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Ground Beef Vegetable Soup is a low-carb stovetop version of a favorite slow cooker soup now made with cauliflower rice. And this tasty ground beef soup also has tomatoes, cabbage, and spinach.

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Soup season is winding down but there are always some cold nights long after Spring officially arrives, so today for Friday Favorites I’m reminding you about this delicious Ground Beef Vegetable Soup. This is a low-carb version of the Slow Cooker Ground Beef Soup with Cabbage that used beans in the original recipe. And this is a perfect soup to make while cabbage is still on sale.

There are a lot of Instant Pot soups and slow cooker soups on this blog, but sometimes I just like to make a pot of soup on top of the stove and make my house smell great while it cooks. And you might have noticed I’m having fun creating low-carb versions of some of my recipes from the archives, and people seem to like having the low-carb options.

This soup has ground beef, onions, celery, canned tomatoes, cabbage, and spinach, and switches out the beans for a little cauliflower rice, and I made a few other minor changes because when I’m updating an old recipe idea I always like to improve it a bit! I tried this soup out on some friends who came for dinner and we all enjoyed it with some Parmesan cheese on top, but it’s also very tasty with sour cream.

The Ground Beef Vegetable Soup can simmer on low for a few hours while you’re doing other things, but it can also be ready in under an hour if the family is hungry and just wants to eat. And despite the healthy vegetables, I think this has enough good flavors that most picky eaters will like it; enjoy!

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

What if you don’t have all the spices for this Ground Beef Vegetable Soup?

One thing that makes this such a flavorful soup is the seasonings I use like garlic, onion, dried parsley Spike Seasoning, ground fennel, and a touch of Sherry Vinegar at the end. I urge you to use as many of those as you can, but if you’re missing one or two of the spices or have to substitute, I’m guessing it will still be delicious!

Can Ground Beef Vegetable Soup be frozen?

This recipe makes a big pot of soup, but it freezes well and I recommend making the full amount!

Is this Ground Beef Vegetable Soup low in carbs?

The new version of this tasty soup with vegetables and ground beef only has 6 net carbs per serving! And the soup is gluten-free and if you skip the optional Parmesan cheese it’s also dairy-free!

Ground Beef Vegetable Soup process shots collage

Steps for making Ground Beef Vegetable Soup:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

  1. Heat olive oil and brown the ground beef, breaking apart while it cooks.
  2. Season cooked beef and add to the soup pot.
  3. While beef cooks, chop onion and celery, then add a bit more oil and cook them about 3 minutes.
  4. Then add garlic, dried herbs, and spices to the pan and cook 1-2 minutes more.
  5. Add beef stock and vegetable stock to the pan to rinse and then add that liquid to the soup pot with the canned petite dice tomatoes.
  6. Let soup simmer on low while you chop the cabbage. Take cauliflower rice out of the freezer. 
  7. After 20 minutes add chopped cabbage and frozen cauliflower rice to the soup pot and continue to simmer while you chop the spinach.
  8. Add chopped spinach to the soup and cook 10 minutes longer (or more).
  9. Stir in Sherry Vinegar (affiliate link) or any mild light vinegar and simmer 5 minutes more. 
  10. Taste soup and add more salt and fresh-ground black pepper as desired.
  11. Serve hot, with grated Parmesan cheese or sour cream to add at the table.

Make it a Low-Carb Meal:

This Ground Beef Vegetable Soup would be absolutely delicious with Savory Almond Flour Bread, Low-Carb High-Fiber  Savory Muffins, or Olive Bread for a low-carb meal.

Want more low-carb soups with ground beef?

Next time you pull a package of ground beef out of the freezer, check out my collection of Low-Carb Soups with Ground Beef!

Weekend Food Prep:

This Ground Beef Vegetable Soup recipe has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep to help you find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!

Ground Beef Vegetable Soup
Yield: 12 servings

Ground Beef Vegetable Soup

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Ground Beef Vegetable Soup is a tasty low-carb stovetop soup that can be on the table in about an hour!

Ingredients

  • 1 T olive oil, divided
  • 2 lb. lean ground beef (see notes)
  • salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 cup chopped celery
  • 1 T minced garlic
  • 1 T dried parsley
  • 1 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
  • 2 tsp. Spike Seasoning (see notes)
  • 1/2 tsp. ground fennel (probably optional but recommended)
  • 6 cups beef stock (see notes)
  • 1 14 oz. can vegetable broth
  • 2 14.5 oz. cans petite dice tomatoes
  • 4 cups chopped cabbage
  • 1 1/2 cups frozen cauliflower rice
  • 3 cups chopped spinach
  • 2 T Sherry Vinegar (see notes)

Instructions

  1. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large frying pan and brown the ground beef well, breaking apart with your turner or a potato masher (affiliate link) while it cooks.
  2. Season cooked beef with salt and fresh-ground black pepper and add to the soup pot.
  3. While beef cooks, chop the onion and celery. Add a little more oil to the frying pan and cook onion and celery about 3 minutes or until they are barely starting to brown.
  4. Then add minced garlic, Dried Parsley (affiliate link), Dried Thyme (affiliate link), Spike Seasoning (affiliate link), and ground fennel (affiliate link) and cook 1-2 minutes more.
  5. Add the beef stock and vegetable stock to the frying pan (to rinse it out) and then add that liquid to the soup pot with the canned petite dice tomatoes.
  6. Let soup simmer on low for 20 minutes (or more) while you chop the cabbage. Take cauliflower rice out of the freezer and let it start to thaw.
  7. After 20 minutes add chopped cabbage and frozen cauliflower rice to the soup pot and continue to simmer for 20 minutes (or more) while you chop the spinach.
  8. Add chopped spinach to the soup and cook 10 minutes longer (or more).
  9. Stir in Sherry Vinegar (affiliate link) or any mild light vinegar and simmer 5 minutes more.
  10. Taste soup and add more salt and fresh-ground black pepper as desired. Serve hot, with grated Parmesan cheese or sour cream to add at the table.

Notes

I recommend lean ground beef even if you don't care about fat content because using beef with a lot of fat can make this soup seem greasy. Use any all-purpose seasoning blend with good flavor if you don't have Spike Seasoning. You can use three cans beef broth and a little water to make this soup if you don't have homemade beef stock. If you don't have Sherry Vinegar (affiliate link) use any mild light vinegar you have on hand.

This stovetop soup recipe adapted from Slow Cooker Ground Beef and Bean Soup with Cabbage back in the archives. 

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 236Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 4gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 67mgSodium: 757mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 3gSugar: 3gProtein: 27g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

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© Danica Thomas
Category: Soups & Stews
Square image for Ground Beef Vegetable Soup shown in two bowls with Parmesan cheese.

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Ground Beef Vegetable Soup is a perfect dish for low-carb or Keto diet plans, and for any phase of the original South Beach Diet. I recommend lean ground beef, even if you’re following a plan that permits more fat because otherwise the soup can be a bit too greasy.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
See Soup Recipes for more tasty soups like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Danica's Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
In 2020 I posted this Ground Beef Vegetable Soup for a low-carb version of an earlier soup that had beans. The recipe was last updated with more information in 2024.

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