Beef Vegetable Soup with Cabbage
Beef Vegetable Soup with Cabbage is a satisfying soup, filled with tender beef and tons of veggies, including cabbage. This one is loaded with protein and fiber, and will fill you up for hours.
Soup Season is my favorite season, and I’ve got plenty for you to choose from. Try a creamy Autumn Squash Soup, a spicy Turkey Taco Soup, or this healthy Anti-Inflammatory Chicken Ginger Soup!
Winter Soups
Soup Season is definitely my favorite season of the year. Growing up in the Midwest with snowstorms and snow days, I am constantly thinking about how soup makes bad weather cozy and comforting. Our Texas winters are short, but I still occasionally make soup in October and April, just because it feels right. I’ve been known to turn our air conditioning down, just to enjoy the warmth of a bowl of hot soup.
My recipes on my blog represent what my family likes to eat. Now that I’ve got a good variety, I cook from my recipes 95% of the time. So when my sister, Jackie, asked me to concoct a beef and cabbage soup for her, I wholeheartedly said yes and went right to work.
Reasons to love this soup:
- Flavor. When cooking the beef, I seared it to keep it tender. I also used plenty of salt and pepper, and tomato paste.
- Lean and mean. Jackie eats pretty clean and lower carb, so I kept the soup base mostly beef and veggies.
- Variety. I love to try new things, so I used leeks instead of onions, and used a ton of cabbage.
How to cook roast beef:
- On the stove top (like the directions in my recipe).
- In a roaster in the oven. Sear it, and cover with water/broth to roast.
- In a slow cooker. Brown it, cover with with water/broth, and let it cook all day (or the day before).
- Use an instant pot. Sear it right in the instant pot (sauté function), cover with with water/broth to cook. Pressure cook for 50-60 minutes, then slow release.
Most of my soups are loaded with vegetables. This one is heavy on cabbage, but I also used carrots, celery, leeks (instead of onion), and garlic.
When cooking a beef roast, make sure you ALWAYS 1) sear it, 2) cover it in liquids, and 3) cook it LONG ENOUGH that it is fall-apart tender!
What You’ll Need:
- Veggies – Cabbage, celery, carrots, leek (or onion), and garlic.
- Beef – Choose a roast with some marbleized fat running through it. This will provide the best tender meat.
- Other – Beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and bay leaves (plus thyme, salt and pepper).
How to clean leeks:
- Cut off the top of the leeks and most of the dark green stems.
- Slice in half the long way, and then slice in strips (the short way).
- Soak the strips of leeks in a bowl full of cold water, and use your fingers to stir around, breaking the dirt loose.
- Rinse the leeks several times until all the dirt is gone.
You can, of course, use onion instead of leeks in this soup.
How to make Beef Vegetable Soup with Cabbage:
Step 1
Prepare the beef: In a large stockpot, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Cut the roast into large chunks. Salt and pepper the meat liberally. Brown the beef chunks on all sides, using a tongs to turn/hold the beef. Be careful to not crowd the meat. You may need to brown in two sessions.
Step 2
Continue cooking beef. Remove the meat to a plate, and add tomato paste and broth/water to stock pot. Deglaze the pan by stirring up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the beef back in, and cook on medium heat for approximately 1.5 – 2.5 hours, or until it is fork tender. Remove meat to plate, and when cooled, shred. Reserve the broth to use later.
Step 3
Prep veggies. Use a sharp knife to chop the veggies – the leeks, celery, carrots, cabbage, and garlic. Set aside in separate bowls for later.
Step 4
Sauté veggies. Using the same stock pot, heat olive oil to medium high heat, and add the leeks, celery, carrots, thyme, and salt and pepper. Sauté until slightly softened (approximately 4-5 minutes). Add garlic during the last 30 seconds.
Step 5
Add remaining ingredients. Add tomato sauce and beef broth (can use reserved broth) to pot, and stir. Add the chopped cabbage, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, and salt and pepper to taste, and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, and add shredded beef back in pan. Cook until cabbage is wilted. Check seasonings.
Step 6
Serve. Serve the soup in individual serving bowls with some crusty bread of your choice. We also like some crushed up saltines.
I recommend making our Chewy French Bread, Cracked Wheat Bread, or some delicious Garlic Sourdough Bread for dipping!
What to serve WITH this soup?
- Classic Wedge Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing
- Shaved Cauliflower Salad
- Arugula Caprese Salad
- Chewy French Bread for dipping, of course!
How to make this soup on a weeknight:
- Make the beef the day before, or on the weekend. Chop up all the veggies.
- Store the shredded beef in one container, and the reserved broth in another. Also, keep the veggies in another container.
- The day you want to cook the soup, remove ingredients and prepare. Start with step three in the recipe below.
Prepping food on the weekend is key to intentional eating. Instead of grazing when you are hungry, you have meals ready to go, or ready to cook up quickly.
