Beef noodle vegetable soup is an old fashioned soup everyone in the family will love. Today's simple and easy recipe includes both stovetop and Instant Pot instructions for this clear broth veggie beef soup. Shall we?

Background

This magnificent vegetable beef soup consists of a nourishing clear broth, veggies, and noodles. Made from fatter beef cuts (and even beef bones and ribs), this soup is often full of collagen. In short, it's great for digestion and gut health.

This type of clear, healthy savory bouillon is made from a lighter-tasting variety of veggies. Think celery, celery root, parsley, carrots, and onions. Oh, and the trick to make our old fashioned vegetable and beef soup even yummier is to use any type of noodles or a combination of them!

Cooking this soup couldn't be easier! One option is to combine the ingredients in the morning and simmer them on the stove until lunch, replenishing the liquid a little at a time. In a hurry? Just follow the Instant Pot instructions.

Ingredients

These are the main ingredients for our old fashioned vegetable beef soup. (Look below for more options.)

Beef:

Look for a nice cut with a balance of meat and (if you can) bones.

• You can use any fatter beef cut. Beef in-bone cuts and chuck are great choices. Short ribs work also.
• Veal chops are good to go too, but let's face it, it's a waste to use them for soup.

Vegetables:

Carrots, onion, parsley, celery, or celery root are really all you need.

• All of these, except the carrots, are discarded. These vegetables give a certain sweetness to the broth and are a great counterbalance to strong meat flavor.

Want to make it more interesting?

Add some cruciferous veggies.

• You can certainly add broccoli, cauliflower, or Brussels sprouts. However, because these cook quickly, add them around the time you add the noodles.
• Don't use cabbage for soup! (If craving it, make kupus, Balkan cabbage stew.)
• Radishes? Sure! You can add them whole at the beginning. Or slice and add them in with the noodles.

Potatoes are ok too.

• Sure, but dice small! And eat on the same day! Potatoes don't keep well in the fridge.
• Since they take a while to soften and cooking them too long makes them mushy, skip potatoes if using Instant Pot.

Seasonings:

If you have a nice piece of meat with a lot of bones and fat, salt and pepper are all that is necessary to season this flavored old fashioned vegetable beef soup.

• However, sometimes the broth needs fortification. There is no shame in adding Vegeta (if you use it), or store-bought beef stock powder or broth. 
• We like beef bouillon cubes for that extra taste.
• For a French twist add rosemary and thyme, or for the Italian taste, basil and oregano.

Noodles:

• Any and all noodles are good to go! Here are a few ideas: alphabet noodles, pappardelle, tarhana (or trahana, traditional Bosnian noodles), ramen, angel hair, vermicelli, etc.
• In a pinch? Break down spaghetti or lasagna sheets into small pieces.
• Semolina noodles too! (Check out our chicken semolina noodle soup for instructions.)
• Whichever noodles you're using, adjust the cooking time to them!

Instructions

Here are the stovetop and Instant Pot instructions for our veggie beef soup with clear broth.

Stovetop:

Step 1. Combine all ingredients in a pot. Top with water. Bring to a boil.

Step 2. Simmer for 2+ hours.

Step 3. Strain the broth into a different pot. Discard ingredients except for carrots and meat, and return them to the soup.

Step 4. Bring to a light boil. Add noodles and parsley. Cook for 10 more min.

Instant Pot:

Step 1. In the Instant Pot combine all ingredients, and top with water. (Not pictured) Secure the lid and pressure cook for 40 minutes.

Step 2. (Not pictured) Release the pressure. 

Step 3. Open the Instant Pot. Strain the broth into a different pot. (Not pictured) Transfer to the stovetop.

Step 4. Return meat and carrots to the soup. Add noodles and cook until they soften. 

Handling

Serving: 

• As per preference, serve warm or hot. Serve as a standalone meal or an appetizer.
• Homemade bread and mini fried breads go great with this soup!

Storing: 

• If planning to eat soup within the next 24 hours, wait for it to cool down, then transfer it to the fridge.
• If planning to eat the soup (or some of it) later than that, don't add noodles (or garnish with parsley) right away. Instead, let the soup cool down, then transfer it to the fridge for up to 3 days. When ready to eat, bring the soup to a low boil, lower the temperature, and then add in noodles and parsley. Serve when the noodles soften.

Reheating: 

• The best way to reheat it is on the stovetop, on low, for at least 15 minutes, (or until it's hot).
• (Look above if you stored it for longer than 24 hours.)

Freezing:  

• We don't recommend freezing the entire soup. (The ingredients don't work well together after being frozen and thawed.) However, the broth is fantastic and can last in the freezer for up to 3 months.
• To freeze, before you add the noodles, strain the soup into freezer ware leaving ⅕ of the container(s) free. (Broth liquid increases in volume when frozen.) Use the meat and carrots for another dish. Discard the remaining ingredients.
• Meanwhile, let the broth cool down completely, then transfer it to the freezer. When ready to use, let it thaw at room temperature for a few hours. Alternatively, transfer it to the fridge the night before. Reheat or use as desired.

Recipe FAQs

More Soups

It's no secret we are crazy about soups! Here are just a few:

• Ground Beef Minestrone for those of us who love ground beef and veggies together,
• the okra creamy goodness that's Bosnian Bey's Soup (begova čorba),
• more creaminess with Spaghetti Squash and Potatoes,
• a simple, few-ingredient Stovetop Potato Soup, and
• hearty and tasty Cabbage Soup (Instant Pot and stovetop), oh my!

Thoughts?

If you make today's beef and vegetable soup (whether on the stovetop or Instant Pot) and like it, please consider leaving a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5-star) rating. This will help others find the recipe more easily!

You can also leave a comment, I read EVERY one! Finally, if IG is more your thing, consider tagging us @balkanlunchbox.

Prijatno and bon appetit!

Old Fashioned Beef Vegetable Noodle Soup [Instant Pot, Stovetop]

Aida

This is an easy recipe for a nourishing vegetable soup with beef. A classic and beloved soup that the whole family will enjoy.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 2 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Course Soups & Stews

Cuisine Bosnian, Croatian, Kosovo, Macedonian, Montenegro, Serbian, Slovenian

Servings 6

Calories 476 kcal

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1-2 pounds beef chuck like beef in-bone cuts cut into chunks, any cuts with fat or fat and bone are good to go
• ▢ 2-3 carrots medium, peeled, diced as preferred
• ▢ 3-4 celery sticks with greenery or 1-2 celery roots
• ▢ 1-2 onions medium, peeled, cut in half
• ▢ 2 handfuls fresh parsley uncut, plus a little more minced for the garnish
• ▢ Salt and pepper to taste
• ▢ 1-2 (Optional) beef bouillon cubes look below
• ▢ 8-9 cups water or beef broth if not using bouillon cubes plus a little more
• ▢ noodles of choice

Instructions

 

Stovetop

• In a deep pot combine all ingredients (except noodles and parsley for garnish). (If using, add bouillon cubes, stock powder, or Vegeta.) Top with about 3 liters (approximately a little more than 3 quartz) of water. Bring to a boil on high.
• Bring temperature down to low and continue simmering for at least 2 hours (longer if you can). Add a little water at a time as necessary throughout to replenish the evaporated liquid. Taste the broth every now and adjust seasonings as needed.
• In a different pot strain the liquid broth. Return soup to the stovetop. Meanwhile, discard all ingredients in the colander except carrots and meat. Return carrots to the soup. Cut meat away from the bone and remaining fat, then dice or rip it apart and return to the soup as well. Bring to a low boil.
• Add noodles in, and simmer until they soften. Turn the heat off. Garnish soup with minced parsley. Look below for handling options.

Instant Pot

• In the Instant Pot combine all ingredients (except noodles and parsley for garnishing). Fill it up with approximately 3 liters of water (a little bit more than 3 quarts), but make sure the ingredients plus water don’t go over the maximum limit for your Instant Pot. Secure the lid. Pressure cook on high for 40 minutes. (It will take 15-20 minutes for the Instant Pot to pressurize before the cooking begins.) 
• After the time is up, release the pressure naturally (about 30 minutes), or use the quick release method (about 5-7 minutes).  The float valve will drop and the lid will unlock and open when all of the pressure is out. 
• Once the Instant Pot is safe to open strain the broth into a different pot. Transfer the pot to the stovetop and turn the temperature on to low.  (Alternatively, you can return the broth to the Instant Pot and do the remaining steps on the simmer option, but we find this takes too long.)
• Meanwhile, discard all ingredients in the colander except carrots and meat. Return carrots to the soup. Cut meat away from the bone and remaining fat, then dice or rip it apart and return to the soup as well. Bring to a low boil.
• Add noodles in, and simmer until they soften. Turn the heat off. Garnish soup with minced parsley. (If planning to store the soup (or a portion of it) in the fridge for a few days, don't add noodles in right away. Instead, when ready to consume, bring it to a low boil and add in noodles and parsley.) Look below for handling options.

Video

Notes

• Ingredient notes 

Flavoring: Some are strongly against adding bouillon cubes, Vegeta, and/or stock powder or broth liquid. While these ingredients do enhance the flavor, it’s up to you whether to add them or not. If you decide against them, look for a cut of meat with a lot of fat and bones. 

Noodle options:  The beauty of this soup is that you can use any type of noodles, from the alphabet to pappardelle, or a combination of different kinds. (We’ve used spaghetti and lasagna broken into pieces when in a pinch.) You can also opt for semolina noodles (see our chicken noodle), as well as Balkan traditional tarhana (trahana) noodles. 

• Instant Pot vs Stovetop?

Which one should you use? While this is up to you we generally prefer the stovetop for this soup. Instant Pot is generally used to save time. However, with this much liquid in the pot, it takes a long time to pressurize and depressurize, so this makes using the Instant Pot a moot point. On the other hand, the meat truly is more tender after the Instant Pot. So really, it's up to you what you want to use. 

• Handling

Serving: Serve warm or hot, as a standalone meal or an appetizer. 

Storing: 1. If planning to eat soup within the next 24 hours, wait for it to cool down, then transfer it to the fridge. 2. If planning to eat the soup (or some of it) later than that, don't add noodles (or garnish with parsley) right away. Instead, let the soup cool down, then transfer it to the fridge for up to 3 days. When ready to eat, bring the soup to a low boil, lower the temperature, and then add in noodles and parsley. Serve when the noodles soften.

Reheating:  1. The best way to reheat it is on the stovetop, on low, for at least 15 minutes, (or until it's hot). (Look at storing if you stored it for longer than 24 hours.)

Freezing: We don't recommend freezing the entire soup. (The ingredients don't work well together after being frozen and thawed.) However, the broth is fantastic and can last in the freezer for up to 3 months. 1. To freeze, before you add the noodles, strain the soup into freezer ware leaving ⅕ of the container(s) free. (Broth liquid increases in volume when frozen.) Use the meat and carrots for another dish. Discard the remaining ingredients. 2. Meanwhile, let the broth cool down completely, then transfer it to the freezer. When ready to use, let it thaw at room temperature for a few hours. Alternatively, transfer it to the fridge the night before. Reheat or use as desired.

Nutrition

Serving: 2-3 ladlessCalories: 476kcalCarbohydrates: 9.4gProtein: 54.7gFat: 22.9gSaturated Fat: 8.8gCholesterol: 186mgSodium: 317mgSugar: 1.9g

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