Best Ever Italian Beef Soup Recipe with Video (2024)

ByDonna Elick

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Italian Beef Soupsure doesn’t cut corners! The meat is trimmed, seared, and simmered until it literally melts in your mouth. The vegetables are seasoned and cooked until just tender yet still crisp and full of flavor. Served in a mindblowing broth with savory Italian seasonings, this is my best hearty beef soup recipe to date!

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Sometimes it’s hard to imagine the results. Check out the video below of this beef soup recipe being made for a look at what’s to come!

This hearty soup is one simple recipe that the whole family will love. It has the best flavor and is a great way to whip up a simple comfort food on a chilly day!

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Italian Beef Soup

There’s just something about wholesome, hearty beef vegetable soup that no other recipe can replace.

It’s all classic, homecooked, and smells even better than it tastes – if that’s even possible!!

It’s a timeless dish you ate as a kid, that you serve toyourkids, and that they’ll serve totheirkids later down the line.

And I’m happy to introduce you to the beef soup recipe you’ll be making from here on out, because this really is the best vegetable beef soup out there!!

While we’re replacing childhood recipes… take some time to try mychicken noodleandFrench onion souprecipes!!

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Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

  • Beef Chuck Roast– This cut comes from the shoulder of the cow and has a super rich, fatty flavor. It’s my first choice for pot roast soup!
  • Cabernet Sauvignon– This dark red wine is lending its moisture and deep, fruity flavor to our beef and vegetable soup.

    Those who dislike cooking with alcohol can choose a non-alcoholic wine of their choice or a simple grape, pomegranate, or cranberry juice.

  • Beef Stock– Vegetable stock works just fine, too. If you’re using bouillon or beef base, then use 4 teaspoons of the base/bouillon mixed into 4 cups of water.
  • Worcestershire Sauce– Sweet, sour, and even a little spicy!

    Soy sauce is your best substitute, but you can add ketchup or apple juice to it to get some of that sweet acidity back.

  • Dried Italian Seasoning– Such a versatile combination of herbs!

    You can mix your own with a teaspoon each of dried basil and rosemary, and ½ teaspoon each of dried oregano and thyme.

  • Shallots & Garlic– Aromatics play a big role in the overall flavor of a soup. Shallots and garlic are perfect!

    Shallots can be replaced with an onion of your choice (for an even stronger flavor), but be sure to use fresh garlic instead of powdered.

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Kitchen Hacks for Hearty Vegetable Beef Soup

  • Don’t Forget To Deglaze– This is huge! There’s so much flavor cooked onto the bottom of the pot.

    The wine scoops all of it up and makes a fantastic base for the soup.

  • Best Sides to Serve– Bread isnevera bad idea!Cornbread,beer bread, andgarlic bread.

    And since Italian beef soup is rather rich and hearty, a crisp and refreshingsaladwould be a relief to bite into!

  • Thicken The Broth– There are two ways to do this. The first method is to simply use less stock – just 2 cups or so – for a thicker broth with a stronger flavor.

    Alternatively, you can make a slurry with water and either cornstarch or flour. This won’t affect the flavor much at all, but will achieve a thick, silky consistency.

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Storing and Reheating Italian Beef Soup

Keep any leftover beef soup chilled for 3 to 4 days.

Reheat it right back on the stovetop over medium heat until all warmed through!

Sometimes this hearty beef vegetable soup is even better the next day, after everything sits in the broth overnight.

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Italian Beef Soup FAQ

What is the best cut of beef for soup?

The best cut of meat for beef soup is either a chuck roast, chuck shoulder, chuck-eye roast or top chuck – with chuck roast being my personal favorite.

These are the most tender cuts. Despite what the name suggests, stew meat isnotyour best choice in a beef soup recipe! The cubes in a stew pack can actually come from any combination of cuts, and you never know if they’ll be suited for simmering or not.

Can you freeze Italian beef soup?

Yep!

Let it cool down first, and then portion into separate containers so that you can thaw just one serving at a time. If you plan on reheating all of it at once, then a freezer bag or other airtight container will do just fine for the whole batch.

What is the difference between soup and stew?

It’s probably exactly what you think – a stew is basically a thicker, richer, heartier soup.

Stews simmer down the broth for maximum flavor, while soups tend to just cook and heat the liquid. Both are great in their own way, but stews are almost always more flavorful and satisfying than soups!

What toppings go well with this homemade vegetable beef soup recipe?

Since this recipe is made with simple ingredients, you’ll love all the toppings and flavors that you can add. Bay leaves are great for adding flavor (but not to eat), and fresh parsley is always delicious.

Add some black pepper and other fresh herbs to really enhance the wonderful taste. (garlic powder is great with the tender beef!) Crusty bread or croutons are a great choice, too!

