Mary's Favorite Hamburger Soup

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 cup of chopped or sliced carrots
1-1/2 cups of chopped onion
1/4 cup of chopped celery
1 tablespoon of minced garlic
1-1/4 pounds of ground beef
2 (14.5 oz.) cans diced or stewed tomatoes
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
4 cups water
4 cups of beef stock or broth
4 teaspoons beef base, like Better Than Bouillon
1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Splash Kitchen Bouquet, optional
2 to 4 cups of frozen, canned and drained, or leftover mixed vegetables
Egg noodles or other medium cut pasta, cooked
Parmesan cheese, grated, for garnish, optional
Dried parsley flakes, for garnish, optional

Instructions:

In a large soup pot, sauté the carrots, onion, celery and garlic in oil over medium high until veggies soften. Add the ground beef and cook through; drain off any excess fat, if needed.

Add the tomatoes, along with the juice, salt, both peppers, basil, and oregano; cook and stir over medium high, about 5 minutes. Add the water, stock, beef base, Worcestershire and Kitchen Bouquet, if using. Increase to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the vegetables, bring back up to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and continue to cook until veggies are cooked or warmed through. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.

Soup can be served at this point, or reduce heat to low and let it slow simmer an hour or more, stirring occasionally, until you are ready to eat! Cook egg noodles, or your favorite pasta separately, according to package directions; drain. Spoon noodles into soup bowls, ladle soup over top of noodles and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese. Serve with homemade bread, or crusty rolls.

Crockpot: Sauté veggies, brown and drain ground beef, transfer to slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients (except for noodles and garnishes) down to the veggies, cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

Tip: You can save leftover bits and pieces of vegetables from meals in a small container in the freezer. As you have leftover veggies, continue layering them into the container. This works perfect for soups like this!

Source:  http://deepsouthdish.com