Ahhh fall. Here in the Midwest we had our usual two days of fall weather, and today we got our first snowstorm and a snow day off from school.
That all makes perfect soup weather though, so I asked my friend for the recipe for the delicious soup she made us when we were there for a day helping paint her house.
The four older kids eating their soup.
Easy and Hearty Soup
It was warm and hearty, made in the crock pot, and the kids all loved it too (hence it’s name–G is six years old and it’s her favorite). The easy-ness and kid-approval met the requirements for my menu, so I promptly made the soup less than a week later. Again, even my two-year-old finished off two whole bowls, and my farmer liked it too. So I figured I’d better get it on the blog!
If you are a menu-planner like I am, this soup can be prepared up to the point right before you add in the pasta and then put half of it in the freezer. Might as well double the recipe if you’re cooking it once! Just re-heat it when you need it, and add the pasta in for about 30 minutes. Easy!
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef, thawed
- 1 1-pound bag of carrots (or baby carrots), peeled and thinly sliced
- 6 stalks of celery, thinly sliced (including the tops/leaves)
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 packet of onion soup mix
- 6-8 cups of beef broth
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup of dry orzo pasta
- Brown the ground beef, then remove it from the pan with a slotted spoon.
- In that same pan, saute the onion, carrots, and celery with the packet of onion soup mix.
- Add salt and pepper.
- Place the beef and veggies in a crock pot with six cups of beef broth.
- Cook on low for 4 hours.
- During the last 30 minutes of cooking, dump in dry orzo. You may need to add more water or beef broth at this time. (1 to 2 cups)
- Serve with crackers or garlic bread if desired.
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