Grandma’s Vegetable Beef Soup (A Classic Slow-Cooker Recipe)

Sitting down to my grandmother’s vegetable beef soup is a welcome relief on a cold, busy day. Once it’s started, it’s mostly a set-it-and-forget-it meal. This is a classic example of how my grandmother’s practical side balanced her sense of adventure. She and my grandfather stayed active into their 80s. If they had somewhere to be, dinner needed to take care of itself.

As I mentioned before, my grandmother often had a sense of adventure when it came to cooking. That sense of adventure didn’t stop in the kitchen. I have memories of packing up the car to explore the ghost towns of Colorado with my family, including both grandparents. The roads could be very rough, and we took the Bronco with four-wheel drive. I have fond memories of helping my grandmother into the Bronco. She would always dissolve into laughter, making it impossible to help her in. In many ways, she was a perfect blend of fun-loving and practical.

Courses: Main Dish, Soups

Ingredients

2 ½ pounds short ribs or 2 pounds stew meat
2 tsp jerk seasoning (paste not dried)
1 tbsp prime rib rub
3 cloves garlic
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
2 cans beef consommé’ (beef broth is not rich enough)
1 cup beef broth
1 or 2 cans diced tomatoes with the juice (14.5 oz)
½ small head of cabbage, sliced thin (or most of prepared package from salad section)
1 medium onion, sliced (sautéed a little to release more flavor)
1 cup frozen corn
1 ½ cups frozen lima beans
1 cups edamame
1 ½ frozen green beans
Note: You can add more vegetables or swap them out, but avoid broccoli, cauliflower, and okra.

Instructions

1
In a small bowl, mix jerk seasoning, prime rib rub, garlic, and Worcestershire sauce.
2
Pour it over the meat and marinate for 3 to 4 hours.
3
Brown the meat. Then, put it in a slow cooker with 1 cup of beef broth. I use Better Than Bullion beef flavor. Cook on high for 2 hours.
4
Add onion and cabbage. Reduce heat to low and cook for an additional 3 hours.
5
If using ribs, remove bones and extra fat from the meat. Cut it into bite sized pieces and return it to the slow cooker.
6
Add edamame, and green beans. Cook for 1 more hour.
7
Add corn and lima beans to the slow cooker during the final 10-15 minutes, just enough to heat through.

Note

Quick tips:

Why consommé matters: It adds depth you won’t get from broth alone.
Make-ahead friendly: This soup tastes even better the next day.
Freezer-friendly: Cool completely and freeze in portions for easy future meals.
Veg flexibility: Stick with sturdy vegetables that hold their shape.
Original swap: This recipe was adapted due to ongoing shortages of Hormel beef au jus from the fridge.

Grocery List (By Department)

Meat
⦁ Short ribs or stew meat
Produce
⦁ Garlic
⦁ Onion
⦁ Cabbage

Frozen

Corn
Lima beans
Edamame
Green beans

Canned & Packaged
⦁ Beef consommé (2 cans)
⦁ Diced tomatoes (1–2 cans)
⦁ Beef broth

Pantry
⦁ Jerk seasoning paste
⦁ Prime rib rub
⦁ Worcestershire sauce

Note

This is the kind of soup that fits real life: steady, flexible, and forgiving. It’s the meal you start early, then let simmer as the day goes on. Just like my grandmother, it’s practical at heart, with enough character to make it memorable.