Ground Beef Vegetable Soup made with ground beef, rich bone broth, and a variety of seasonal vegetables. A simple, versatile, and nourishing one-pot meal that’s easy to adapt to whatever vegetables you have on hand.
Looking for more soup recipes?
Check out ground beef and kale soup, healthy vegetable soup, and pumpkin chili.
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💡Recipe Overview
- Prep and Cook Time: 15 minutes to prep and 35-40 minutes to cook
- Cooking Method: Stove-top
- Dietary Info: Paleo, Primal, GAPS, Ancestral diet, Gluten-free, Grain-free
- Tools Needed: Large Dutch oven or soup pot
- Skill Level: Easy
What is an ancestral diet? Read my post on what nourishing foods are based on the traditional dietary principles of the Weston A. Price Foundation.
Reasons to Love this Ground Beef Vegetable Soup
If there's one thing I love, it's a dinner that basically cooks itself - especially when it’s as nourishing and hearty as this ground beef vegetable soup.
It’s ready in 35 minutes with hardly any prep (as long as you use my nutrient-dense beef bone broth recipe), flexes to whatever veggies you happen to have in the back of your fridge, adapts to all kinds of dietary needs, and can easily be boosted with even more nutrition (see my note in Make it Ancestral).
Easy, cozy, and good for everyone at the table.
Ingredients for Ground Beef Vegetable Soup
- Ground beef – I don't believe in lean ground meat and I also don't strain the grease after cooking. Fat is flavor and when you use quality ground beef like the ones from US farms, it's such a superfood. I love using Wild Pastures ground beef.
- Onion – Yellow, white, or red onion all work.
- Vegetables – Any mix of fresh vegetables like carrots, celery, bell pepper, green beans, or asparagus. You’ll need about 3–4 cups total, and firmer veggies like carrots and celery should be chopped smaller so they cook evenly.
- Leafy greens – Any leafy greens will work here like baby spinach, kale, or dinosaur kale. Add at the very end so they stay bright and fresh.
- Garlic and lemon juice – Adds flavor and brightens the soup.
- Crushed tomatoes – I love the Jovial crushed tomatoes (they are fine) and come in jars to avoid can liners. Fire-roasted tomatoes will give more flavor.
- Bone broth – Beef bone broth is best for this soup, but chicken broth works if that’s what you have on hand.
- Seasoning – Sea salt and black pepper to taste
Substitutions and Variations
Soups are forgiving and build flavor as you cook, even if you make swaps or modifications.
- Low-Carb and Keto Beef & Veggie Soup: Be sure to use vegetables with low carb count like broccoli, asparagus, mushrooms, zucchini, spinach, cauliflower, and bell peppers.
- Whole30 and Paleo Friendly: Use dairy-free cooking fat like avocado oil, lard, or ghee. Also, make sure tomatoes don't have any sweeteners or additives.
Make it Ancestral
Soups are a powerhouse of nutrition. Use pasture-raised ground beef (or better yet, make my ancestral beef blend that comes with a small percentage of organ meats) and homemade bone broth to maximize nutrient-density here. Sauté onions, carrots, celery, and garlic in ghee, lard, or tallow to add traditional, nutrient-dense fats.
How to Make Ground Beef Vegetable Soup
The complete printable recipe is below in the recipe card for your convenience. Follow these simple step-by-step instructions for the best results.
Step 1. Sauté
Heat avocado oil, ghee, or tallow in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add diced onion and cook until translucent.
Step 2. Brown
Push the onions to the sides and add ground beef to the center. Break it up as it cooks and stir occasionally until mostly cooked through.
Step 3. Stir
Stir in carrots, celery, garlic, and crushed canned tomatoes.
Step 4. Simmer
Pour in beef bone broth and cook until carrots are tender.
Step 5. Add
Add bell pepper and green beans or asparagus. Cook until slightly tender. Stir in leafy greens.
