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There was always something magical about the smell of pot roast slowly simmering on a cold afternoon. The windows would fog, the kitchen would feel warmer than the rest of the house, and you just knew dinner was going to be special. This Italian Beef Soup is my way of turning that Sunday pot roast into something even cozier–spoonable, rich and deeply comforting, just like we remember. Only now, with a few chef-level upgrades.
Tender beef, chunky carrots, potatoes and fresh herbs are slowly simmered in a tomato and wine-infused broth. Truly mouthwatering!
Back in 2020, I published my first cookbook called SOUPified, Soups Inspired by Your Favorite Dishes, which is a very innovative take on soups.
The book is filled with hearty soup versions of classic, comfort food recipes, such as Eggplant Parm Soup, Sausage and Peppers Soup, Chicken Scarpariello Soup, Garlic Bread Soup, Chicken Marsala Soup and even Bacon Cheeseburger Soup!
I had so much fun planning and writing the cookbook and figuring out how to best replicate the flavors and textures of a non-soup dish into a soup. It was both challenging and rewarding.
This Italian Beef Soup with potatoes is a SOUPified recipe through and through–the second one added here on my website! (The first is this Creamy Crab Stuffed Mushrooms Soup!)
With snow still on the ground and a very cold winter upon us, I just seem to be making a lot of hearty comfort food soups lately. And nothing beats a good, slowly cooked, fork tender pot roast, which I immediately thought could be turned into a delicious soup.
And it turned out amazing! This soup has all the rich flavors, textures and aromas that you’d expect in a soup version of pot roast or beef stew. Tender pieces of beef, chunky carrots and potatoes, a rich broth and intensely savory flavor.
In a decidedly Italian twist, I finished my bowl of this beef veg soup with a sprinkling of grated pecorino cheese and a light drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. And I suggest you do the same!
This Italian Beef Soup takes everything we love about classic pot roast–the fork-tender beef, the savory broth, the carrots and potatoes–and transforms it into a hearty Italian American vegetable beef soup that warms you from the inside out. Pair it with a side salad and some crusty bread and you’ll be truly satisfied. Mangia bene!
Table of Contents
What is the Best Beef for Nonna’s Pot Roast Soup
Italian Beef Soup develops most of its flavor from slowly simmered chuck roast, a tough cut of meat with lots of collagen that cooks up beautifully into tender, savory beef pieces. (Chuck is also used in this Steak Pizzaiola recipe.)
Chuck roast is a classic cut for longer cooking techniques, like this soup, stews and pot roasts. Other cuts that can be used successfully in this recipe include:
- Short ribs and Oxtail (fattier),
- Beef shank,
- Beef shoulder,
- Round roast and rump roast,
- Brisket, and
- Any pre-cut stew meat.
And, if you happen to use a cut of beef that’s still on the bone, be sure to include that bone in the broth and let it simmer along with the beef. It will add a real boost in both flavor and body to the finished soup.
Basically, use a collagen-rich, tough cut of meat in this recipe.
- Collagen is the tough connective tissue found in muscles that are used a lot (like the shoulder and neck which is where chuck roast comes from).
- These tough cuts become tender with long cooking times over low heat as the collagen breaks down and converts into gelatin.
- The gelatin creates moistness despite water being drawn out of the muscle fibers during the cooking process.
Tough cuts of meat are also used in Mediterranean Lamb Shoulder, Beef Brisket Ragu and Wild Boar Bolognese.
Tender cuts of beef that are low in collagen, such as tenderloin, NY strip, ribeye and hanger steak, are best for quick-cooking applications (grilling, searing, etc.) and are not recommended for this beef and potato soup recipe. The long cooking time technique used here would dry these cuts out.
How to Make Italian Beef Soup
- Prep all ingredients: dice onions and celery, chop garlic, tomatoes, potatoes, carrots and herbs. Prep beef.
- Dredge dry beef pieces in seasoned flour and shake off excess.
- Brown meat on multiple sides in heated oil in large, heavy-bottomed pot.
Pro-Tips
- The flour gives the broth a little more body and also helps to thicken the soup a bit.
- And searing the meat creates deep, roasted flavor. If needed, cook your beef in batches so that it browns appropriately. Make sure not to overcrowd the pot, otherwise your beef will steam and turn grey.
- Cook onions, celery, garlic and rosemary until softened a bit.
- Move mixture to one side of pot and caramelize tomato paste for 2-3 minutes.
- Add wine and deglaze, scraping up all the brown bits on the bottom of the pot.
