It is 20 degrees (F) currently in our little town. The arctic front continues to dip in a little lower for a hello. I would prefer a kinder visit….but hey….we deal with what we get, right?
Last week when we visited my parents, we took them a batch of our favorite “warm your bones” soup. I tend to get a bit carried away with my ingredients sometimes, so I think they STILL have some of this in their freezer. (If you are in their area, drop by and sample it!) 🙂
Here’s the recipe if you are looking for something yummy and easy !
Pasta Fagioli
1-2 pounds lean ground beef (although I used 3.5 pounds on the last batch I made) You could also skip the meat. I choose 93% lean so there is no fat to drain. All that to say…drain if you need to!
1 chopped onion
1 cup, more or less~ to your liking, chopped celery
1 cup, more or less, chopped carrots
1 can light red kidney beans, drained and washed
1 can white beans, drained and washed
2-3 cans beef broth
1 or 2 cans diced tomatoes (I use petite diced)
1 jar spaghetti sauce (24 ounce, Ragu or similar)
About a cup of Ditalini Pasta (or whatever pasta you happen to have) I cook this in a separate pan and add it to the soup just before eating so as not to over cook.
Salt, black pepper, red crushed pepper and oregano
In the biggest stock pot you have (cause this grows fast!), cook your lean beef with chopped onion until meat is browned thoroughly. This is also when I throw in all of my seasonings. The seasonings are up to you, but I prefer a LOT of black pepper and oregano, salt for flavor and a couple of pinches of red crushed pepper for some kick. (optional)
Once the meat is cooked well and the onions about clear, stir in everything else, EXCEPT the pasta. Let the veggies get tender and you are about there. Just before serving, you can cook your pasta and either add it to the mixture or to individual bowls. When I plan on freezing it, I like to keep the pasta out of the mixture. But I’m weird like that. I want no mushies. THIS SOUP IS BETTER and MORE FLAVORFUL SECOND AND THIRD DAY!
Serve with a salad and some crackers and you shouldn’t have to cook for a few days! OR ~ you could share it!
Vegetable or Beef Stew
Nooooo. I am not going to give you another stew recipe because most everyone has their favorite go-to on this. What I AM going to share is that you can teach an old dog new tricks! When we were in Colorado a few years ago, I ordered a bowl of stew and it was cooked with Hatch HOT chopped green chile peppers. I love hot and this was a wonderful surprise for my taste buds! And then this week, a sweet friend shared with me her grandmother’s secret ingredient for stew ~ V-8 juice. Now for those of you saying……well of course, that’s what I’ve always used……well I am just so glad to know this NOW! I do not like V-8 vegetable juice, (forgive me V-8….I do like your fruit juice!) but I added an entire V-8, a little beef bouillon, and my Hatch peppers~ this stew is outstanding! Surprisingly thick (especially the 2nd day) and fab!
So that’s my shares. Please tell me your secrets! Um….. your cooking secrets.
Be Nice to Others! ♥
stuff i tell my sister 
Perfect for this weather!
Take care, Anneli! Brrrrrr
MMMMM….sounds yummy! I have a similar soup I love to cook up in the cold, winter months. Toss some shredded cheese & dollop of sour cream & Voila! Thanks for sharing yours!
Hamburger Soup
1 ½ lb. of ground beef
1 medium onion (chopped)
2 cups of water
3 tins of consommé soup
1 tin of tomato soup
4 carrots (chopped)
1 bay leaf
Parsley flakes
¼ tsp thyme
8 tbsp barley
Salt & pepper to taste
Brown meat & onion, drain off all fat. Add rest of ingredients & simmer at least 2 hours. You could make this in on the stove in a big dutch pot or in your crockpot. Serve with a fresh loaf of bread or cheesy bread…mmmmmm
Sounds delicious. I love recipes that work in the crock pot! (barley….yummo!) Thanks and stay warm! ♥ paula
These both sound extremely delicious Paula and now I’m hungry! ❤
Diana xo
I just finished a bowl of stew. It doesn’t sound very good to me now. 🙂
haha!
I love a good pot of soup!! Thanks – I will definitely give this a try. I rarely make soups with pasta because I don’t like the mushies either. It didn’t occur to me to keep them separate until serving time. Great tip!!
I hope you enjoy!
And let me know! 🙂 paula
will do 🙂
Just to let you know I tried the soup. It was AMAZING 🙂
I used spicy Italian sausage meat instead of ground beef and added some chopped kale. YUM! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Oh I’m so glad you liked it! I will have to try the sausage. That sounds really good. Never thought about kale! Thanks for letting me know. Take care! 🙂
It’s so cold tonight, ugh. 7 above, but wind chill is well below zero. My cooking secret lately is whatever looks good on Pinterest. I’ve made some real keepers lately.
It was 12 last I checked. I’m almost afraid to look now! Water is dripping and cabinet doors are open….hoping to prevent frozen pipes. Pinterest is the bomb! Though I have had a couple of fails. 🙂 Be warm and safe!
Might try this next winter… so hot here cold meats and salads seems the only thing we’re eating…
Oh Bulldog……I forget not everyone lives in Oklahoma! Have some cold lemonade ….and think of a 7 degree morning. 🙂 Be safe!
I too am a soup-sayer 😉 in the winter months. There is nothing better! I like to think our approach to soup is as a painter approaches a blank canvas…each palate pleasing ingredient from nature’s palette becomes a work of edible art. lol – goofball – I know
Oh Rhonda….I learn more of your talents with each passing day! Well throw some secrets my way. Looks like winter is parking it here! ♡ (Are you home?)
No, I’m still in the (oh so) frozen north! -25 this morning!!
I have a great recipe for lasagna soup…since I see you like Italian soups…It’s written down (don’t often do that as I like it when soups never come out the same…but this one was worth the ink) I’ll send it to you when I get home. 🙂
Oh yummy! Am ready to try a new soup! Hello to your folks…lmk the continued car saga when you have a chance. Been thinking bout you! ♡
Was just sitting down to do an update…stay tuned 🙂
On the edge!!!!
Love this post & your blog – makes me miss my sister even more though! My mom used to make this soup for us when we were kids suffering the long cold New England winters. I haven’t had it in years and no longer eat meat. Although you didn’t post a pic of it, I could envision those steamy bowls of my youth just beautifully from your story! 🙂 Thanks for bringing me back home! I think I’ll go see if I can find something similar that uses shell fish or seafood….hhhhmmmmm…..
Bless your heart. I can so relate to food bringing back sweet memories. Yes….this would be just as yummy minus meat….happy day to you♡