Hearty Beef Soup Classic (Printable)

Comforting mix of tender beef, root vegetables, and herbs for a warming, flavorful meal.

# What's Needed:

→ Meats

01 - 1.5 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes

→ Vegetables

02 - 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
03 - 2 celery stalks, sliced
04 - 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
05 - 1 large onion, diced
06 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
07 - 1 parsnip, peeled and sliced (optional)
08 - 1 cup green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces

→ Broth & Seasonings

09 - 6 cups beef broth
10 - 14 ounces canned diced tomatoes, undrained
11 - 2 tablespoons tomato paste
12 - 2 bay leaves
13 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
14 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
15 - ½ teaspoon black pepper
16 - Salt, to taste

→ To Finish

17 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

# How to Make It:

01 - Heat a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add a drizzle of oil and sear the beef cubes until browned on all sides. Remove and set aside.
02 - In the same pot, add onion, garlic, carrots, celery, and parsnip. Sauté for 5 minutes until softened.
03 - Return beef to the pot, stir in tomato paste, and cook for 1 minute.
04 - Pour in beef broth and canned tomatoes with their juice. Add potatoes, green beans, bay leaves, thyme, oregano, salt, and black pepper.
05 - Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 1.5 to 2 hours until beef is tender and flavors meld.
06 - Discard bay leaves. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed.
07 - Stir in fresh parsley just before serving.

# Tips for Success:

01 -
  • The beef becomes so tender it falls apart without effort, and the broth tastes like you've been tending it all day.
  • It's flexible enough to use whatever vegetables are sitting in your crisper drawer without losing its soul.
  • Freezes beautifully, which means you can make it once and eat well for weeks.
02 -
  • Don't skip searing the beef—that brown crust is where half the flavor lives, and boiling it directly in the broth skips that entirely.
  • Green beans should go in during the last 15 minutes of cooking, or they'll turn to mush and lose their color.
  • Always pull out the bay leaves; I learned this the hard way when my mother bit into one at a dinner party and her face said everything.
03 -
  • Brown the beef in batches if your pot is crowded—beef steaming in its own moisture won't develop that crucial crust, so give it space.
  • Taste the broth as it simmers and add salt gradually; it concentrates as the liquid reduces, so what tastes perfect at hour one might be too salty at hour two.

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