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A delicious recipe for Easy Vegetable Beef Soup made with ground beef. This recipe uses common ingredients and it can be easily doubled if you’re feeding a crowd or want leftovers for lunch. With a serving of vegetables and protein, this hearty soup is a healthy and satisfying meal.

A soup ladle with ground beef soup inside of it in a pot of soup.

Easy Vegetable Beef Soup Recipe

It’s safe to say I have a thing for vegetable beef soup recipes. One of the all-time reader favorite recipes, that happens to have hundreds of 5 star reviews, is this Hamburger Vegetable Soup.

This easy to make vegetable beef soup, that’s made with ground beef, is a one pot recipe that is total comfort food and made with some easy ingredients like frozen vegetables, dried seasonings, and lean ground beef. 

A silver spoon with soup inside of it. Close up shot.

Ingredients Needed

This quick version of vegetable beef soup has two secret ingredients that sound odd (trust me!) but they give this soup so much flavor. You will only need simple ingredients like frozen vegetables and ground beef to make this soup. 

  • Ground Beef – I always use lean 93/7 ground beef and I still drain it. Even with the lower fat ground meat you will still have some liquid pool up as it cooks. I just drain it off before adding the other ingredients. 
  • Beef Broth – The recipe calls for the full-salt version of beef broth and you need it! This soup relies on the hearty flavors from the beef broth, and the two “surprise ingredients”. 
  • Frozen Vegetables – You need frozen mixed vegetables + frozen corn. Put them out on the counter to thaw before you begin chopping the onion and cooking the ground beef. This way they are slightly thawed and will cook during the simmering time. 
  • Soy Sauce – This is the first surprise ingredient! Traditionally you see this in Asian & Chinese inspired dishes but the salty flavor it adds goes perfectly with this soup. I use the reduced-sodium soy sauce. If you use the full salt soy sauce you might find the soup a tad too salty or not. Depending on your salt preference. 
  • Molasses – I know. I know. Totally weird. But it adds a thick, dark, slightly sweet flavor to the soup and it’s amazing. It’s even worth buying molasses just for this recipe (that’s what I did anyways). There really is no substitute but if you must, try using dark brown sugar or even dark corn syrup. But again, I’ve never substituted this ingredient so I can’t promise the results if you choose to. 

Vegetable Beef Soup only needs one pot and 30 minutes on the stove. Ground beef, frozen vegetables, tomato sauce, beef broth, and a couple surprise ingredients make this vegetable beef soup so delicious & easy to make!

How To Make Vegetable Soup With Ground Beef

You only need one pot to make this recipe!

Ground Beef : Brown and crumble the ground beef with the chopped onion, garlic powder, and basil. Drain the excess grease from the pot. 

Soup : Add the remaining ingredients like beef broth, tomato sauce, frozen vegetables, molasses, and soy sauce. 

Simmer : Bring the soup to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and let it simmer for at least 20-30 minutes before serving. 

Step by step photos showing a soup pot with ingredients inside of it. Showing how to make ground beef vegetable soup.

Step by step photos showing a soup pot with ingredients inside of it. Showing how to make ground beef vegetable soup.

Tips For Success

Here are a few of my tips for making this recipe a success in your own kitchen.

  • Drain Ground Beef Grease : Make sure you drain the ground beef after cooking it. All that extra grease in the soup will give it an oily film over top. 
  • Let Simmer : Make sure you let the soup simmer for 20-30 minutes so the flavors can develop. This soup is so much better after it’s had time to simmer all together.

White bowl of vegetable soup with beef with oyster crackers on top of it and a silver spoon in the bowl.

Variation & Substitution Ideas

There are a few ways that you can change up this hearty soup recipe. Here are a few ideas and things I have done. 

  • Switch Out Protein : Instead of ground beef try using ground turkey or ground chicken. 
  • Frozen Vegetables : Use any frozen vegetable you like!
  • Tomato Sauce : I have used tomato sauce w/ garlic, basil, oregano when I’ve made this recipe. Instead of using plain classic tomato sauce, try using a seasoned tomato sauce. 
  • Seasonings : Feel free to add additional seasonings if wanted. Fresh garlic can be used, add some Italian seasoning, add salt & pepper depending on taste preference. Lots of ways to adapt this recipe to whatever you want. 

Close up shot of vegetable beef soup with a spoon holding some in it.