- Then add broth, tomatoes, cheese rind, rosemary sprigs, bay leaves, Italian seasoning, black pepper and reserved beef (along with any accumulated juices) and stir well.
- Simmer about 75 minutes or until the beef pieces are almost tender enough to eat.
- Stir in carrots and potatoes and cook until the potatoes, carrots and beef are all tender enough to eat.
- Serve soup piping hot. Enjoy!
More Italian Soups
If you this hearty Italian vegetable beef soup, check out these other recipes:
- Minestrone–the seasonal classic that everyone loves
- Pasta Fazool (Pasta with Beans)–a humble soup with big flavor and texture
- Pasta with Potatoes and Pasta with Peas–both classic Italian American “brothy pastas”
- Wedding Soup–a hearty meatball and escarole soup in meat broth
- Ribollita–a classic Tuscan vegetable and bean soup thickened with bread and served on day 2
- White Bean and Sausage Soup–a delicious pairing of cannellini beans with Italian sausage and spinach
- Tortellini Soup with Chicken or Turkey–brothy and soul-satisfying
- Zucchini Soup with Chickpeas–a year-round favorite
For more soup recipes with beef, check out my cookbook, SOUPified, Soups Inspired by Your Favorite Dishes, which is filled with hearty soup versions of classic, comfort food recipes like Lasagna Soup, Bacon Cheeseburger Soup, Philly Cheesesteak Soup, Reuben Soup and Stuffed Pepper Soup.
Recipe Substitutions and Variations
- Add More Vegetables or Beans: Mushrooms, green beans and cannellini beans are all great options.
- Keep It Gluten-Free: Just omit the flour during the initial beef browning step.
- Make it Dairy-Free: Omit the cheese rind.
- Note that the cheese rind adds a good amount of flavor and savoriness to the soup. A few options to increase the soup’s flavor if needed (if not using the rind) are: worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, white miso or pureed black garlic.
- Noodles: Add noodles in place of the potatoes to make a beef noodle soup. Cook about 6 ounces noodles until al dente, then drain them and add them to the soup at the very end, just to heat through. Add more broth if needed.
- Use Bone-In Chuck Roast: Bone-in chuck roast can be used here, but it may take a bit more skill to break down. The upside is that you will have a flavorful beef bone that you should definitely include when making the soup. Just remove and discard the bone at the end.
- Use Leftover Pot Roast or Brisket: You can make this soup with already-cooked, leftover pot roast or shredded beef brisket. Just cut the cooked meat down into small, bite-sized pieces and then add them to the soup towards the end to mostly just reheat. The broth will not need to simmer as long since there is no raw meat to tenderize. And, the potatoes and carrots can be added at the same time as the other vegetables.
TOP TIPS for Italian Beef Soup
- Don’t Rush It! This beef and potato soup is essentially beef stew in soup form. And, as such, it requires patience and time. Stews and soups like this call for tough cuts of meat (like the chuck roast here) which require slow cooking over low heat to allow the tough fibers to break down, transforming into the most wonderful fork tender pieces of meat.
- Plus, the beef flavors the soup broth during the long simmering time with wonderful savoriness!
- Salt: The amount of salt in this recipe is “to taste” as it really depends on the sodium-level in the broth. The cheese rinds also contribute salt. Use your judgment and adjust seasonings at the very end, if necessary. Also, it’s always best to use no- or low-sodium broths and stocks if possible so you have more control over the dish’s saltiness.
- Soup Consistency: The potatoes may cause the soup to become thicker as it sits. If you prefer a thinner and brothier soup, increase the broth.
- Storage:
- Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. It’s not necessary to completely thaw before reheating.
- Reheat it slowly over medium low heat while stirring, adding additional broth or water if needed.
Italian Beef Soup with Potatoes ~ Nonna’s Pot Roast Soupified!
Equipment
- Large pot OR
Ingredients
- 3-4 Tbsp olive oil, or as needed for searing beef
- About 2 pounds boneless chuck roast
- 2 cups small diced yellow onions
- 1½ cups small diced celery
- 3-4 Tbsp chopped or thinly-sliced garlic
- 1 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio
- 2 quarts low- or no-sodium beef or chicken broth , (8 cups)
- 5-6 chopped plum or Roma tomatoes , or 1 (15-ounces) can tomatoes, hand-crushed (See Notes.)