Enjoy!
Make this soup recipe next: Detox Lentil Soup
xoxo ~Sue
Beef Vegetable Soup with Cabbage
Ingredients
For the beef:
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2.5 pounds roast beef (with marbleized fat throughout) – cut into 2-3 inch chunks
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper – to taste
- 3 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 5-6 cups mixture of water and lower-sodium beef broth – use 1/2 water, 1/2 packaged broth
For the soup:
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 2 leeks (2 cups) – light green and white parts chopped
- 2 stalks celery (1 cup) – chopped
- 4 carrots (3 cups) – chopped
- 4 cloves garlic – minced
- 1 medium cabbage (about 10 cups) – chopped
- 15 oz. tomato sauce
- 7-8 cups lower-sodium beef broth – can use reserved broth
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 3 bay leaves
- salt and pepper – to taste
Instructions
- Prepare the beef: In a large stockpot, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Cut the roast into large chunks. Salt and pepper the meat liberally. Brown the beef chunks on all sides, using a tongs to turn/hold the beef. Be careful to not crowd the meat. You may need to brown in two sessions.
- Remove the meat to a plate, and add tomato paste and broth/water to stock pot. Deglaze the pan by stirring up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the beef back in, and cook on medium heat for approximately 1.5 – 2.5 hours, or until it is fork tender. Remove meat to plate, and when cooled, shred. Reserve the broth to use later.
- Prepare the soup. Using the same stock pot, heat olive oil to medium high heat, and add the leeks, celery, carrots, thyme, and salt and pepper. Sauté until slightly softened (approximately 4-5 minutes). Add garlic during the last 30 seconds.
- Add tomato sauce and beef broth (can use reserved broth) to pot, and stir. Add the chopped cabbage, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, and salt and pepper to taste, and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, and add shredded beef back in pan. Cook until cabbage is wilted. Check seasonings.
- Serve with some crusty bread of your choice.
Sooo good!
Thanks Jess!
This is how I’ve always made my vegetable beef soup. My favorite beef to use is a chuck roast. Gets so moist and tender. I also use Spicy V8 juice for at least 1/2 my liquid. Funny story: I ordered groceries via instacart, including the cabbage. I started making the soup, and as I was putting groceries away, realized they’d forgotten the cabbage. I know I could have made it without, but it’s not the same. I remembered that I had a package of sauerkraut in the fridge….just fermented cabbage, right? I rinsed it well, then added to the soup. What a delightful surprise! So delicious. I call it a happy accident!
I love this, Karen! Thanks for sharing!
This is the tastiest beef soup I’ve ever tried! Simple to make and the whole family loved it. Great job SueBee!
BEST SOUP EVER!
Could i use stew meat instead of a roast?
Thank you
Yes that would work fine.
That’s what I was wondering too!!!
We love this soup recipe! SO GOOD!
This makes a lot can I freeze this soup?
Yes, this soup freezes pretty well.
I followed the recipe to a T and I had to add another 48oz of beef broth to make it a soup. It did however turn out delicious 😋
Hmm, I’ll have to make this one again to be sure. Thanks Doug!
I made this vegetable beef soup this weekend for a family dinner along with a loaf of French bread (from this same blog). This might be the best beef vegetable soup I’ve tasted – ever. It’s a big batch but the leftovers are going quickly!
Winter comfort food at its best!
Thanks so much, Big Papa! Glad y’all enjoyed it!
Best soup I’ve ever made!
Oh I’m so happy to hear this Nancy! Thank you!
Another great Sue Bee recipe here! Just made today, pretty much exactly as recipe stated. I cooked a chuck roast in slow cooker (4 hours on high) for the meat. I did use onion instead of leeks, because that’s what I already had. Added a good bit more stock and some water to the soup. It was so tasty! Thanks Sue!
Hi Betsy! I’m so glad you enjoyed this soup recipe! And I appreciate your feedback greatly! 🙂
Enjoyed
Thanks Rebecca!
Okay, finally commenting. First, there aren’t enough stars to represent my own appreciation of this soup. Thank you Sue!! This is exactly what I wished for. I actually used grass fed beef and was a little concerned about whether it would be tender enough. It had marbling so I knew there was some fat. I removed it from the stove a little earlier because of that. I needn’t have worried. It was delicious. So many great vegetables and yummy beef, and rich in full-bodied flavor!! One of my favorites for sure!!
Thanks Jackie! I’m so glad you enjoyed this soup, made especially for YOU! Love you sis. 🙂
Cooked beef 2 nights ago and finished soup last night, super easy, full of veggies with lots of good nutrition and oh so delicious!!! Definitely adding to my regular recipes! Thanks Sue?
I’m so glad you enjoyed this soup, Sue! Thanks for your feedback! 🙂
I love all of your soup recipes….. they are the best part of winter!