This healthy Vegetable Beef Soup is the ultimate comfort food! Enjoy a big, delicious bowl for less than 6 net carbs each!

Fall and winter vegetables don’t get the credit they deserve. I completely understand why everyone goes wild for fresh tomatoes, strawberries, and the like… But why don’t we react with the same joy when we see those hearty greens and root veggies ready to harvest?!

This Vegetable Beef Soup is my ode to cold weather vegetables. Even when we refuse to give them their due praise, they still come through to warm our souls and fill our bellies. I combined turnips, carrots, onions, and garlic with a tender church roast for an unbelievably comforting meal!

This is the perfect meal to take to a neighbor who isn’t feeling well or to a family member who needs a pick-me-up. The flavors get even better as they sit, and it’s super easy to meal prep, freeze, and reheat!

Ingredients for Vegetable Beef Soup

Beef Chuck Roast: Keep it around 2 pounds for this recipe & not too fatty (or trim most of the fat off)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil: a good quality oil will help give the dish depth and added flavor.
Vegetables: onion, celery, turnip, carrot, garlic
Spices: salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, rosemary
Worcestershire sauce
Beef broth
Tomato Paste: You can use canned, but I like how long these tubes last in the fridge when I only need a little at a time.

What kind of meat should I use in a beef soup?

I prefer using a boneless chuck roast in my soups. It’s not too fatty, meaning you don’t have to skim a ton of fat off the top of the soup. It’s rich in flavor, and it doesn’t dry out easily. The shredded texture you get from allowing it to cook whole is super satisfying as well.

You can use other cuts, though, anything with a lot of connective tissue works best! Many people may choose to use stew meat, and that’s alright! Most stew meat is actually just cut up chuck roast, so you’ll still get that great “beefy” flavor.

However, many packs of stew meat don’t have uniform-sized cuts. Some are big, some are small, and that means they won’t cook evenly. That’s not great for chuck because it has tons of connective tissue that needs to break down slowly. If you use stew meat, make sure to cook your soup slowly on low heat so that it has time to produce delicious, juicy chunks instead of rubbery, chewy bits.

How to make a Low Carb Beef Soup

This is a super simple recipe! Most of the time it’s a hands-off cook, but we’ll get most of the work out of the way at the beginning.

The first step is to sear all sides of your chuck roast in oil in a large pot or dutch oven. This helps get that deep caramelization and a strong “beefy” flavor throughout the whole soup. Once seared, remove from pot and sauté your onions and garlic.

Once onions are nice and soft, toss in the seasonings and tomato paste, and stir until it’s all well mixed. Then place the beef back in along with the broth, Worcestershire sauce, and bay leaves. Allow this to come to a boil, then cover and turn heat down to low.

Let this simmer for 1.5-2 hours (want to make sure that connective tissue in the beef has time to break down!). Check occasionally and add more broth if it looks like the liquid level is getting too low.

Once the meat is super tender (you should be able to easily shred it with a fork), add the carrots and turnips, then allow it all to simmer another 30 minutes. If you prefer a thicker soup, allow it to simmer longer uncovered.

Can I make vegetable beef soup in the slow cooker?

You sure can! If making the soup in the slow cooker, you COULD skip the step of searing your meat… But I really wouldn’t. This effort goes very far to making this soup as delicious as it can be!

After searing all sides of your roast, place it and all of your other ingredients in the slow cooker. Cook on high for 8-10 hours or on low 4-5 hours. If you want to thicken it (without adding carbs), let it simmer uncovered for the last 30 minutes or so.

Can I use an Instant Pot to make vegetable beef soup?

You definitely can! The Instant Pot can sear the meat AND cook the soup, making this ready in about an hour.

First, add the oil and turn on the sauté function. Add the meat and cook until browned on all sides. You may need to do this in two batches, depending on the size of your Instant Pot.

Once the meat is nicely browned, remove it from the pot and add the onions and garlic. Sauté until these have softened, then add the spices and paste. Stir until it forms a well-combined sauce.

Add the beef, vegetables, broth, Worcestershire sauce, and bay leaves, and stir again. Place the lid on the Instant Pot, make sure the valve is sealed, and set the machine to pressure cook for 35 minutes.

When the cooking time has finished, allow the machine to naturally release the pressure for 10 minutes. If you want to thicken the soup, just turn on the sauté function and allow the soup to simmer uncovered until it reaches your preferred consistency.

How many carbs are in Vegetable Beef Soup?

This soup comes out to 5.1 net carbs, making it a perfect low-carb or keto meal! If you desperately need it lower, you could cut out the carrots… But I think the nutritional benefits and great flavor from the carrot is totally worth it. This soup without carrots comes closer to 4 net carbs.

What can I use instead of turnips?

If you do not have turnips or aren’t a huge fan, try replacing these with rutabaga (still low carb) or more carrots (not so low carb). If you strongly prefer potatoes, you can use those instead. This will significantly raise your carbs, though, and the soup will not freeze as well.

Can I freeze Low-Carb Vegetable Soup?

Yes, this is a perfect soup for a freezer meal! Once you cook the soup, allow it to cool completely. You can freeze it all together in a freezer bag or freeze individual portions.

*Note: If you replaced the turnips with potatoes, freezing might not go quite so well. Sometimes potatoes can break down and become a bit mushy/gritty after being frozen.

How do I reheat Vegetable Beef Soup?

This soup can be stored in the fridge up to 4 days or in the freezer up to six months. It’s still safe to eat past 6 months in the freezer, but the textures of the beef and veggies might not be the best.

To reheat, simply microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring until warmed throughout. You could also place leftovers in a pot on the stove and simmer until warmed throughout or allow the soup to warm up in a slow cooker.

What should I serve with Veggie Beef Soup?

I highly recommend adding these Keto Three Cheese Biscuits or Keto Bacon Cheddar Chive Biscuits to round out your meal while still staying low carb! You could also serve this Easy Wedge Salad to get that steakhouse feeling!

If carbs aren’t your concern, I always love pairing a piece (or two, or five) of this Cheesy Cornbread with soup–You could even make these Cheddar Cornbread Muffins for a fall twist (spoiler: it’s sweet potato, and it’s delicious). You could also add this Kale Harvest Salad to enjoy more of those fall/winter garden goodies!

More Low-Carb Soups: