Description
This Italian Vegetable Soup is a hearty and comforting meal featuring lean ground beef, a variety of fresh vegetables, and an Italian-spiced tomato broth. It cooks in about 30 minutes and serves 8 to 10 people, making it perfect for a quick family dinner or a freezer-friendly meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Meat and Vegetables
- 1 lb. lean ground beef
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced
- 4 medium size carrots, thinly sliced (2 cups)
- 3 stalks celery, thinly sliced (2 cups)
- 1 cup frozen corn, thawed (may substitute canned, drained)
- 1/4 head green cabbage, roughly chopped (2 cups)
Liquids and Canned Goods
- 5 cups water
- 1 (10.5 oz.) can low sodium beef broth
- 1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes with juices
- 1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
- 1 (15.5 oz.) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
Seasonings and Garnishes
- 1 1/2 tablespoons beef base or beef bouillon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- Shredded Parmesan cheese for serving (optional)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Brown the beef and sauté onion: Crumble the ground beef into a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the diced onion and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally until the beef is fully browned.
- Prepare vegetables: While the beef is cooking, thinly slice the carrots and celery so they are ready to add to the pot.
- Add vegetables and liquids: Once the beef is browned, add the carrots, celery, 5 cups water, and the low sodium beef broth to the pot. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil.
- Add remaining ingredients and spices: Stir in diced tomatoes with their juices, tomato sauce, kidney beans, beef base or bouillon, and all the spices: salt, dried basil, dried parsley, dried oregano, garlic powder, and pepper.
- Simmer the soup: Cover the pot with a lid and bring the soup to a boil. Once boiling, stir, reduce the heat slightly to prevent splattering, and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes until the carrots are tender.
- Add corn and cabbage: Stir in the thawed corn and roughly chopped cabbage. Cover and simmer for an additional 3 to 5 minutes until the corn is warm and cabbage has wilted.
- Adjust seasoning and serve: Taste the soup and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, and optional red pepper flakes if desired. Scooping the soup into bowls, sprinkle with shredded Parmesan cheese and chopped fresh parsley just before serving if you like.
Notes
- This soup is a great make-ahead meal and freezes well for future use.
- For a vegetarian version, omit ground beef and use vegetable broth instead of beef broth and base.
- You can substitute canned corn if frozen corn is not available — just make sure to drain it well.
- Allowing the soup to simmer longer will deepen the flavors and make the carrots even more tender.
- Sprinkling fresh parsley and Parmesan cheese at the end adds a nice fresh and rich flavor.
- Use low sodium broth and adjust salt as needed to control sodium content.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 220 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 400 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 18 g
- Cholesterol: 45 mg
