A "Souper" Friend's Italian Beef and Vegetable Recipe:

This soup was given to me by a very good friend upon the birth of my daughter in April of 1993... it was so yummy that I asked for the recipe and have been delivering it for move-ins and meal trains and have been serving to loved ones in my kitchen ever since.

I make a double batch to freeze or give away in containers to my kids as they head back to their homes now that they are grown. It is a huge hit when you bring it in a crock pot to a gathering. Sides of pasta and parmesan cheese make it a fun and hearty crowd-pleaser!

Helpful hints:

• Cook the pasta on the side and serve it separately to accommodate those doing the Keto diet or some other low carb diet.

• Another reason to keep the pasta on the side is that the soup freezes so much better when the noodles aren't in it. I like a nice "al-dente"** noodle... the pasta absorbs too much liquid if it sits in the soup too long. No one likes a mushy noodle!

• I use bone broth to add extra protein. You don't even need the noodles to have a filling meal.

Italian Vegetable Soup:

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef

1 cup diced onions

1 cup celery

1 cup sliced carrots

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 can (16oz) tomatoes

1 can (15oz) tomato sauce

1 can (15oz0 red kidney beans, undrained

1 (32 oz) container bone broth

1 TBL beef bouliion base or one boullion cube

1 TBL parsley flakes

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp basil

1/4 tsp black pepper

2 cups shredded cabbage (optional)

1 cup green beans, ends snipped, cut into bite sized pieces

1/2 cup elbow macaroni (cooked separately, as a garnish)

parmesan cheese (as a garnish)

Brown beef in a large heavy kettle; drain. In a large pot, add all ingredients except cabbage, green beans and macaroni. Bring to a boil. Lower heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Add cabbage and green

beans; bring to a boil and simmer until vegetables are tender. Boil the elbow macaroni separately until "al dente".** If your prefer a thinner soup, add water or broth. Mix in some macaroni if desired and sprinkle with parmesan cheese before serving.

** "Al dente": In cooking, a term meaning cooked to be firm to the bite. The etymology is Italian "to the tooth".