). Works great every time! We have eaten this too many times to count - delicious recipe, thank you for sharing.
01/23/2011
First soup I've attempted to make and I thought it was great. I used leftover roast from the night before.
11/04/2010
Turned out wonderful. My family loved this soup. I posted a picture of my soup with grilled cheese on the side. Yum!!
11/21/2006
Good. Used beef broth instead of water and doubled the vegies.
10/22/2010
I changed this one quite a bit but the base was still quite good. I used flank steak chopped in small pieces instead of the ground sirloin, used beef base and beef stock instead of the bouillon and water, used barley instead of the celery and carrots and used one more potato. Everything else was pretty much the same, although I seasoned to taste versus adding the exact amounts. Made for 70 women at a retreat and was asked over and over for the recipe. My wife is still begging me to make it again.
02/22/2009
really easy to do and good taste! Yummy~ my boys don't like to eat celery but they finally finished all the soup.
02/04/2007
This is awesome soup. I did alter just a little but great recipe to build on. I am a crockpot freak. I used stew beef and diced one potato and added all the other ingredients except the veggies and let that cook for 6 hours. I then added a frozen bag of mixed veggies and cooked all for another 2 hours. It turned out wonderful. I will definitely make this quite often.
12/26/2000
I used different veggies that I had on hand and it was awesome!
10/15/2007
My husband and kids absolutely loved this! I put in extra veggies and also used the beef stock from the crockpot french dips (also on this site)that I made last night, instead of the water. Excellent flavor in this soup. Couldn't find the bay leaf before serving it and have no idea who ate it but no one complained so I guess it's our secret! ha!
07/23/2010
Awesome recipe! I did add a 1/4 cup of red cooking wine and one chopped zucchini though. This one wil be printed and saved in a reciped binder!
10/18/2013
Awesome! I used a 2.5lb chunked-up chuck roast, tossed in the pot first while I tended to other things, but not totally browned, per se. I used 1 can of italian stewed tomatoes, 1 can of tomato sauce, and 1 large can of peeled, crushed tomatoes, to appease the non-tom people. I used about 6 cups of water and a healthy blob of beef base to make it more broth than water, and added about 1.5 tablespoons worcestershire sauce + 3/4 tablespoons of soy, that's just a family thing but we like to dance the fine line between a richer beef base vs. a meal of worcestershire- flavored, meat-like substance. Lastly, I let it cook low n slow for 4 hours, adding the potatoes (we upped the potato count, too) at about the 2 hour mark. I can not express how delish the meat chunks were. This soup was excellent! Next time, I'll use a little less liquid, and I'm going to tinker with it to make it a bit beefier vs. tomato-y, but that's the hubs preference. Thank you so much for the recipe! it will be used often!
11/13/2006
AWESOME SOUP!!!
10/12/2005
YUMMY! I added some sweet potato and yam and also doubled the spices. I seasoned it with some black pepper and finished it off with a bit of heavy cream. Delish!
08/21/2008
Great Recipe everyone love it.And in Florida it's hot but the soup was great, I can't believe they all love it,And I like to try other things as well.. So keep them coming...
01/16/2013
Very good soup! I added more vegetables but the flavor was perfect!
10/15/2010
Super tasty! Instead of 5 cups of water I used 4 cups of beef broth and 1 cup of water. I added green beans and mushrooms and another potato. This one is definitely a keeper!
05/01/2005
Love it. I substituted diced tomatoes for stewed because that is all I had. I also forgot to add the seasonings until it was done!! :( I could not find my whole bay leaves so I just added some crushed ones. Otherwise, I followed the directions to a T.
01/22/2004
I've been looking for a great beef minestrone soup and I found it! As some of the other reviewers, I chopped up sirloin steak in cubes and I also threw in a few macaroni shells which pleased my very picky 6 year old! This is a keeper!
12/17/2019
I woke up wanting soup. I made this before breakfast, so I was limited to what I had. I added 4 extra cups of water, 4 cups of frozen mixed vegetables, a can of diced tomatoes, no bouillon, or thyme (I was out) I dumped in parsley instead. I also did several red potatoes diced because I didn't have russet. It was amazing! So glad I found this recipe, it's a great base for inspiration!
10/01/2018
Made my own version - used stew beef (1.5#), sautéed in olive oil, added 4 diced potatoes, 3 sliced carrots, 1 diced onion, 2 stalks of sliced celery, 1 can corn, 2 cans green beans, 2 cans tomato sauce, 2 c beef broth, 2-3 c of water, 1/2 t salt, 1/4 t basil, 1/4 t parsley, 1/4 t thyme, 1/8 t pepper, 2 cloves of garlic. I used Instant Pot - sautéed beef in olive oil on sauté setting then added other ingredients, mixed, & cooked 35 minutes on stew setting. Natural release. Everyone loved it!
10/13/2008
A definite keeper! Here are the changes I made: I browned 1 lb. of ground turkey with approx. 1 cup of chopped onions and 1 tbsp of minced garlic and some powered beef flavoring for the meat, but this is very optional (essentially it's beef bullion in power form); 4 beef bullion cubes, 5 cups of water (which is equal to 4 cups of beef broth and 1 cup of water); added 1/4 cup red wine; used a little extra of all spices called for, inc. 2 bay leaves, as we like our soup extra flavorful. This turned out soooo great - we'll make it again and again for sure. Thank you!
10/10/2009
Great starter veggie soup. Added black, pinto and kidney beans. Also added more veggies and some cabbage.
02/06/2020
Excellent recipe. But I put in beef broth instead of water & I added a bag of mixed vegetables to it. So good!!!