- 1-2 pieces parmigiano or pecorino cheese rind
- 1-2 sprigs fresh rosemary, (optional-for increased rosemary flavor)
- 2-3 bay leaves
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- ¼ tsp black pepper, or to taste at end
- 2 cups diced or sliced (into rounds) carrots
- 1 pound ½” diced russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, (about 3cups diced; peeling is optional), held in water until use
- To taste salt, (See Notes.)
- Grated pecorino or parmigiano cheese, optional for serving
- Extra-virgin olive oil, optional for serving
Seasoned Flour:
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp fine salt
- ½ tsp garlic powder or granulated garlic
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp Italian seasoning
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper
Instructions
- Prep all ingredients according to specifications above. Make the seasoned flour by combining the first 7 ingredients in a bowl and mixing well. Set aside.(Please see the section above in the blog post for Step-By-Step instructions with photos.)½ cup all-purpose flour, 1 tsp fine salt, ½ tsp garlic powder or granulated garlic, ½ tsp onion powder, ½ tsp Italian seasoning, ¼ tsp black pepper, ¼ tsp crushed red pepper
- Prepare chuck roast as follows: Remove any large pieces of fat and gristle. Cut into bite-sized pieces (about 1”). Pat beef pieces dry with a paper towel.About 2 pounds boneless chuck roast
- Heat oil in large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven medium heat.3-4 Tbsp olive oil
- While the oil is heating, dredge the dry beef pieces in seasoned flour and shake off excess. Then, place the floured pieces of beef in the hot oil in a single layer. Do not overcrowd the pan and work in batches, if necessary.NOTE: Once the beef has been coated in flour, add it to a hot pan fairly quickly to brown. Do not let it sit as it will become gummy.
- Brown meat on multiple sides, then remove to a plate. Add additional oil as needed.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and add onions, celery, garlic and chopped rosemary. Stir well and cover to allow the vegetables to soften a bit, about 5-6 minutes. Stir a couple times and scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen some of the brown bits left by the beef.2 cups small diced yellow onions, 1½ cups small diced celery, 3-4 Tbsp chopped or thinly-sliced garlic, 1 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
- Next, move mixture to one side of pot and add the tomato paste, caramelizing it for 2-3 minutes.2 Tbsp tomato paste
- Add wine and deglaze, scraping up all the brown bits on the bottom of the pot.1 cup dry white wine
- Then add the broth, tomatoes, cheese rind, rosemary sprigs, bay leaves, Italian seasoning, black pepper and reserved beef (along with any accumulated juices) and stir well.2 quarts low- or no-sodium beef or chicken broth , 5-6 chopped plum or Roma tomatoes , 1-2 pieces parmigiano or pecorino cheese rind , 1-2 sprigs fresh rosemary, 2-3 bay leaves, 1 tsp Italian seasoning, ¼ tsp black pepper
- Cover and bring mixture up to a boil, then immediately reduce heat to a light simmer. Simmer, partially covered, about 75 minutes or until the beef pieces are almost tender enough to eat.Stir the soup regularly, ensuring that the cheese rind does not stick to the bottom of the pot. Skim any scum that arises to the top of the soup mixture during the cooking process.
- Next, remove the bay leaves, rosemary sprigs and any residual cheese rind.
- Stir in the carrots and potatoes. (Drain the potatoes first if being held in water.) Cover and cook until the potatoes, carrots and beef are all tender enough to eat, 15 to 20 minutes or so. Add salt to taste and turn off the heat.2 cups diced or sliced (into rounds) carrots, 1 pound ½” diced russet or Yukon Gold potatoes
- Serve soup piping hot with a (optional) generous sprinkle of grated pecorino or parmigiano cheese and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Buon Appetito!
Notes
- I used collagen-rich chuck roast here, which is a classic cut for longer cooking techniques, like this soup, and yields a fork-tender piece of meat.
- Other cuts that can be used successfully in this recipe include short ribs, beef shank, oxtail (fattier) beef shoulder, round roast and rump roast, brisket and pre-cut stew meat.
- Basically, use a tough cut of meat in this recipe, which generally means it comes from a muscle that is used a lot and requires a longer cooking time to break down and become tender.
- Tender cuts of beef that are low in collagen, such as tenderloin, NY strip, ribeye and hanger steak, are best for quick-cooking applications (grilling, searing, etc.) and are not recommended for this beef and potato soup recipe. The long cooking time technique used here would dry these cuts out.
- Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. It’s not necessary to completely thaw before reheating.
- Reheat it slowly over medium low heat while stirring, adding additional broth or water if needed.
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Making a second pot of this soup tomorrow. Everyone loved it-so good!