Easy Vegetable Beef Soup FAQ’s

  • Serving Suggestions
  • Can I Freeze Vegetable Beef Soup?
    • Yes! This soup freezes perfectly. Make sure it’s cooled to room temperature. Store the soup inside a freezer-safe container (I use a gallon-sized Ziploc bag) and freeze for up to 1 month. 
    • When ready to eat, you can thaw and warm it up in a soup pot on the stove. Put the frozen soup inside the slow cooker. Or let the soup thaw in the fridge overnight. 
    • You may have to add some additional beef broth when reheating frozen leftovers or leftovers. 
  • How To Store Leftovers
    • Leftovers can safely be stored in an air-tight container, in the fridge, for 3-4 days. 
    • I think it’s easiest to warm up leftovers in the microwave, but you can also put them into a pot and heat up on the stove top. 

Ground beef soup inside a ladle in a soup pot full of soup.

More Soup Recipes With Ground Beef

Vegetable Beef Soup only needs one pot and 30 minutes on the stove. Ground beef, frozen vegetables, tomato sauce, beef broth, and a couple surprise ingredients make this vegetable beef soup so delicious & easy to make!
Together As Family Logo

Quick Vegetable Beef Soup


Author Jessica
Course Soup
Cuisine American
Prep Time 3 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Servings 5 people (1 3/4 cup each)
Vegetable Beef Soup only needs one pot and 30 minutes on the stove. Ground beef, frozen vegetables, tomato sauce, beef broth, and a couple surprise ingredients make this vegetable beef soup so delicious & easy to make!

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb lean ground beef
  • 1 small onion finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 1/4 cups beef broth
  • 1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
  • 1 1/2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
  • 1 1/2 cups frozen corn
  • 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon molasses

Instructions

  • Place frozen vegetables out on the counter to thaw slightly. This ensures that they will cook within the simmering/cook time of the soup.
    *I just leave them out while I chop the onion and cook the ground beef.
  • In a large soup pot, over medium-high heat, cook & crumble ground beef, onion, garlic powder, and dried basil until beef is no longer pink. Drain.
  • To the same pot, add the beef broth, tomato sauce, slightly thawed vegetables, soy sauce, and molasses. Stir together and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce hear to medium-low and let simmer for 15-20 minutes. Stirring occasionally.

Notes

1 cup + 3/4 cup (1 3/4) is the serving size for the calories listed. That is a big serving for kids, so if you are feeding a family with young kids then there is no need to double the recipe. If you are serving 5 or more adults, then you may want to double the recipe. There are 6 in my family and we always have plenty of leftovers of this soup. At least enough for 2 lunches. 
 
I have only ever used the full-salt beef broth in this recipe. I worry that if you use the reduced-salt (50% less sodium) then you may find the soup very bland. 
 
 

Nutrition

Calories: 266kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 56mg | Sodium: 1133mg | Potassium: 1144mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 3361IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 5mg

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Recipe Rating




43 Comments

  1. Can this be made in the crock pot as well?

    1. Together As Family says:

      Yes, be sure and brown the ground beef first before adding it into the crock pot.

  2. Hi, Have you ever added potato?
    Thanks

    1. Together As Family says:

      No I have not but it would be delicious! I’d be sure to cut the potatoes into small chunks so that they can cook fairly quickly. Enjoy!

      1. I have made this recipe twice and followed it exact except I do add 2-3 Yukon gold potatoes and it just makes it that much more delicious!

  3. this came out fantastic, I used diced tomatoes and a can of tomatoe sauce. fresh beans from the garden , a potatoe diced and a handful of elbow macaroni. my husband wouldn’t eat it any other way

  4. 5 stars
    Fast, hearty and a family favorite. The surprise ingredients are the ones that merge all the flavors and enhance them perfectly.

  5. I made this tonight and it didn’t seem like a lot of food. Do I need to add water to it? I think I did something wrong

  6. 5 stars
    This was so good! I made a double batch with hopes of having leftovers for lunch the rest of the week………….
    there were no left overs. my husband and our 3 growing kiddos ate it all ( I was lucky to get one bowl ) will be making this again soon.

    1. Together As Family says:

      I love this! Worst thing ever is when you’re looking forward to leftovers and there are none. So sorry! Thanks for your comment and I am happy your family loved it.

  7. 5 stars
    I made a vegan version of this today by replacing the ground beef and beef broth with impossible beef and vegetable broth. It turned out great!

  8. Can I use slow cooker for this recipe ( vegetable soup ) if so what’s temp & how long ? Deborah

    1. Together As Family says:

      Cook and crumble the ground beef and then add all the ingredients in the slow cooker. Cook on LOW heat for 5-6 hours would be my guess. Let me know if you try it!

  9. What about v8 juice instead of tomatoes and broth

    1. Together As Family says:

      Yes that would work great in this recipe! I love V8 in soups.

  10. 5 stars
    Made this twice already because I like putting lots of veggies in my meals. This soup is hearty and filling with lots of green beans and sweet corn kernels. This recipe will be in my dinner rotation every other week in cool weather.

    1. Together As Family says:

      I love hearing this! Thanks so much for your comment and rating.

  11. Why do u prefer frozen vegetables vs canned ?

    1. Together As Family says:

      I don’t. I use both frozen and canned in lots of different recipes. You can use either one in recipes.

  12. Jennifer Davis says:

    5 stars
    It was very good. It was something easy that I could throw together while my 5 children were getting homework done. We are a soy free family so I substituted soy for coconut aminos.

    1. 5 stars
      Hi Jennifer, did I miss something? I don’t see where the recipe called for anything “soy”….. I don’t understand. Thanks!

      1. 5 stars
        Please disregard the message I sent previously, I now see that Jennifer was talking about the soy sauce. My most humble apologies. Thanks for the awesome recipe!

  13. 5 stars
    This soup was amazing! We added fresh garlic, 8 oz of tomato sauce, 4 cups of beef broth, and one large diced russet potato instead of the extra corn. I also left out the molasses and we topped the soup with parmesan. Absolutely wonderful!

  14. Mary Raymo says:

    5 stars
    I added some sliced cabbage and it added an additional depth of flavor.

  15. Dave Ward says:

    5 stars
    Easy to make and very tasty
    Thanks for the recipe

  16. 5 stars
    I bet I have made this 10 times, we love it and almost always have everything on hand when I don’t want to run to the store. Tonight, I realized I didn’t have a can of tomato sauce, so I used some spaghetti sauce. I shall see in about 30 minutes if this is was a good substitute.

  17. 5 stars
    I omitted the soy sauce. It would of made it too salty for me. Still very tasty.

  18. 5 stars
    I had put together my own version of vegetable soup. It was SOOO bland! Added your secret ingredients (soy sauce and molasses). It turned out FABULOUS!!! I made17 quarts.

    1. Together As Family says:

      Yay! So glad it could help. Thanks for your comment.

  19. 5 stars
    Thanks! Came out perfect. I put some Bouillon and a dash of brown sugar. My fiancé said it was the best soup he has ever had.

    1. Together as Family says:

      Glad you liked it! I love the idea of adding brown sugar!

  20. 5 stars
    I made this tonight, it was sooooooo delicious. I didn’t have molasses so I put a tablespoon of brown sugar in it. I made a few changes but not
    Many. I doubled the batch for starters to make sure we had left overs Ha ha.

    I used 2 full cans of beef broth
    4 8oz cans of tomato sauce
    Half onion
    Teaspoon of red pepper for a kick
    Added some Lima beans and extra frozen veggies

    Will definitely go in our rotation

    1. Together as Family says:

      Glad to hear it will join your recipe rotation! Thanks for sharing what worked for you!

  21. This soup is amazing. I craved it so much I made it again the next week. The soy sauce and molasses added that something I would have never thought of. The second time I put in 1/3C Ditalini pasta. Made it more hearty.Thanks again.

    1. Together as Family says:

      Oh I love to hear that! Thank you for sharing!

  22. Roma Chabot says:

    5 stars
    This soup is so good. Glad I made it. I got a “hankering” for beef vegetable soup, so bought the ingredients and enjoyed the soup.

    1. Together as Family says:

      I’m so glad this recipe helped satisfy your hankering! Thanks for the review!

  23. 5 stars
    Ok I’ve made this soup 4x and it’s my go to soup because it’s really easy to make. I just love it. I’ve done a lot of soup recipes, but molasses and soy sauce adds that Something. It’s a nice vegetable soup.

    1. Together As Family says:

      Yes, the molasses and soy sauce definitely throws people off. But it’s so good! So happy you love it.

  24. 5 stars
    This was delicious! I used brown sugar instead of molasses since I didn’t have any and doubled the soy sauce, plus tossed in a can of diced potatoes. It was heavenly! Going on my cold weather rotation for sure!

    1. Together As Family says:

      I love that brown sugar substitute for the molasses. So smart!

  25. Elaine Haney says:

    5 stars
    My mom always used ground beef but I use stew meat for mine. And I also use bay leaves. When I boil the meat I add my onion, 2 bay leaves and soy sauce. When I’m ready for the rest of the ingredients, I use a can of stewed tomatoes (if I don’t have any canned). Found this recipe in a file and have been using it ever since.