This recipe for vegetable beef soup combines fresh vegetables, rice, beef, and a smooth broth, all in one delicious bowl! It’s easy to prepare in stages if you’re running short on time, and the leftovers freeze well to enjoy later. Both convenient and tasty, this recipe is perfect for a weekday family dinner!
My passion for food has taken me all throughout Mexico in search of the best food made with “home-style flavor”, which is how we refer to food habitually prepared in the households of Mexican families.
Among these dishes, we find soups, stews, and “antojitos” (street food), which are served in generous portions, easily replicable, and simple to prepare. It was in the Pino Suárez Market, in the city of Villahermosa (capital of the state of Tabasco), that I found this dish: “Carne Picada con Arroz” (Chopped Beef with Rice, and vegetables)!
In Tabasco, it is common for local products, like beef and vegetables, to be consumed at restaurants, family tables, and eateries located inside the markets. Surrounded by one-third of the country’s freshwater, this delta in the Gulf of Mexico is bounteous when it comes to making soup-based stews!
This Vegetable Meat and Rice recipe have been shared
by María Inés Muñoz
Beef Soup Recipe From Tabasco In México
This stew is a version of Caldo de Res (Beef Soup), a dish of European origins but with a strong Mexican rooting. This recipe of carne picada con arroz can be compared to that of “Puchero” (also called "Caldo de Res”), but it is made with a mix of condiments and ingredients that are used in Tabasco but using specific ingredients like “oreganón” and “Perejil criollo” (creole parsley).
Oreganón Tabasqueño, An Oregano Plant From Tabasco
The original “oreganón” (Lippia graveolens) is highly used in the cuisines of Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatan, and the south of Veracruz. It is a plant that grows in tropical forests but grows much better in rocky soil.
It was classified as “yerba dulce de México” (Mexico’s sweet herb) by Mr. Miguel Colmeiro, a Spanish botanist. It gives a pleasant taste to any broth, as well as fish and other seafood. It is worth noting it has been called the “Mexican oregano”, and has medicinal use in treating colic, colds, and gastrointestinal problems!
Perejil Criollo, A Parsley Plant From Tabasco
Creole Parsley (“Perejil criollo”), or “ranchero” parsley (Eryngium foetidum), is also a plant of regular use in southeastern cuisine, due to it having a deeper and more intense flavor than regular flat-leaf parsley. It’s long and serrated leaves are preferred for aromatizing soups, and it is commonly grown in small spaces for household use.
This plant is also known as “foreign culantro” (“culantro extranjero”), for its origins in Africa and Asia. Its wealth of nutrients includes vitamins A, B1, B2, and C, as well as riboflavin, carotenes, calcium, and iron; it is also used as an appetite stimulant!
Note: For this recipe, in order to achieve a final result similar to that of the original, I recommend you use dried oregano and parsley.
Frequently Asked Questions About Vegetable Beef Soup
Before I share my soup recipe, here are a few questions I've been asked about homemade vegetable beef soup.
What cut of beef works best in this vegetable beef soup recipe?
I used a skirt steak and cut it very thin against the grain. Any cut of beef will be perfect, especially if you let it cook on low for a long period of time. The broth and flavors will soak into the meat and tenderize it.
Can I use any kind of vegetables?
Yes, this is a very versatile recipe, so you can use any kind of vegetables that you want. My recipe uses ingredients that are easy to find in Mexico, but you can make any changes you want and add vegetables that you love or that are local to your region.
Do I have to add rice?
No, you do not have to add the rice. It is optional!
I like to add it because it bulks up the soup, making it more filling. Plus, it was an original ingredient in this authentic recipe, so I like to stay true to history and tradition.
Ingredients for Homemade Vegetable Beef Soup
Here is a list of ingredients you will need in order to make this hearty soup:
- Skirt steak
- Beef bones with marrow
- Corn ears
- Chayotes
- Tomatoes
- Green pepper
- Onion
- Garlic cloves
- Peppercorns
- Bay leaves
- Oregano
- Thyme
- “Perejil ranchero” or 10 sprigs flat-leaf parsley
- Cilantro
- Rice
- Vegetable oil
Please note: For exact measurements of the ingredients listed above, scroll down to the recipe card located at the bottom of this post!
How To Make Vegetable Beef Soup: Step By Step Tutorial
To make things easier for you, I am going to break down the directions to this soup into sections.
Boil The Meat, Bones, And Spices
- Place the meat and the bones in a large pot along with 1 garlic clove, one half of the onion, 2 peppercorns, 3 bay leaves, and salt to taste.
- Fill the pot with eight cups of water and cook on high heat until it reaches boiling point.
- After the water starts to boil, reduce the heat to low and keep cooking for 30 minutes, or until the meat is soft.
Chop Beef and Strain The Soup
- Once the meat has been cooked, remove it from the pot and cut it into small cubes. It has to be very finely chopped. Remove the marrow from the bones and mix it into the chopped beef.
- Strain the broth from the pot in order to remove the remains of the onion and other condiments.
- Return the broth to the same pot, and add the chopped beef with marrow.
