This easy beef soup with noodles is simple to make with a combination of fresh and convenience ingredients for a homemade taste in a fraction of the time. It features tender bites of beef, vegetables, vermicelli noodles in a deep, savory broth.
This beef noodle soup recipe is a nice change of pace from chicken noodle soup. It’s filling, loaded with vegetables, and a great way to stretch a pound of beef so you can get a wholesome, complete meal on a budget.
Table of contents
Make this delicious beef noodle soup on a cold day for a cozy, filling meal. This recipe makes a nice big pot, so leftovers for lunch the next day are likely. And if you need more soup recipes to get you through cooler days, try this mushroom soup made with a combination of baby bellas and white button mushrooms or our alphabet soup that will please the entire family.
Ingredients
- Oil – Use a neutral oil with a high smoke point because the beef is browned at medium high heat. We use canola oil, use your favorite.
- Beef – Sirloin steak is the best for this easy recipe because it is tender without a long cooking time. Use any cut of sirloin available, preferably on sale (sirloin, sirloin tip or top sirloin steak)
- Spices – Salt, Italian seasoning, and black pepper are used here.
- Vegetables – The base of the soup is made with onion, celery, and garlic. Then it is finished with mixed vegetables. It’s an easy way to get variety without a lot of work.
- Pantry – From the pantry you will need tomato paste to add flavor and color, diced tomatoes, beef broth and vermicelli noodles. Vermicelli are the perfect noodles for this recipe. The ones we purchased came broken already in a small bag and they were very inexpensive.
- See the recipe card for quantities and preparation.
Instructions
- Season the sirloin steak with salt. Heat the oil in a large soup pot (or a large Dutch oven) over medium high heat. Add the beef cubes. Arrange them in one layer and cook, undisturbed, for 3 minutes. Stir well and cook another 3 minutes, stir occasionally. If necessary, continue cooking for 1-2 minutes until the liquid has cooked out and the beef is sizzling, stir constantly.
- Then, lower the heat to medium and add the onions and celery. Cook for 2 minutes, stir occasionally.
- Next, add the garlic, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, and black pepper to the pot. Cook for 1 minute, stir often.
- Add the diced tomatoes and beef broth. Stir while gently scraping the browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Raise the heat and bring the broth to a simmer. Then, lower the heat to medium-low, cover the pot and cook for 10 minutes, stir occasionally. Keep the broth at a simmer, raise or lower the heat as needed.
- Add the vermicelli to the soup. Raise the heat, bring the liquid back to a simmer. Then, lower the heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Stir often to make sure the pasta is not sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Lastly, add the vegetables to the pot. Check that it is simmering. If it is not raise the heat a bit. Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes until the pasta is tender. Stir occasionally and keep the liquid simmering; lower or raise the heat as needed.
Taste the beef noodle soup and add salt if needed. As a reference we added ½ teaspoon to ours. Serve this delicious soup with crusty bread for dipping or saltine crackers, if desired.
Variations and substitutions
One of the great things about soup is that it’s easy to customize. You can omit, add, or substitute ingredients and still end up with fantastic results.
- If you don’t have vermicelli noodles use broken thin spaghetti, or other thin type of noodle. You can also use pastina like orzo or stelline. They work great too, see them in this vegetable beef soup and our sausage pastina soup.
- If you don’t have beef broth substitute chicken broth. The color and flavor won’t be as deep as with a beef broth base, but you’ll still get a wonderful savory broth.
- Use reduced sodium ingredients (for the broth and diced tomatoes) if you are sensitive to salt. You can also reduce the amount of salt used to season the steak.
Frequently asked questions
We use sirloin for this soup because it’s a flavorful, tender beef cut without requiring a long cooking time. Top sirloin, sirloin tip and top round are also good options, try them in this beef stew recipe.
Yes. Browning the beef before building the soup adds a layer of flavor you don’t get by simply boiling the meat. Browning meat creates a fond, which are browned bits left at the bottom of the pot after browning. Those bits add immense flavor to the soup.
There are a few things you can do to give soup wonderful flavor. Add layers of flavors by first, browning the meat (read why in the question above). Second, make a base. This is done by sautéing aromatics with the fond created by the meat. Third, simmer the broth with the base for at least 10-15 minutes before building the rest of the soup.
Storing and reheating instructions
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. To freeze the soup, cool it quickly and place in freezer-safe containers. Leave an inch or two to allow for expansion. Freeze for 2-3 months.
Gently, reheat the soup in a covered saucepan over medium-low to low heat until heated through (at least 165°F), stir occasionally – or reheat in the microwave.
It may be necessary to add a few tablespoons of broth or water when reheating because the homemade beef noodle soup thickens when stored.
For more information on food storage and safety guidelines visit U.S. Department of Agriculture and foodsafety.gov.
One final note
A big bowl of beef noodle soup on a cold day is comfort food at its best. But another popular hearty beef soup recipe we have is Sopa de Res (which is a Cuban-style beef soup). It’s loaded with meat, vegetables, and white rice.
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📖 Recipe
Easy Beef Soup with Noodles
Ingredients
- 1 pound Sirloin Steak cut into small cubes about ½ - ¾ inch cubes use any cut of sirloin available, sirloin tip, top sirloin, etc.
- 1 teaspoon Salt we use kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon Oil use a neutral oil with a high smoke point we use canola oil
- 1 Medium Onion diced
- 1 Celery Rib diced or sliced
- 3-4 Garlic Cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon Tomato Paste
- ½ teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1 (14 ounce) can Diced Tomatoes (we use petite dice)
- 6 cups Beef Broth
- ½ - ¾ cup Broken Vermicelli Noodles or other broken thin noodle or pastina (use more or less noodles depending on how thick or brothy you like your soup)
- 10 ounces Frozen Mixed Vegetables defrosted (cooked to about half the time recommended on the package instructions) We use a combination of carrots, peas, corn, and green beans.
Instructions
- Season the beef with salt. Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, but not smoking, add the beef cubes.
- Arrange it in one layer and cook, undisturbed, for 3 minutes. Stir well and cook another 3 minutes, stir occasionally. If necessary, continue cooking for 1-2 minutes until the liquid has cooked out and the beef is sizzling, stir constantly.
- Then, lower the heat to medium and add the onions and celery. Cook for 2 minutes, stir occasionally.
- Next, add the garlic, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, and black pepper to the pot. Cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
- Add the diced tomatoes and beef broth. Stir while gently scraping the browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Raise the heat and bring the broth to a simmer it will take about 5 minutes). Then, lower the heat to medium-low, cover the pot and cook for 10 minutes, stir occasionally. Keep the broth at a simmer, raise or lower the heat as needed.
- Add the vermicelli to the soup. Raise the heat, bring the liquid back to a simmer. Then, lower the heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Stir often to make sure the pasta is not sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Lastly, add the vegetables to the pot. Check that it is simmering. If it is not raise the heat a bit. Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes until the pasta is tender. Stir occasionally and keep the liquid simmering; lower or raise the heat as needed.
- Taste the beef noodle soup and add salt if needed. As a reference we added ½ teaspoon to ours.
- Serve with crusty bread for dipping or saltine crackers. But there’s no need because this hearty soup is satisfying on its own.
Notes
- Use reduced sodium ingredients if you are sensitive to salt. You can also reduce the amount of salt used to season the steak.
- Simmering store-bought broth for a few minutes with aromatics, herbs, and spices will get you a “homemade” taste in a fraction of the time. It’s an extra step that requires some time, but it is worth it in the end.
Nutrition
The nutritional information above is computer generated and is only an estimate. There is no guarantee that it is accurate. This data is provided as a courtesy for informational purposes only.
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