Easy Vegetable Beef Soup | A Fast, Hearty Dinner Utelizing Pantry Staples

If you’ve been with me for a while, you’ll know that hands down my favorite meal is soup. I’ve posted numerous soups on the site. But when I can get that soup to be made from things I’ve already got on hand? Somehow it tastes even better! That’s exactly what happened with this easy vegetable beef soup.

Every now and then I have a hankering for a vegetable beef soup. But being on a frugal debt free journey, I see the prices of beef and freak out silently to myself. It can be so darn expensive! I didn’t want to give up on this craving, so I used some leftover roast beef instead!

This is the biggest key here. Utilizing leftover beef, I’m able to cut the cooking time by more than half compared to using stew beef. Not only does that make for a fast, hearty dinner, but it also makes for great use of what I’ve got on hand!

But it’s not just the cooking time that I’m saving on, it’s also the cost. By using beef I have on hand, I’ve also saved money by not purchasing stew beef specifically for this recipe.

If you’re in a rush, don’t let that stop you! There is a slow cooker modification is included within the recipe instructions.

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
3 carrots, peeled & sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 – 4 small potatoes, diced {I left the peels on them for more stability}
4 – 6 cups beef broth
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon parsley
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon herbes de provence
2 cups shredded beef {I use leftovers from our slow cooker pot roast}
1 – 16 oz bag frozen mixed vegetables

Directions:

Using a dutch oven, melt butter over medium-high heat. Saute onions, carrots and celery until they’re soft and translucent. Add garlic and saute for an additional 2 minutes.
Add potatoes, broth, tomatoes and herbs. Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are soft.
Add shredded beef and mixed vegetables. Cook until vegetables are heated through. Serve.

**Slow Cooker Modification: Prep veggies. Saute vegetables in the first step, and then add it to a slow cooker with the remaining ingredients. Cook on high for 4 hours, or on low for 6.