Easy Vegetable Beef Soup (with V8 juice)
This Vegetable Beef Soup has that simmered-all-day flavor, but it’s ready in less than thirty minutes! This recipe uses ground beef for quick cooking, loads of veggies, all cooked in a savory broth that includes the powerhouse “secret” ingredient–V8 Juice!!!! Healthy and comforting, this soup is a must-make this fall and winter!
This recipe is one of those old-fashioned “gramma” recipes (I’ve also seen it be called “Hamburger Soup”). It was actually inspired by a vegetable beef soup my hubby’s family used to make growing up. I switched it up a bit to make it super quick and easy, yet still have that cooked-all-day flavor! I also kept the secret ingredient….V8 Juice!
Serve up this vegetable beef soup up with THE **BEST** Garlic Bread or Texas Toast or be healthy like that and have a nice, crisp arugula salad!
Since you are in the warm, comforting “soupy” mood now, after you make this veggie soup, try my Easy Rigatoni Meatball Soup or this nourishing Chicken Noodle Soup! t’s super easy and the perfect weeknight comfort meal! If you need something a bit heartier, try my delicious Chili Con Carne, this Cheesy Velveeta Potato Soup and this classic 15 Bean Soup with Ham!
WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE
- It has cooked-all-day flavor but ready in about 30 minutes!
- You can easily customize the veggies in this soup! There’s no wrong way!
- It’s a rare, HEALTHY comfort food!
- Freezer-friendly and the leftovers are perfect for lunch!
RECIPE INGREDIENTS
You’ll need the following ingredients to make this delicious, Easy Vegetable Beef Soup:
INGREDIENT NOTES
Ground Beef: I like to use lean ground beef (90% lean or more) to keep this soup healthy and so I can skip draining it! HA!
Beef Stock: If you can find Beef Bone Broth, that works so well! If not, beef stock is also great. If you can only find beef BROTH, you can add two beef bullion cubes to deepen the flavor.
V8 Juice: This is a secret weapon for adding tons of flavor! If you like spice, use the spicy V8–so delish!
Veggies: Here is where you can mix and match based on what you like! My personal faves are celery, carrot, corn, green beans and potatoes. Fresh or frozen veggies both work just fine!
HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE: STEP BY STEP
Here are some quick visual instructions. Remember that full instructions with exact ingredients will be in the recipe card below!
Step 1: Brown your meat with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.
Step 2: Add celery, onion and carrots, stir to combine and cook about 5 minutes until veggies start to soften.
Step 3: Add potatoes and ALL remaining ingredients.
Step 4: Bring to a boil and simmer 15-20 minutes until flavors marry and potatoes are tender.
RECIPE TIPS & TRICKS
- I like cutting my green beans into small pieces for easy eating! I use my kitchen shears and cut them up right in the pot while the soup is simmering away!
- If you like like firmer veggies, add the frozen vegetables in the last 5 minutes of cooking.
- I like using some frozen veggies because it’s quick and easy. You can use any combo of fresh and frozen veggies you like!
- I always have extra beef stock or V8 juice on hand so when I go to reheat the soup, I can add a few splashes to thin it out.
STORAGE & REHEATING
Leftovers: Leftovers for this vegetable beef soup are so good! Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat, just microwave or reheat in a pan on the stove. Adding a little more broth or V8 Juice helps add back in some moisture that the potatoes absorb.
Freezing: This soup also freezes great! When freezing, I like to undercook the soup a bit (cook about 10 minutes instead of 15-20 minutes). Then, cool the soup completely and store flat in freezer bags or an airtight freezer container. Store up to 2 months.
To reheat, thaw in the in fridge overnight (or on the kitchen counter) then reheat in a pan on the stove. Adding a little more broth or V8 Juice helps add back in some moisture that the potatoes absorb.
ADDITIONS & SUBSTITUTIONS
- If you like your soup more meaty, add 2 lbs. of ground beef!
- Lean stew meat (sirloin), beef tips or another tender steak cut into cubes would be perfect for this soup, too. You may have to simmer it a bit longer so the meat gets super tender.
- Mix and match vegetables however you like! You can use fresh, frozen or a combination of the two! Some great additions/swaps are: peas, lima beans, mushrooms and zucchini. There’s really no wrong answer here 🙂
- If you like spice, try V8 Juice in Spicy!
