I always think of winter as 'soup' weather but have never experienced a soup season quite like this! It seems as if I am buying more broth at the grocery ever week to fuel our apparent insatiable need for warmth and comfort.
This year I have been utilizing my crock pot to assist with the soup cooking. What a treat to come home to those happy smells!
I made this soupa few weeks ago when I found 12 packages of ground beef in the freezer and decided it was time to do something about it. This is a super meal in itself - both rich tasting and satisfying. It smells amazing when cooking and tastes even more wonderful.
I makes a lot but we discovered that it freezes well - perfect for lugging into the office for lunch.
When I served it I drizzled some good quality olive oil on top and grated a bit of aged parmigiano on top. MMMMM
Beef and Tomato Macaroni Soup
8 cups beef broth, divided
1lb ground beef (I used 85/15)
28oz diced tomatoes in tomato juice
6oz tomato paste
1 cup frozen chopped onions (or one large onion, chopped)
10oz sliced mushrooms
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp salt
1 cup uncooked macaroni noodles
Place all ingredients in large slow cooker, except for 1 cup of beef broth and the uncooked macaroni noodles. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours. Thirty minutes before serving, stir in uncooked macaroni noodles and reserved beef broth. Stir, cover, and cook for an additional 30 minutes.
I certainly have to agree with you…never remember a soup season like this one. We have another bitter cold spell in front of us and your soup sounds great.
Posted by: Karen (Back Road Journal) | March 13, 2014 at 08:45 PM
It was bad to have that spell that convinced us spring was coming and then BOOM - dumped on by another storm. Yes, I stayed home and made more soup. LOL
Posted by: JDeQ | March 15, 2014 at 07:10 AM