My old-fashioned Ground Beef Vegetable Soup is comforting and full of flavor. Browned ground beef, tender potatoes, carrots, green beans and corn simmer together in a thick, rich tomato broth. A lot of it comes straight from your pantry.

Ground beef vegetable soup in a white bowl with a blue checked towel

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Why You’ll Love It

It’s an easy weeknight dinner with just one pot to wash.
Vegetable soup with canned vegetables saves a lot of chopping and still tastes great.
Leftovers taste even better the next day, which makes lunch easy.

This Ground Beef Vegetable Soup is what I grew up on. A soup similar to this one was a staple in my childhood, though we just called it veggie soup. In the winter, my mom made it at least a couple of times a month.

It’s still a delicious family dinner and one of my go-to budget-friendly meals. The price of ground beef always seems to be going up, so I love that a single package stretches into a whole pot of soup.

Making this hearty ground beef and vegetable soup is about as simple as it gets. You brown the beef, add the vegetables and cans, then let the pot simmer until everything is nice and tender.

Ingredients for Ground Beef Vegetable Soup

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Lean ground beef: Lean or extra-lean ground beef keeps the broth from turning greasy. If yours is fattier, spoon off the excess fat after browning.

Condensed tomato soup: You might be surprised to see a can of condensed tomato soup in this recipe! It adds a little sweetness and makes this soup special. Grab the regular condensed kind, not a ready-to-eat soup.

Canned green beans and corn: Drain them well before they go into the pot. They simmer right along with the potatoes and soak up all that tomato broth. Canned veggies are the shortcut that makes this such an easy vegetable soup.

How to Make Ground Beef Vegetable Soup

Step one: Warm a little olive oil in your Dutch oven, then cook the ground beef with the onion and garlic until no pink remains.

Step two: Add the carrots and celery and let them cook until they start to soften. Stir in the Italian seasoning and bay leaf.

Step three: Add the potatoes, beef broth, tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce, then pour in all of the cans.

Step four: Bring the pot to a boil, then turn the heat down, cover and simmer until the vegetables are tender. Pull out the bay leaf and season with salt and pepper.

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Overhead bowl of soup with corn, green beans, carrots and potatoes

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How to Make Vegetable Soup Taste Better

I love adding Worcestershire sauce to my soups because it adds a unique depth and flavor. That and the can of tomato soup are the secret ingredients in this pot.

If your broth ever tastes flat, it usually needs one of three things: a pinch more salt, an extra splash of Worcestershire or a few more minutes of simmering. My guide on How to Season Soup With Pantry Ingredients has even more quick seasoning fixes.

Ladle lifting ground beef vegetable soup out of the pot

Tips for the Best Ground Beef Vegetable Soup

Brown the beef well. Let it get a little color before the carrots and celery go in, because those browned bits flavor the whole pot.
Cut evenly. Dice the potatoes and slice the carrots about the same size, so the potatoes are tender when the carrots are.
Salt at the end. The broth and tomato soup already bring salt, so taste before you add more. If you use low-sodium broth, you may need a pinch extra.

Easy Swaps

Ground turkey: You can use ground turkey for a lighter soup, like my Ground Turkey Vegetable Soup.
Beans: A drained can of pinto or kidney beans makes it even heartier.
Potatoes: Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes both work.
Fresh vegetables: Fresh green beans and corn work too, cut into bite-size pieces.
Tomato sauce: A can of tomato sauce with a pinch of sugar can stand in for the condensed tomato soup.
A little heat: A pinch of red pepper flakes adds a gentle kick.

How to Store Leftovers

Refrigerator: Let the soup cool, then keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.

Reheating: Warm it on the stovetop over medium heat until it’s hot all the way through (165°F). Add a splash of broth if it has thickened.

Can You Freeze Vegetable Beef Soup?

Yes, this soup is wonderful for freezing. For an easy freezer meal, ladle the cooled soup into freezer-safe containers and freeze it for 2 to 3 months. The potatoes can turn a little soft after thawing, but the flavor holds up.

Dutch oven full of tomato broth soup topped with parsley

Can You Use Frozen Vegetables Instead of Canned?

You can definitely swap in frozen mixed vegetables instead of canned if you prefer. You may need to add a little cook time. In my opinion, canned vegetables taste the best in this Ground Beef Vegetable Soup.

What to Serve With Vegetable Soup

I love any soup with crusty bread for dunking, and this one is no exception. Cornbread, garlic bread or a grilled cheese sandwich is a great match.

This recipe is so close to the one that I remember from my childhood. It is a recipe that I truly crave, so as soon as the weather starts to get a bit chilly, it lands in my regular fall and winter dinner rotation.

I hope you love it as much as my family does!