Hearty Vegetable and Beef Soup Recipe for Family Meals

This easy recipe for vegetable beef soup is an excellent way to use up leftovers. The tomato-based broth is hearty and packed with vegetables.

I like recipes that help clear out the fridge. Recently I had leftover pot roast, carrots, and potatoes from a cold-weather meal, and I turned them into a comforting vegetable beef soup. This version comes from my husband’s family — a simple, economical dish that stretches ingredients into a filling meal. The base is flexible, so you can add whatever leftovers you have on hand: cooked rice, green beans, or extra vegetables. It’s classic comfort food that’s easy to adapt.

Vegetable Beef Soup – What You’ll Need

Choose your protein first. Leftover pot roast works beautifully because it’s already cooked and easy to shred. If you prefer, cook a small chuck roast specifically for this soup; an Instant Pot or slow cooker speeds the process. Ground beef is a straightforward alternative: brown one pound in a skillet, break it into pieces, cook until no longer pink, and drain any excess fat.

The soup base uses simple pantry ingredients. Start with four cups of tomato juice and four cups of chicken broth. Add one small chopped onion, one stalk of diced celery, and two cloves of minced garlic for flavor. For potatoes, I recommend 5–6 small red or yellow new potatoes—no peeling required and they keep a better texture than Russets.

Bring the tomato juice and chicken broth to a boil in a large stockpot, then add the onion, potatoes, celery, and garlic. Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for about 40 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.

Once the potatoes are nearly done, stir in one (15-ounce) can of lima beans (drained), one (15-ounce) can of black-eyed peas (drained), 1 1/2 to 2 cups of cooked roast or the cooked ground beef, and one (12-ounce) bag of frozen mixed vegetables. Simmer about 10 more minutes until everything is heated through. Taste and season with salt and pepper. This soup is lovely with warm cornbread, buttermilk biscuits, or savory muffins.

Serving suggestions

This vegetable beef soup stands well on its own but is even better paired with sides that soak up the broth. Serve it with warm cornbread, buttermilk biscuits, cheese straws, or twice-baked potatoes for a satisfying meal.

How to Store Leftovers

Let the soup cool completely before transferring it to an airtight container. Stored in the fridge, it will keep for up to four days and often tastes even better the next day.

I don’t recommend freezing the soup after the potatoes have been added; freezing changes their texture and can make them mushy. If you plan to freeze the soup, omit the potatoes, freeze the cooled soup in freezer-safe containers for up to three months, then thaw and reheat gently. Cook fresh potatoes separately and add them to the reheated soup before serving to preserve texture.

If you pressure can, this soup can be preserved in quart jars using a pressure canner to meet safe processing temperatures. Follow your pressure canner manufacturer’s instructions for times and pressures appropriate to your altitude and equipment. I typically leave one inch of headspace, wipe the rims clean, seal, and follow recommended pressure and time settings for meat-vegetable soups.

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