Leftover Beef and Vegetable Soup Recipe

What to Do with Leftover Beef and Vegetables?

Making soup from leftover beef and vegetables is a delightful and resourceful way to create a hearty meal while minimizing waste. Whether you have leftover pot roast, steak, or simply an assortment of cooked vegetables from last night's dinner, transforming these ingredients into a warm, comforting soup is simple and satisfying. This method allows you to make the most of what you have on hand and offers a creative avenue to blend flavors and textures into a nourishing dish.

To start, you’ll need a robust broth as your base. Homemade beef broth is ideal, but store-bought works just as well. Adding leftover beef and vegetables will infuse the soup with deep, rich flavors that become more complex as they simmer together. Seasonings and additional ingredients like herbs, garlic, and a splash of wine or vinegar can elevate the taste, making each bowlful a culinary delight.

This flexible recipe encourages experimentation—think of it as a canvas where you can paint with flavors. The possibilities are endless, from hearty stews brimming with chunks of meat and root vegetables to lighter, broth-based soups with a hint of greenery. So, gather those leftovers and turn them into something extraordinary!

Raid the Ice Box

Cleaning out your refrigerator to make a soup recipe is a practical and efficient way to use leftover ingredients and minimize food waste. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you through the process:

1. Assess Your Leftovers:
   • Begin by taking stock of what’s in your fridge. Look for any cooked beef, vegetables, and other potential soup ingredients—common vegetables to consider include carrots, celery, potatoes, onions, peppers, and leafy greens.
   • Check for other flavor-enhancing items like garlic, herbs, or even small amounts of leftover cooked grains or pasta.
2. Check Freshness:
   • Ensure that all leftovers are still fresh and safe to eat. Discard anything that looks or smells off.
3. Gather Ingredients:
   • Pull out all the potential soup ingredients and place them on your counter. This helps you visualize what you have and plan your soup accordingly.
4. Prep Ingredients:
   • Chop or dice any large pieces of leftover beef and vegetables to ensure they are roughly uniform in size. This helps them cook evenly and blend well in the soup.
   • If you have any raw vegetables that need to be used up, wash and chop them.
5. Enhance with Pantry Staples:
   • Supplement your leftovers with pantry staples. You might add canned tomatoes, beans, broth, or spices to enhance the flavor and body of your soup.
6. Start Cooking:
   • In a large pot, heat some oil or butter and sauté aromatic vegetables like onions, garlic, and celery until softened.
   • Add your leftover beef and vegetables, then pour enough broth to cover the ingredients.
   • Season with salt, pepper, and other spices or herbs you enjoy.
7. Simmer and Adjust:
   • Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer until all the ingredients are heated and the flavors melded together. This usually takes about 20-30 minutes.
   • Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.
8. Serve and Enjoy:
   • Ladle the soup into bowls and serve hot. Enjoy your delicious, homemade soup made from leftover ingredients!

By following these steps, you can efficiently clean out your refrigerator and create a tasty, nourishing soup that makes the most of what you have on hand.

📖 Recipe

Print Recipe

Leftover Beef and Vegetable Soup

How to make a tasty beef and vegetable soup using leftover beef from the night before.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr

Total Time1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: beef, soup, vegetable

Ingredients

• 3 onions peeled and diced
• 2 stalks of celery diced
• 1 package mushrooms 12 – 14 oz chopped
• 6 fresh carrots peeled and diced
• 4 tablespoon butter ½ stick
• 6 cups beef broth
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
• 3 sweet potatoes peeled and cubed
• Beef leftovers – any kind of steak cubed ¼ teaspoon
• crushed red pepper - to taste
• Salt & pepper - to taste
• 1 can black beans with liquids approximately 15 oz.
• 1 can red kidney beans with liquids approximately 15 oz.

Instructions

• In a large soup pot, saute the onions, carrots, mushrooms and celery in the butter over medium-high heat for about 7 to 8 minutes.
• Add the beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, and sweet potatoes. Bring to a boil and then lower heat to simmer.
• Add the cooked beef to the pot, crushed red pepper and season with a little salt & pepper. Simmer for about an hour with the cover on.
• Remove the cover, add the black and red beans and simmer for an additional ½ hour to 1 hour with the cover off.
• Taste and adjust seasoning with salt & pepper.

Options Try using any leftover vegetables you might have around. This is a great soup to clean out your refrigerator of leftovers.

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