Prepare The Sofrito
- In order to prepare the “sofrito”, dice the tomatoes, green pepper (with seeds removed), garlic clove, and the remaining half of the onion.
- Heat the two tablespoons of vegetable oil in a medium pan and add the diced ingredients to fry. Add a couple of tablespoons of the beef broth to the pan and continue to cook for 10 minutes.
- Add this “sofrito” to your blender along with the thyme and oregano. Blend until you have a fine mixture, then pour into the pot with the beef broth (you do not need to strain it).
Add Vegetables
- Place the pot with the beef and broth over high heat once more, adding the parsley and oregano.
- Once it starts boiling, add the corn and cook for 10 minutes. After this, add the chopped chayotes and cook for 5 more minutes.
- Finally, add the rice and let it boil for 6 more minutes, then turn the heat off.
- Remove the pot from the heat and set it aside, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Keep in mind that the heat of the broth will continue to cook the rice.
After this time has passed, it is ready to serve!
Cooking Tip:
If you have leftovers of this chopped vegetable beef with rice soup, you can freeze it to reheat later. In the case that you want to reheat it on the stove, remember to not let it boil for too long, in order to avoid overcooking the rice.
What To Serve With Vegetable Beef Soup
This soup is so incredibly hearty that it's a meal all by itself. It will warm you up from the inside out!
I suggest serving a quick and easy Mexican side dish with this aromatic soup. Raw nopales salad is a popular zesty Mexican salad made with cactus paddles and an incredible dressing. Summer corn salad is another popular side dish to serve with this soup because it has corn in it, just like in the soup!
I personally like to eat this homemade beef and vegetable soup with some Mexican bolillos (dinner rolls) and a few dashes of hot sauce.
More Authentic Mexican Recipes To Enjoy
If you enjoyed this recipe for carne picada con arroz, take a look at some of these other authentic Mexican recipes:
- Mexican Lentil Soup
- Creamy Black Bean Soup
- Mexican Meatball Soup
- Cream of Corn Soup
- Authentic Tortilla Soup Recipe
I hope you make this vegetable beef soup recipe! If this recipe was of any help to you, come back to let me know your experience. Please leave us a comment done below and tell us all about it!
¡Buen provecho!
Mely
Vegetable Beef Soup With Rice (Carne Picada Con Arroz)
Ingredients
- 2 lbs skirt steak
- 1 lb beef bones with marrow
- 8 cups water
- 3 medium corn ears removed from the husk
- 2 small chayotes or 1 big one, peeled and cut into small cubes
- 2 tomatoes
- 1 green pepper
- 1 small onion
- 2 garlic cloves peeled
- 2 peppercorns
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 4 leaves of “Perejil ranchero” or 10 sprigs flat-leaf parsley
- 5 sprigs of cilantro
- ½ cup of rice rinsed and drained
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Instructions
- Place the meat and the bones in a large pot along with 1 garlic clove, one half of the onion, 2 peppercorns, 3 bay leaves, and salt to taste. Fill the pot with eight cups of water and cook on high heat until it reaches boiling point. After the water starts to boil, reduce the heat to low and keep cooking for 30 minutes, or until the meat is soft.
- Once the meat has been cooked, remove it from the pot and cut it into small cubes. It has to be very finely chopped. Remove the marrow from the bones and mix it into the chopped beef.
- Strain the broth from the pot in order to remove the remains of the onion and other condiments. Return the broth to the same pot, and add the chopped beef with marrow.
- In order to prepare the “sofrito”, dice the tomatoes, green pepper (with seeds removed), garlic clove, and remaining half of the onion. Heat the two tablespoons of vegetable oil in a medium pan and add the diced ingredients to fry. Add a couple of tablespoons of the beef broth to the pan and continue to cook for 10 minutes.
- Add this “sofrito” to your blender along with the thyme and oregano. Blend until you have a fine and homogeneous mixture, then pour into the pot with the beef broth (you do not need to strain it).
- Place the pot with the beef and broth over high heat once more, adding the parsley and oregano. Once it starts boiling, add the corn and cook for 10 minutes. After this, add the chopped chayotes and cook for 5 more minutes. Finally, add the rice and let it boil for 6 more minutes, then turn the heat off.
- Remove the pot from the heat and set it aside, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Keep in mind that the heat of the broth will continue to cook the rice. After this time has passed, it is ready to serve.
Robert Theaker
Hi Mely,
Greetings from Australia! We love your website. Thank you... It must be a lot of work, obviously, but a great ongoing result..
I found this wonderful recipe to use in our Taqueria, Bob's Tacos, and used the recipe multiplying tool. Wonderful.
I noticed that the water volume is not listed in the ingredients, it is in the instructions and does not scale up when 2x or 3x is utilized. I'm sure most folks would pick up on this, but just in case I thought to point it out.
I am going to have to do my own 6x on this because the "Aussies" we are educating on the delights of the Latin table are going to go loco for it!!!
Thank you,
Rob
Ballina, NSW, Australia
Mely Martínez
Hello Robert,
Thank you for pointing that out. I just added the water to the list of ingredients. Happy cooking!