MEXICAN BEEF AND VEGETABLE SOUP is a family-favorite loved by all! This soup tastes like it’s simmered all day, but only takes 30 minutes from start to finish!
After Labor Day I’m not sure what it is, but I start to have an intense craving for soups. Not one particular kind of soup, but every single kind you can think of. And I never seem to get tired of them either. Who knows what it is, but I’m certainly not complaining.
There are a couple of reasons why people enjoy soup, in my opinion; of course! People love to stretch meats because who wouldn’t, they can be expensive especially if you are serving a larger family. Another reason is to warm your body up in the middle of winter – one of my favorites! Soups can also help you to consume fewer calories if you start with a bowl of soup and they hydrate you.
So with that being said, let’s get to chatting about this Mexican beef and vegetable soup I made. It’s hearty, it’s flavorful, and it feeds a crowd. I am calling this Mexican instead of just beef and vegetable soup because I added Mexican flavors like cumin, oregano, cayenne (just a little bit), and lime juice. You are more than welcome to call it anything you would like!
If you love soups, I recommend trying my popular Copycat Panera Chicken and Wild Rice Soup, Beef Noodle Soup, or even my One-Pot Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup!
The base of this soup is olive oil and sirloin beef. I started by browning the beef on all sides, then removed the beef and added onions and a little more olive oil to get the flavor on the bottom of the pan – so good! If you aren’t a huge onion fan, please do not omit them from the recipe because they are a huge flavor component in this soup. And I promise you will not be able to taste them.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ lbs top sirloin steak cubed into 1" chunks
- 1 large onion diced
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 ½ teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 8 cups beef stock
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- salt to taste
- 1 lb. Yukon gold potatoes peeled and diced into cubes
- 1 cup canned yellow corn
- fresh parsley to garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Place a large dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat and add one tablespoon of olive oil.
- Place half of the beef in the pot and brown each side until browned. Remove the beef with a slotted spoon and place into a separate bowl. Repeat with the other half of the beef.
- Add the other tablespoon of olive oil and the onions to the pot and cook over medium heat until the onions are translucent.
- Place the celery, carrots, garlic, cumin, oregano, pepper, cayenne pepper, diced tomatoes with the juice, and beef stock, lime juice, potatoes, and cooked beef into the same pot, mix until combined.
- Bring the soup to a boil, cover with a lid and allow it to simmer for 20 minutes. Taste and season with salt.
- Place the corn into the soup and mix.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and serve warm.
Christina says
How is prep time 5 minutes when you have me chopping up all sorts of stuff??? Please be realistic in the future. I’m a busy mom. Thanks.
Aubrey Cota says
Thank you for the feedback. A good point but it does differ from person to person, we have updated to provide a more feasible prep time. However, this is such a rustic type of soup it should be pretty quick to chop up most of the ingredients. (Also, if you happen to have the budget for it, sometimes it’s easier to purchase the pre-chopped veggies) I totally understand though and being a busy mom myself I know what it means to have a more realistic outlook on these types of things.
Tami Custard says
Hi there! We made a few edits/additions and LOVE the way this turned out. EDITS: We used 2 lbs (instead of 1.5) of pre-cut stew beef from the meat counter (it was half the price!), 1 tsp of fresh cracked black pepper (instead of 1/2) and 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper (instead of 1/8). ADDS: We added in 2 cups of dry red wine towards the end of stewing (although we’re thinking next time we might try to marinade the meat with some, as well) and 2-3 fresh jalapenos chopped up. We also weren’t sure if the recipe called for the corn to be drained or not, so we compromised by using about half of the liquid. We simmered it much longer than called for in order to soften up the celery more and to make the meat more tender. The soup was definitely not bland after we added in all of the extra peppers and the wine 🙂 We’ll be making this again!
Sandy Smith says
When do you add the beef back in?
Aubrey Cota says
Whoops, sorry for the confusion. The cooked beef goes back in when adding all the other ingredients before bringing it to a boil. We have updated the instructions to be sure to reflect that. Thanks for catching it.
Cari says
Also agree with the previous review. Soup was a little bland. Had a nice subtle kick to it. Would taste better if the meat was also seasoned.
Aubrey Cota says
Thank you for the feedback!
Zia says
I tried making this tonight, but instead of beef I used chicken. My soup didn’t come out quite right. Mine is lacking a bit of flavor. I will probably try again though. The 3 stars isn’t really accurate though because I altered the recipe slightly.