When you have a homemade soup this delicious, the only thing that you have to really worry about is that you’ll want more because there is lots of flavor. Keep this simple recipe handy during the winter months because it doesn’t take a lot of time to make, but it’s going to stick in your mind for a long time.

Vegetable beef soup recipes like this are the best! It’s a simple good soup to share with family and friends!

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Enjoy!
With love, from our simple kitchen to yours.

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Homemade Vegetable Beef Soup + Video

Donna Elick

Italian Beef Soup is a slow simmered masterpiece. Try my easy beef soup recipe for a mouthwatering mix of tender beef and flavorful veggies!

5 stars from 6 reviews

Tried this recipe?Please comment and review!

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 2 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 40 minutes mins

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Method Stovetop

Servings 12 1 cup servings

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds beef chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 1 – 1 1/2 inch cubes
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 shallot, diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 32 ounces beef stock, 4 cups
  • 1 cup Cabernet Sauvignon
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
  • 4 cups chopped red potatoes, bite-size pieces (about 1/2″)
  • 3 cups chopped baby carrots, bite-size pieces
  • fresh parsley to garnish, optional

Instructions

  • Trim hard fat (which does not melt during the cooking process) and silver skin (white and silvery looking) from beef and cut into 1 – 1 1/2″ cubes. It takes about 5 minutes, but don’t skip this step. It is sooo worth it.

  • Combine flour, paprika, pepper, and 1 teaspoon salt in a large 1-gallon resealable bag. Seal and shake to combine. Add beef and shake until well coated.

  • Warm olive oil in a large dutch oven (or heavy bottom pot), over medium-high heat, once you can feel the warmth when holding your hand 6 inches from the pot, add butter. Once butter is melted, carefully add beef. Do not crowd the pot, only add about 1/2 of the beef at a time.

  • Remove beef from flour and shake gently to remove loose flour. Place coated beef in the pan, one piece at a time, brown on all sides, about 3-5 minutes per side. Cook in two batches, about half each time. Turn pieces until all sides are browned and remove them and place them in your upside-down pot lid. Once the first batch is cooked, add the second batch and repeat.

  • Meanwhile, prepare shallot and garlic. Shallot should be diced and garlic minced. Set aside.

  • Once all beef is browned, add shallots and garlic. Cook until translucent, about 3 minutes.

  • Add wine and deglaze the pan by scraping up the browned bits at the bottom of the pan. Add beef stock, Worcestershire and Italian seasoning, remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Stir to combine. Return beef to the pot.

  • Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer. Allow soup to simmer 40 minutes.

  • Meanwhile, prepare potatoes and carrots. Cut vegetables into bite-size pieces. Set aside.

  • Add potatoes and carrots. Stir to coat vegetables and cover. Simmer 40-50 minutes or until vegetables are fork-tender. Taste broth. If necessary, add additional salt to taste (mine was perfect).

  • Garnish with fresh parsley if desired. Serve and enjoy!

Video

Donna’s Notes

I do not recommend using beef stew meat. It is a combination of cuts of meat that may not be right for this soup. The best cuts of meat to use for this beef soup are chuck roast, chuck shoulder, chuck-eye roast or top chuck. These cuts will result in meltingly tender beef that you can cut with a spoon, perfect for this dish!

You can substitute onion for shallot if you are looking for a stronger onion flavor.

4 teaspoons of beef base or bouillon and 4 cups of water can be substituted for the beef stock.

Dried Italian Seasoning is a fabulous convenience ingredient. If you do not keep it on hand, combine 1 teaspoon dried basil, 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano and 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme.

For a thicker stew-like consistency, cut the beef stock back to 2 cups.

I know some people are sensitive to alcohol. I will say the wine adds a fabulous rich burgundy flavor to the soup, and if you can use the cabernet, I highly recommend it. However, you can substitute with beef stock, grape, pomegranate, or cranberry juice.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 243cal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 57mg | Sodium: 642mg | Sugar: 3g | Fiber: 2g | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 3mg

All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe’s nutritional value will vary depending on the ingredients used, measuring methods, and portion sizes.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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Originally published September 2014, updated and republished December 2023

Disclosure: Posts may contain affiliate links. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link your price will remain the same and The Slow Roasted Italian will automatically receive a small commission. Thank you for supporting us, it helps us keep creating new recipes.

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Best Ever Italian Beef Soup Recipe with Video (2024)

FAQs

What is the most famous soup in Italy? ›

Minestrone is a classic Italian soup known worldwide as one of the best Italian soups. It's got a flavorful broth and a variety of slow-cooked vegetables like potatoes, peas, and carrots. Adding Italian sausage gives it a kick of flavor and a shot of protein, so it's a complete meal all by itself.

