Old-fashioned Beef Vegetable Soup

A bowl of vegetable soup, with saltine crackers strewn at the foot of the bowl. Alphabet letters spell out "Pop's Vegetable Beef Soup" across the top of the soup.

Old-fashioned beef vegetable soup with barley, just like grandpa used to make! Easy one-pot prep: put everything in a pot and let it simmer. (Plus Pop's pro-tip for picky eaters!)

Course Main, Soup

Cuisine American

Diet Low Lactose

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 2

Total Time 2 15

Servings servings

Calories 175kcal

Author Renee

Equipment

1 Medium Stock Pot 8-10 quart

Ingredients

1 beef shank or large soup bone
3 tablespoons oil canola, olive oil
2 quarts water
2 whole bay leaves
4 medium carrots sliced
4 medium potatoes peeled & cubed
1 large yellow onion chopped
1 medium turnip pared and chopped
3 stalks celery chopped
2 cans cut tomatoes We use Petite Cut with Onions & Garlic
2 cups chopped cabbage
1 cup corn
½ cup peas
⅓ cup pearl barley
2 teaspoons salt
1-2 teaspoons hot sauce
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
¼ cup alphabet letter pasta optional; or 1 can Campbell's Alphabet Soup
Additional salt, pepper, and hot sauce to taste

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Heat a medium stock pot over medium-high heat.
Add enough olive oil to your soup pot to barely cover the bottom. Season the beef shank with a little kosher salt salt brown it on both sides.
Cover the browned soup bone with 2 quarts of water, and add 2 bay leaves.
Bring to a simmer, and then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 2 hours.
Remove the beef bone and bay leaves from the beef stock. Set the beef bone aside to cool.
When the beef bone is cool, remove any meat from it. Cover and refrigerate the meat while the soup simmers. Discard the bone.
Add all remaining ingredients to the beef stock except the optional Campbell's Soup or alphabet pasta, and simmer over low heat for 2 more hours.
When the soup almost done simmering, add the meat and alphabet pasta (or Campbell's soup).
Continue to simmer until the pasta is done; about 8 minutes.
Taste the soup and season with additional salt, pepper, and hot sauce as desired.

Notes

Make it ahead: This soup actually improves with time. Make it a day in advance and refrigerate overnight — the flavors deepen beautifully. When reheating, add a little extra broth or water if needed.

Use what you have: This recipe was born in a farmhouse kitchen, not a test kitchen – so it’s endlessly adaptable. If you don’t have every vegetable listed, use what’s in your crisper drawer.

Slow-cook it: It's easy to cook this soup recipe in a slow cooker. Cook on Low for 6-7 hours, or High for 2-4 hours (time depends both on which vegetables you use, and how hot your slow cooker runs).

Freezer-friendly: The soup freezes well, but if you plan to store it long-term, consider cooking the barley separately and adding it after thawing to keep the texture just right.

Nutrition