Best Ever Italian Beef Soup Recipe with Video
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Italian Beef Soup sure 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!
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!
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 to your kids, and that they’ll serve to their kids 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 my chicken noodle and French onion soup recipes!!
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.
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 is never a bad idea! Cornbread, beer bread, and garlic bread.
And since Italian beef soup is rather rich and hearty, a crisp and refreshing salad would 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.
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.
Italian Beef Soup FAQ
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 is not your 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.
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.
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!
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!
Enjoy!
With love, from our simple kitchen to yours.
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Other Easy Soup Recipes
Homemade Vegetable Beef Soup + Video
Equipment
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
Nutrition
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.
Originally published September 2014, updated and republished December 2023
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my husband was amazed, it was so good! Thanks for a great recipe!! Oh, I didn't have Italian seasoning, so I made a mix of garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. It had a bit of kick!
I made this soup. I hope I could show you the picture of my finished product (copycat).
Donna, this looks like pure comfort food! I love dishes like this when the weather is cool. This will be perfect this weekend!
I made this tonight, it's absolutely divine!
Grubbin! Just made it it this afternoon. Koodos for the recipe
Would Merlot work for the wine in this recipe?
You could use merlot, but cabernet is the best in this soup. Enjoy and let us know how it goes.
I'm making this dish tonight for the first time. It's freezing outside so I thought this looked perfect for dinner. Thank you for the recipe 🙂
Awesome. Let us know how it goes!
Getting ready to make this for dinner tonight. Following your recipe, but instead of using the dried Italian seasoning I'm adding fresh rosemary and thyme…Can't wait!!!
I made this for dinner Monday night. I have made beef stews before, but nothing remarkable. In fact, when my husband and my teenage boys asked what was for dinner, they were not too excited. So, after I cranked out this recipe, unsolicited, they declared that it was the best beef stew they ever had. One thing that I think that makes the difference is using chuck and not stew meat like you suggested, and coating in flour and spices is genius! We do not drink alcohol and I subbed out the wine with cranberry juice and it worked great! This might say 12 servings, but can I say that five men ate it all, before I got any! (Delivery guys were installing my new washer and dryer, they came late, during dinner time and as I was overseeing that, these guys ate it all- I only got to taste it as I was cooking.) They were all embarrassed when I told them that I didn't even get to have any, but they declared they couldn't help themselves it was so good! Yeah so, good thing they are cute…. making it again soon.. next time while they are at school, so I can get the first bowl 🙂
I am so excited that your family loved it so much they ate every last drop! You totally made me grin. The cranberry juice is an excellent swap for the wine. Pomegranate and grape juice work very well too. Thank you so much for sharing your story!
what is the substitute i can use for Entwine Cabernet Sauvignon?
Thank you for this fantastic recipe! We seldom drink and hence I replaced the wine with 1/2 cup of red grape juice. My experience with chuck (I used chuck tender) has been undesirable as it often turned up dry. So I tried beef shin instead and it was marvelous. I need to extend the cooking time to allow the meat to become tender. Oh ya, I used home-made chicken broth as it was available then. Thanks again! 🙂
I made this recipe last week and it was truly amazing. Thanks so much for posting it. Wondering if anyone has tried this with coconut flour or almond flour to replace the regular. Also, would this work with turnips in place of potatoes. Potatoes seem to cause joint inflammation so I try avoid them. What about mushrooms? Thanks –
Have a pot of this on the stove, it has 30 minutes left! I tasted it and I can't wait for it to be done!!!!!! So yummy!
My experience with soups and stews on the stove have always been pretty disastrous. I do not have the ability or the patience to do it right or well, so I rely on my crock pot for those kinds of things. Do you have any conversion suggestions for a crock pot? Or has it even been tried? Please let me know. This looks so good I would love to attempt it!
The crock pot works just fine and you do not have to watch it. Just cook until done. That's how I cook everything. I don't see why you should change a thing to use a crock pot!
My experience with soups and stews on the stove have always been pretty disastrous. I do not have the ability or the patience to do it right or well, so I rely on my crock pot for those kinds of things. Do you have any conversion suggestions for a crock pot? Or has it even been tried? Please let me know. This looks so good I would love to attempt it!
Seriously, why post comments when you have never MADE the recipe. Nobody really cares that it "looks good to you." Just try the recipe and if you have helpful comments, then post them. Otherwise stop wasting people's time.
Made this last week it was really amazing my husband and my daughter loved it! I am making it again today, since its my husbands birthday today. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe!!!!!
Oh my – just made this and it is fabulous! I think I may need to double the recipe….everyone loves it. Nice recipe to share with a new mom and her husband!
I made this last night for dinner. It was wonderful and so rich tasting. I made it in a slow cooker on low, I put it together in the morning and it was ready after work. It is a great recipe to help control the amount of sodium you take in. I will make this again.
This recipe looks sooo delicious. Thank You for sharing it. I'll try to make it today.
Can I substitute the shallot for a red onion?
Sorry for asking this, but what is the best beef stock to use?
Absolutely feel free to use 1/4 red onion in place of the shallots, it will obviously lend a more oniony flavor but will be fabulous. Enjoy and let us know how it goes.
Hello Donna, this recipe is so delicious! thanks for sharing it with us. I do have a question and this is about the soup bowl you have used I really love it… what brand it is?
thank you again 😀
This stew was amazing! I didn't add wine because we don't drink it, but even without it..it was hands down the best stew I've ever tasted/made (and I've made a lot of them with 4 growing kids)! It's now the only one I will ever make again! It's was so full of flavor and rich! The entire pot was nearly eaten in one dinner (next time I'll double it). I think I managed to sneak the last bit for leftovers the next day! Highly recommended!
This is one of the best soups Ive ever had!!!!! My hubby who doesnt care for soup LOVES it 🙂 Didnt change a thing and it came out perfect!!!!
Can i use garlic and onion powder in place of the shallot and minced garlic. If so how much would i use?
Ok I have the stock and beef simmering now…. it really looks like the liquid will not be enough to cook potatoes and carrots!! I halved all ingredients. Should I add more stock? water?? Hellllp!
It won't hurt to add more. I usually add a little more than the recipe calls for. Just eye it. I made this again last night and only 2 small portions remained for leftover today! It's seriously delish!
I've used this recipe and made it as Stew a couple of months ago by eliminating 16 oz of beef stock as you suggested, so that was an excellent comment, thank you. My husband and I absolutely loved it!! I did use extra fresh garlic, because we like it, and added about 2 Tbsp. Tomato Paste which always gives any brown stew recipe extra oomph!. I'm making this recipe again this week for a guest and we're pretty sure she'll love it as much as we did! Thank you for the excellent guidelines! The leftovers were excellent as well. Thank you!!