Step 6. Serve
Add lemon juice, season with salt and pepper, and serve with Parmesan if desired.
Helpful Tips
- Same size veggies: Make sure all veggies are cut into bite-size pieces that can fit on a soup spoon.
- Cut prep time: Don't care for chopping? Use frozen vegetables that are already cut into bite-size pieces
- Celery haters: Don't like celery? Use celery seed instead - it adds so much flavor without the texture that some kids don't like.
- Nourishing soup: Use properly prepared bone broth and add a little ground liver for extra nutrition. See my beef bone broth recipe here.
Serving Suggestions
This ground beef and vegetable soup is a complete meal on its own, but you can serve it with gluten-free flatbread, crusty bread, or buttery rolls or even over a scoop of bone broth rice to make it extra filling.
I like to shave some Parmesan cheese over the soup for that savory finish. And dinner is done.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store leftover ground beef and vegetable soup in an airtight container for up to 4 days. These glass snap containers are perfect for leftovers. To reheat, transfer the soup to a small saucepan and warm over medium heat, stirring occasionally until heated through. Add a splash of broth or water if it thickens too much.
Yes, this soup can be made with frozen ground beef. Follow these steps:
1) As the onions are cooking, place sealed package of ground beef in a bowl of room temperature water (this will help the sides to start thawing immediately).
2) When onions are translucent, add partially thawed ground beef and start chipping away at it as it's slowly cooking.
3) Flip it and scrape the cooked bits and continue to gently cook until semi-cooked through. Close the lid and allow the steam to speed the thawing.
4) Continue to cook, flipping and scraping off the cooked meat until it's almost fully cooked.
Looking for more hearty soup recipes? Here are some ideas:
Did you make this ground beef vegetable soup? Please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ recipe rating in the recipe card below and leave a review in the comments. Thank you!💚
Printable Recipe
Ground Beef Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil or lard, tallow, ghee
- 1 ½ pounds ground beef
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 2 carrots sliced
- 2 celery ribs
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 28oz can diced tomatoes
- 2 quarts beef bone broth
- 1 green bell pepper diced or chopped
- 1 ½ cups green beans and/or asparagus cut into 1-½" pieces
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 cups baby spinach or another leafy green like baby kale, collards, chard
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice approximately ¼ of medium lemon
- salt and pepper to taste as needed
- 1 tablespoon shaved parmesan cheese for serving
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons avocado oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 1 yellow onion and cook until translucent.
- Push the onions to the sides of the pot and add 1 ½ pounds ground beef to the center. Try to keep the ground beef contained to the center but then it will get mixed with the onions as you stir and break it up. Cook for approximately 10 minutes, until there is almost no more pink in the meat.
- Add sliced 2 carrots, 2 celery ribs, 2 garlic cloves, and crushed 1 28oz can diced tomatoes and stir to combine.
- Pour in 2 quarts beef bone broth and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook for 10 minutes or until carrots are tender.
- Add 1 green bell pepper and 1 ½ cups green beans and/or asparagus, and cook for another 5 minutes on medium-low heat.
- Turn off heat, add 2 cups baby spinach or another leafy green and squeeze 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Stir to combine and check for salt and pepper. Serve with 1 tablespoon shaved parmesan cheese.
Notes
- Brown the beef - Don't rush this step. I like to really brown my ground beef because it adds deep flavor and those crispy browned parts add texture.
- Use-up veggies - Use a total of 3-4 cups of any seasonal vegetables - mix colors and textures for maximum flavor and nutrition. Firmer veggies like carrots and celery should be cut smaller for even cooking. Consider adding softer veggies like bell pepper and green beans towards the end to keep them crispy.
- Add leafy greens last - Add this in last minute so they retain their bright green color.
- Use salt sparingly - Start with 1 teaspoon of salt and adjust to taste. Broth and canned tomatoes vary in saltiness, so season gradually and taste before serving.
