Description
This hearty Vegetable Beef Soup features fall-apart tender stewing beef simmered with fresh vegetables in a rich broth enhanced by red wine or stout. Perfect for a cozy meal, this savory soup combines flavorful beef, root vegetables, and optional buttery mushrooms for a satisfying dish.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 1.5 tbsp olive oil, separated
- 500g/1 lb stewing beef, cut into 1.75cm / 2/3" cubes
- 1/2 tsp salt and pepper
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced (1 tbsp)
- 2 celery stalks, cut into 0.8 cm / 1/3" slices
- 3 carrots, cut into 0.5 cm / 1/5" thick slices (halve larger ones)
- 4 tbsp flour
- 2 1/2 cups (625ml) beef broth/stock, low sodium
- 1 1/2 cups (375ml) dry red wine, Guinness beer or stout
- 1.5 cups (375ml) water
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 2 potatoes, cut into 1.5cm / 2/3" cubes
Buttery Mushrooms (Optional)
- 1 tbsp (15g) butter or oil
- 200g/6oz small mushrooms, quartered or halved
Instructions
- Heat oil and brown beef: Heat 1 tbsp olive oil until very hot in a large, heavy-based pot over high heat. Pat beef dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Brown beef aggressively in 2 or 3 batches, adding more oil if needed. Remove browned beef to a bowl.
- Sauté vegetables: If pot looks dry, add a touch more oil. Add garlic and chopped onion and cook for 2 minutes. Add carrot and celery, cooking for another 2 minutes or until the onion turns translucent.
- Add flour and liquids: Stir in the flour, then slowly pour in beef broth while constantly stirring to avoid lumps. Add red wine (or stout/Guinness), water, tomato paste, bay leaves, and dried thyme. Stir well.
- Simmer the soup: Return the browned beef to the pot. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low so it's bubbling gently. Simmer for 1 hour 15 minutes, or until beef is tender.
- Add potatoes and peas: Add the cubed potatoes and frozen peas. Simmer uncovered for a further 20 minutes until potatoes are cooked.
- Cook mushrooms (optional) and finish soup: In the last 5 minutes, add cooked buttery mushrooms if using. For mushrooms, melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat, cook mushrooms for 5 minutes until browned, seasoning with salt and pepper.
- Season and serve: Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Ladle soup into bowls, garnish with parsley, and serve with crusty bread if desired.
Notes
- Beef: Use any stewing or braising beef pre-cut or cut your own from chuck or boneless short rib. Choose beef with good marbling for tenderness and flavor.
- Red Wine, Guinness or Stout: These add rich flavor to the broth. Recommended dry red wines include Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot. Guinness and stout can be found in most liquor stores. For a non-alcoholic substitute, use a 400g can of crushed tomatoes plus 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce.
- Storage: Soup keeps well for 4 to 5 days refrigerated and freezes perfectly for longer storage.
- Nutrition is based on one serving assuming 5 servings total.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 450 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 28 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 28 g
- Cholesterol: 80 mg
