Today We are Making Soup

Which soup do you make when you have a limited amount of time?  I make this one.  The ingredients are pantry staples so I won't need to run to the store.  I bet you have a pound of frozen hamburger in your freezer; (doesn't everyone)?  And don't leave out the secret ingredient (shhh....it's the ketchup), but you'd never guess it's in there.  It's important and adds a depth of tomato flavor.  And don't be tempted to leave out the barley, either.  It adds texture, fiber and makes this soup even more substantial.  It really can be a main dish.  I threw in some mushrooms and zucchini this time because I had them in the fridge.  Add whatever veggies your family likes.  When my girls were little they hated school lunch and always packed their own.  I would freeze individual servings of this soup in sandwich baggies and they would microwave them in the morning and put them into a thermos to take to school.  Your kids will love this soup.  It's filling, comforting, and has a great flavor.  It tastes like you slaved over the stove all day but you didn't.  I still freeze some in quart-size freezer bags for a later meal.  The most time consuming thing about this soup is the chopping.  If you know you will be pressed for time, just prep the veggies and the hamburger the day before and keep them in the fridge.  It will go together in no time at all.
Serve this with a chunk of homemade bread or a salad.  It's the perfect supper for a snowy night or a quick bite after you've spent all day Christmas shopping.

Hearty Hamburger Soup

1 lb. of ground beef

2-14 oz. cans of beef consomme soup

3 cups of water

1-16 oz. can of tomatoes, cut up

2 medium yellow onions, chopped (about 1 cup)

4 carrots, sliced (about 2 cups)

2 stalks of celery, sliced (about 1 cup)

1/3 cup of pearl barley, not instant

¼ cup of ketchup

1 teaspoons of kosher salt

1 teaspoon of dried basil

1 bay leaf

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Brown the ground beef in a large pan, stirring to break up the large pieces. Drain off the fat and rinse. Wipe pan clean of beef fat. To the pan, add the water, undrained tomatoes, onions, carrots, celery, barley, ketchup, salt, canned soup and the bay leaf. Bring to a boil and simmer for 1 hour or until the vegetables are tender. Season to taste and remove the bay leaf and discard.

Makes about 4 quarts of soup.

This soup freezes well.

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Linked to Hearth n' Soul.