Description
A hearty and flavorful Vegetable Beef Soup featuring tender, fall-apart stewing beef simmered with seasonal vegetables and enriched with red wine or stout, perfect for cozy fall and winter meals.
Ingredients
Scale
Beef and Soup Base
- 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
Optional Buttery Mushrooms
- 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 the beef dry with paper towels, sprinkle with salt and pepper, then brown the beef aggressively in 2 or 3 batches, adding more oil if needed. Remove browned beef and set aside.
- Sauté aromatics and vegetables: If the pot looks dry, add a little more oil. Add garlic and onion, cook for 2 minutes until fragrant. Add carrots and celery, continue cooking for another 2 minutes or until onion is translucent.
- Create roux and add liquids: Stir in the flour evenly, then slowly pour in the beef broth while constantly stirring to avoid lumps. Add the red wine (or Guinness/stout), water, tomato paste, bay leaves, and dried thyme. Stir well to combine.
- Simmer beef soup: Return the browned beef to the pot. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low so the mixture bubbles gently. Simmer for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the beef is very tender.
- Add potatoes and peas: Add the cubed potatoes and frozen peas to the soup, simmer uncovered for an additional 20 minutes until potatoes are cooked through.
- Prepare optional mushrooms: In a separate skillet, melt butter or heat oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Combine and finish soup: Stir the cooked mushrooms into the soup during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Adjust salt and pepper to taste, adding plenty of pepper if desired.
- Serve: Ladle soup into bowls, sprinkle with fresh parsley if desired, and serve with crusty bread such as cheesy garlic bread or Irish soda bread for a complete comforting meal.
Notes
- Use stewing or braising beef with good marbling for tender, flavorful results. Cuts like chuck or boneless short rib work well.
- Red wine, Guinness, or stout add rich depth of flavor. For non-alcoholic substitution, use 400g canned crushed tomatoes and 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce.
- The soup tastes even better the next day and can be refrigerated for 4 to 5 days or frozen for longer storage.
- Try adding fresh parsley for garnish and serve with crusty bread to soak up the delicious broth.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 350 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 400 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 25 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 30 g
- Cholesterol: 80 mg