- Want add some carb heartiness?? Add in 1/2 cup of dried pasta while the soup is simmering!
- Although I haven’t tried it (YET), pretty certain Italian sausage would be AMAZING in this!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Yes, you can! Here are the crockpot instructions:
1) Brown meat, add onions, celery and carrots. Cook for 4-5 minutes then transfer to the the crockpot.
2) Add all remaining ingredients, leaving out the frozen veggies, if using. Give everything a big stir.
3) Cook on LOW 5-6 hours or HIGH 2-3 hours until potatoes are tender. Add frozen veggies (if using) in the last 1/2 hour of cooking.
I prefer keeping this soup simple, but there are so many flavor additions you can add!
1) Beef Bullion cubes add another layer of depth and flavor to the soup. Add two cubes, crushed, to the soup when you add the beef stock.
2) Additional herbs: Dried or fresh rosemary, fresh garlic, and fresh parsley all add great flavor! When adding spices, start with a small amount, taste, and keep adding to taste.
3) A dash of hot sauce never hurt anyone 🙂
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OTHER SOUP RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
I hope you love this Vegetable Beef Soup! If you make it be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. Enjoy, xo!
Easy Vegetable Beef Soup (with V8 Juice)
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. lean ground beef
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 1 cup celery, cut into small pieces* about 3-4 stalks
- 1 cup carrots, diced* 1-2 medium carrots
- 1 cup fresh or frozen green beans* cut it 2 inch pieces
- 1 cup frozen corn*
- 1 cup potatoes, diced into small cubes* about 1 medium potato, peeled or unpeeled
- 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
- 3 cups V8 Juice
- 2 cups beef stock or beef bone broth See Note 1
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- In a large pot (I used my 6 qt. dutch oven) over medium high heat, add olive oil. Add ground beef and brown meat, breaking it up as it cooks–about 3-4 minutes. Pro tip: Using a potato masher during the last half of cooking helps break up the meat easily! Season meat with Italian seasoning, salt and garlic powder (if you are using lean ground beef, no need to drain the grease).
- Add onions, carrots and celery. Cook 4-5 minutes until veggies start to soften.
- Add ALL remaining ingredients. Give everything a big stir, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook 15-20 minutes until potatoes are tender. Taste and add salt IF NEEDED (See Note 2).
Tried to give 5 stars but it wouldn’t let me. My family really liked this version of homemade vegetable beef soup, used 90% lean ground beef. Added a little elbow macaroni. saving this one!
My family loves this delicious, nourishing soup! I love that it’s so quick and easy to make. I’m just popping by to save the recipe because we’ve got 8 days of rain in the forecast here. Thank goodness for you and your easy comfort food recipes!
Classic comfort food. The whole family loved this soup and we can’t wait to make it again!
This was definitely the easiest vegetable soup I’ve ever made. Adding V8 is genius! Thanks so much!
Oh wow! Such a fantastic and comforting soup. You had me at ready in less than thirty minutes.
This looks delicious and flavourful. I am a huge fan of one pot soup recipes. This perfectly fits my meal menu too.t
One of the best batches of vegetable soup I have ever made! So easy and delicious-used one lb. of stew meat and one pound of ground beef. I’m glad I used the Spicy V8 juice. Can’t wait to take it to work for lunch. Thank you for the awesome recipe!!
Thank you, thank you for this easy, great-tasting recipe for vegetable beef soup! I’ve tried so many different ones, but this one is a keeper!
So glad you enjoyed it, Anne! 🙂 xo
Picked up the barley and V-8 so I am ready to try this soup. Love the variety of veggies. Especially the green beans. PC is not as big a fan as I am but in soup, he will eat them. Thanks for linking up with us!!
Same with my hubby! But if we make it…they’ll eat it 🙂 XO ~ Casey
Mixing this together today. Can’t wait for dinner!! XO
Yay! Let me know how it turns out! xo
Making the soup today for my friend of 45 years! She has been having her 3rd round of Chemo! Losing so much weight and always nauseous!! Praying that this will help getting some food down to help her! I’ll let you know how it goes! 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Oh my goodness, Pat! Sending prayers to both you and your friend. She’s blessed to have such a great friend like you xo
That looks amazing.