Vietnamese-Inspired Beef Noodle Soup

Inspired by Vietnamese pho, this Americanized beef noodle soup combines rice noodles, beef and fresh herbs in a simple pantry-based beef broth.

Ingredients and substitutions

• Olive oil – or any other neutral cooking oil like grapeseed, canola or avocado oil.
• Yellow onion – white onion or shallots would also work.
• Garlic – fresh minced garlic provides the best flavour but the jarred variety is fine too.
• Ginger – if you don’t have any fresh ginger, ground ginger will work in a pinch.
• Soy sauce – tamari sauce or coconut aminos are the best substitute.
• Lime juice – use freshly squeeze lime juice, bottled lime juice or even lemon juice.
• Sriracha – use a spicy garlic chili sauce or leave this out if you don’t like spice.
• Cinnamon – leave this out altogether.
• Nutmeg – leave this out altogether.
• Star anise – this adds a traditional pho flavour but you can leave it out if you can’t find any at the grocery store.
• Beef broth – beef stock or vegetable broth would also work.
• Sirloin steak – sliced chicken or tofu would also work here.
• Rice noodles – use any noodles you want like spiralized zucchini noodles, soba noodles or pre-cooked chow mein noodles.

How to make beef noodle soup

1. Sauté the onion, garlic and ginger.
2. Add in everything but the steak and noodles and simmer.
3. Slice the steak thinly across the grain.
4. Prepare any garnishes.
5. Strain the broth.
6. Add in the noodles, serve and enjoy!

Making the beef broth

Most traditional pho broths, which this recipe is inspired by, have you simmering beef bones for several hours, along with onions, garlic, ginger and other spices. From there, you strain everything to have a clear beef broth left.

Obviously, I've got nothing on real pho and this recipe, while inspired by the dish, is nothing like the traditional dish.

In this Americanized version, you'll use store bought beef broth as a major shortcut, and add a few extra spices and seasonings to get a quick version that has the same hints of flavour. From there, you'll add in cooked or raw beef, your noodles and the toppings. I also like to keep the cooked onions, garlic and ginger in there instead of infusing and straining for the extra flavor.

Frequently Asked Questions

Storing and reheating this recipe

To store any leftovers, I highly recommend that you store the broth alone without any noodles, steak or toppings. This is to prevent the rice noodles from soaking up the broth, and so that you can easily reheat the soup without worrying about overcooking the veggies or beef.

You can store this beef noodle soup as directed above up to 5 days in the fridge. Add the noodles and beef to the broth before microwaving, then reheat for 2-3 minutes until hot. Add garnishes fresh to the leftover soup.

Freezing the broth

Unfortunately you can't freeze the noodles, beef or veggies, but you CAN freeze the broth! Just freeze in individual serving sizes in glass bowls with lids. The broth will keep for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, microwave the broth for 6-7 minutes, stirring halfway through. Add your beef, noodles and garnishes fresh and it's like a brand new meal!

More cozy soup recipes

• Golden Turmeric Lentil Soup
• Miso Soup with Spicy Tofu
• Soba Noodle Broth Bowls

Meal prep tools for this recipe

• Order star anise if you can't find it at your local grocery store.
• Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on turning this recipe into leftovers.
• I get all my grass-fed beef from Butcher Box, conveniently delivered to me frozen.
• Freeze this recipe in glass microwave-safe bowls up to 3 months.