Homemade Beef Soup with Soft Dumplings

Name: Homemade Beef Soup with Soft Dumplings
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 4 h
Total time: 4 h 10 min
Yield: About 8 servings
Ingredients: For the beef soup; 200 g Onion; 500 g Beef; 200 g Beef bones; 200 g Celery root; 300 g Carrots; 200 g Leek; 1 head Garlic; 1 bunch Fresh parsley; 2 leaves Bay leaves; 10 peppercorns Whole peppercorns; to taste Salt; a few drops Cooking oil; as needed to fill a 5 L pot Water; For the dumplings; 2 pcs Eggs; 100 g All-purpose flour; a small pinch Salt

This homemade beef soup is made from beef, bones, root vegetables and simple seasonings, then slowly simmered for four hours for a rich, comforting broth. It is served with tender beef, carrots and soft homemade dumplings.

Browning the onion first adds extra colour and flavour. Once the soup comes to a boil, keep it at a very gentle simmer — boiling too hard can make the broth cloudy. The result is a deeply flavoured homemade beef soup that is perfect for cold autumn and winter days.

Servings: About 8
Prep time: 10 minutes total — about 5 minutes for the soup and 5 minutes for the dumplings
Cooking time: About 4 hours
Total time: About 4 hours 10 minutes

Jump to Recipe Watch Video Print Recipe

Homemade beef soup with beef, carrots and soft dumplings in a white bowl

Soups & Stews

Prep time
10 minutes

Cook time
4 hours

Total time
About 4 hours 10 minutes

Approx. calories
230 kcal
per serving

Ingredients Instructions Video Tips

Ingredients

Choose your units:

Ingredients (for About 8 servings):

For the beef soup:
Onion: 200 g
Beef: 500 g
Beef bones: 200 g
Celery root: 200 g
Carrots: 300 g
Leek: 200 g
Garlic: 1 head
Fresh parsley: 1 bunch
Bay leaves: 2 leaves
Whole peppercorns: 10 peppercorns
Salt: to taste
Cooking oil: a few drops
Water: as needed to fill a 5 L pot
For the dumplings:
Eggs: 2 pcs
All-purpose flour: 100 g
Salt: a small pinch

Equipment

5 L stockpot

Cutting board

Chef's knife

Vegetable peeler

Small saucepan

Mixing bowl

Fork

Teaspoon

Slotted spoon

Fine-mesh strainer

Second pot

Ladle

Vasko’s Tips

Brown the cut side of the onion well before adding the water; it gives the broth extra colour and flavour.

Once the soup boils, reduce the heat and keep it at a gentle simmer. Boiling too hard can make the broth cloudy.

Use 100 g of flour for two eggs and keep the dumpling dough soft so the dumplings stay tender.

Save the cooked beef and carrots from the pot and use them in the finished soup instead of discarding them.

Instructions

1. Brown the onion

Halved onions browning cut-side down in a pot for homemade beef soup

Place a 5 L stockpot on the stove and turn on the heat. Peel the onion and cut it in half. Add just a few drops of oil to the pot, place the onion halves cut-side down and let them brown well. This adds colour and flavour to the broth.

2. Prepare the vegetables

Washing leek under running water while preparing vegetables for beef soup

While the onion is browning, peel and clean the carrots and celery root. Wash the leek and parsley. Remove the outer layer from the garlic head.

3. Build the soup

Carrots, leek, celery root and parsley added to a pot of homemade beef soup

Add some water to the pot. Add the beef bones and beef first, then the leek, carrots, celery root, parsley and whole head of garlic. Add salt, 10 whole peppercorns and two bay leaves, then add enough water to fill the 5 L pot.

4. Simmer slowly

Homemade beef soup gently simmering with leek and vegetables

Bring the soup to a boil, then immediately reduce the heat. Keep it at a very gentle simmer with only a few bubbles coming to the surface. Cook for about 4 hours. Do not let it boil too hard, as this can make the broth cloudy.

5. Make the dumpling dough

Soft egg and flour dumpling dough being mixed in a bowl

While the soup cooks, crack two eggs into a bowl and beat them lightly. Add a small pinch of salt and 100 g of flour, then mix into a smooth, soft dough. Keep the dough soft so the dumplings stay tender.

6. Cook the dumplings

Soft dumpling dough being shaped with a teaspoon over simmering water

Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil, then lower the heat. Use a teaspoon to form small dumplings and drop them gently into the water. Cook for about 5 minutes, then remove them with a slotted spoon and rinse them briefly in clean water.