What is the most flavorful beef for soup? ›

The best cut of meat for beef soup is either a chuck roast, chuck shoulder, chuck-eye roast or top chuck – with chuck roast being my personal favorite. These are the most tender cuts.

How do I make my soup taste more beef? ›

I usually use diced leftover roast beef and any au jus or gravy, which makes a nice beefy flavor. Mirepoix, tomato paste, and garlic sauteed together are good aromatics for the initial soup base. Beef Better than Boullion provides a decent broth.

What's the difference between beef soup and beef stew? ›

Technique: Soup is made by simmering ingredients in liquid uncovered. Stew ingredients are barely covered with liquid, then simmer in a covered pot until the ingredients are tender and the liquid has reduced and thickened, a technique also known as braising.

What is the national soup of Italy? ›

Minestrone Soup - This is a traditional soup from Italy make with a combination of seasonal vegetables and pasta. It makes a complete meal with a slice of bread.

What is the most sold food in Italy? ›

Pizza. Besides pasta, pizza is perhaps the most popular and recognized Italian food. Pizza is considered a national symbol representing Italy to the rest of the world, so much so that UNESCO has acknowledged pizza as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Is stock or broth better for beef soup? ›

As a result, stock is usually a healthier product, delivering a richer mouth feel and deeper flavor than broth. Stock is a versatile culinary tool that can deliver taste to any number of dishes. Darker in color and more concentrated in flavor than broth, it's ideal for use in soups, rice, sauces and more.

Should you marinate beef for soup? ›

Using marinated meats is a great way to bring new, enriched flavor to your favorite soups and stews. Marinating meat prior to making your soup is a great way to add a depth of flavor while also tenderizing often lower quality stew meat.

What spices make beef taste better? ›

Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano, Sage, and Bay leaves are the best dried herbs to use when cooking beef. To use dried herbs with beef, you should consider which ones you want to include in your recipe and when you should add them.

How can I deepen my soup flavor? ›

Here are a few simple ways to upgrade soup broth for a tasty, filling, and flavorful finish.
  1. Add herbs and spices. Herbs and spices add aroma, flavor, and intensity to soup broth. ...
  2. Add acidic ingredients. ...
  3. Pack in umami flavor. ...
  4. Roast the ingredients first. ...
  5. Let it evaporate and cook longer. ...
  6. Skim excess fat.
Jun 28, 2023

How to deepen the flavor of beef stew? ›

There are flavors in tomatoes that are alcohol-soluble, so adding red wine along with tomato paste also helps to enhance beef stew." Laurence has a few other tricks I've borrowed to create the best beef stew, including adding Worcestershire, which gets a serious umami punch from anchovies.

What ingredient makes soup taste good? ›

You can extract a clean, strong broth from a combination of water and several pantry ingredients. It's all about layering powerful flavor-enhancers that you probably already have on hand—bacon, tomato paste, herbs, peppercorns, a Parmesan rind, and, of course, kosher salt.

What is the best beef cut for beef soup? ›

The following are some of the best cuts of beef for stewing, yielding meat that's juicy and tender even after long cooking:
  • Chuck.
  • Bone-in short rib.
  • Bohemian (Bottom Sirloin Flap)
  • Oxtail.
  • Fatty brisket ("point" or "second cut")
  • Cross-cut shanks.

Which part of the beef is really only good for soups and stews? ›

The best cuts of stew meat are lean with a high concentration of collagen-rich connective tissues—such as chuck or shoulder cuts—that also have some fat marbling for flavor. Lean cuts of meat come from parts of the animal that have lots of muscle, like the legs.

Do you have to cook beef before adding to soup? ›

If you are adding meat to a soup, sear or brown it in a sauté pan before you add it to the soup. This adds a deeper savory flavor to the whole soup.

What are the 3 most popular foods in Italy? ›

When it comes to food and drink, few can top Italy's stellar reputation. Ask anyone to name their favourite dishes and you can guarantee things like pizza, pasta and gelato soon come tripping off the tongue.

What is the Italian soup called? ›

Minestrone – a thick soup of Italian origin made with vegetables, often with the addition of pasta or rice. Common ingredients include beans, onions, celery, carrots, stock, and tomatoes.

What is Italian wedding soup called in Italy? ›

Please help improve this article by introducing citations to additional sources. Italian wedding soup, known in Italian as minestra maritata, is a soup consisting mainly of green vegetables and meat in chicken broth. It is popular in the United States, where it is a staple in many Italian restaurants and diners.

Do they eat zuppa Toscana in Italy? ›

Zuppa toscana ( lit. 'Tuscan soup'), also known in Italy as minestra di pane ( lit. 'bread soup'), is a soup from the region of Tuscany, northern Italy.

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