12/17/2019
Was a hit with the family. I used leftover roast I had in freezer so just sautéed onion/veggies a bit first before adding liquids , beef and seasonings.
01/24/2021
I added a lot more veggies and it turned out great.
02/11/2010
Very great soup!!! A great start for many soups, thanks.
11/04/2015
I also added garlic when browning the cubed steaks. Other than that, I made it exactly as is and it's perfect! Thank you for the recipe. ;) Add pasta or rice for a full meal.
02/17/2008
I followed the recipe exactly but when all was said and done, it tasted bland. I added some minced garlic, fresh dill, parsley, black pepper and smoked paprika. I also added one bag of frozen soup vegetables. It came out delicious.
05/04/2017
This soup is so good and easy .I make it once week.This is is my go to meal whenever I want to distress.
11/01/2012
This is a great starter soup to add personal taste preferences. As noted in other reviews, I added 2 cloves minced garlic to the end of the browning process, used half water/half beef broth (along with the bouillon cubes), added 1 can Rotel tomatoes and green chilis, and doubled the thyme, bay leaf, and basil. Also, added some frozen corn. Usually, leftovers are a no-no in this house. But, I am hearing requests to eat it again and again!
01/09/2011
Easy to make with a great flavor. I couldn't use the 5 cups of water since my slow cooker would be over-flowing if I did. Instead, I just add all other ingredients and then fill with water to the top.
11/10/2015
Wow, this is easy and delicious! As others have, I've "made it my own" We like thick soup, so I used 2 lbs. stew beef (may try the ground next time),browned with onion and 3 cloves of fresh garlic, low sodium beef broth instead of water, one sodium free beef bouillon packet, just under 1 T. sea salt with garlic, pureed the stewed tomatoes before adding (one Italian seasoned, one plain), baby carrots, chopped, 4 chopped medium russets, skin on. While that was in the pot simmering, I chopped baby portabello mushroom and sautéed a bit in olive oil, and then chopped one zucchini - added them later so they didn't get mushy. (The potatoes take longer to cook.) After it was all done, I threw in generous handfuls of baby spinach, which wilt right in. So there you have a big pot of beautiful, healthy goodness! Next time maybe I'll try fresh green beans, whole wheat orzo or pasta or noodles, parsley, corn? The list is endless. This is a KEEPER!! Thanks again!
01/21/2015
So yummy. The only change I made was to add two potatoes. I made a large pot and put in freezer containers and have lunch all week. Thanks for a great recipe.
05/02/2005
Delicious!
10/16/2017
This served as a good basic recipe. I also used beef broth (32 oz) instead of water. I added a package of onion soup mix, used unsalted tomatoes, used 2 bay leaves, and added about 1/4 cup sugar. I thickened with corn starch in cold water as we like soup a bit thicker. It turned out great.
02/07/2008
This was decent...not a keeper though.
11/13/2006
Easy soup. Very good. Did use low sodium beef broth instead of water to give it more flavor.
10/22/2018
I followed another person's comments and used beef broth instead of the water. I substituted one 14.5 ounce can of tomato sauce for one of the cans of stewed tomatoes. And I used beef tips instead of the ground sirloin. This is an excellent recipe. It tastes even better the second day. We will make this again!
04/17/2019
So this is a good base recipe but it is not good on it's own. You will have to doctor it up a bit. I followed the recipe and doubled it. Except I added 2 large cloves of garlic, little over a teaspoon of parsley, ground pepper and used 4 cubes of beef bouillon. If you don't use extra bouillon in the water or use broth in place of the water, it will taste like warm vegetable flavored water
04/08/2006
Great soup for those cold days. Plenty of flavor & pretty thick. I chose to skip the potato, but added a can of drained Tuscan bean blend. Really good!
01/20/2008
This soup didn't turn out...it tasted very bad. I was so upset, I followed the recipe exactly.
02/06/2022
I thought the flavor was alright. It definitely needs more seasonings. But it did have a nice consistency. The serving sizes are not accurate. I made "12 servings", but really it only served 5 people with healthy appetites. The men all had second bowls. Plan accordingly.
04/06/2008
This was really good. I used beef broth instead of water and bullion, and I added lots of barley. Yumm Yumm, will make again!
08/21/2003
a quick and easy recipe. loved it. thanks!
03/07/2006
Pretty good, pretty, pretty good. Will make again.
06/06/2009
Excellent perfect for a base recipe! I added some garlic to the meat and onions. I added frozen vegetables as well as spinach in addition to fresh celery and potatoes. It was a hit at my house! Will be making again!
12/10/2018
Great soup, help it with more vegetables and 2 bay leaves.
11/13/2015
I left out the potato's and used crushed tomato's.
04/03/2009
5 stars...great recipe that is consistantly good. Highly recommend
11/18/2005
This was so good!! My husband and I loved it!! I did add more potatoes, celery, and carrots then what the recipe called for. I will make it again
03/18/2007
Fantastic recipe. I did not have beef bullion so I left that ingredient out, and the soup still tasted fantastic.
03/12/2007
I thought this recipe was okay. I had to add a total of 4 bullion cubes to make the broth taste like it wasn't watered down. The ground beef made the soup seem like a hamburger soup. If I do make this again, next time I'll either use stew beef or make small meatballs. Not my fave soup recipe to say the least.
12/09/2012
Turned out great ....Even us old guys that are not the greatest of chefs can make this!
09/29/2010
I am not an experienced soup maker but this one was delicious. I did double spices and used the meat drippings as part of the liquid after I strained it. I made it for a church supper and hated to bring it away.
Source: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/13377/vegetable-beef-soup-ii/
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