Hearty Veggie Soup

Hope everyone is managing to stay warm tonight! It's going to be a very cold one!

On a blisteringly cold night like tonight, I always want something comforting and warm. Soup. Any kind of soup. Potato soup, broccoli cheddar, chicken noodle. Tonight, I'm making vegetable soup. Don't let the name fool you, this is no prissy soup. This is one of those fill-your-hungry-husband up soups.

I always make the soup differently. It just depends on our mood! It's one of those awesome dinners that you can add just about anything and not screw it up.

Here is the list of ingredients you MUST have in order to make it. Further down I'll explain exactly what I did this evening.

* Disclaimer: This recipe makes enough for my husband and I to eat on for about two days. You can make a bigger batch or half it, if you wanted to. I've never tried it but I'm guessing it could be pulled off just as well.

• 1lb ground beef 
• 1 large can - or 2 small cans - VegAll (You could also cut up fresh vegetables of your choice, or use frozen veggies. Again, never tried it that way since I prefer quick and easy!)
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 2-3 cans Spicy Hot V8 (if you don't like it with a little kick, you can use plain V8. It's really just there to give the soup it's soupy-ness)

So there you have it. Now, I'll go a step further. I'll give you the price for each ingredient. 

These prices are based on what my local WalMart has; please know that prices vary by region. 

• 1lb ground beef = $4.38
• 1 large can VegAll = $1.82 or 2 small cans = $1.04 each, so $2.08 (I would normally be sensible and buy just the large can, but for whatever reason my WalMart is often out of the large can)
• 1 can diced tomatoes (Great Value brand) = $0.68 
• Spicy Hot V8 = $2.98 for 6 pack of cans (you can buy it in a liter sized plastic bottle; however, it keeps longer if you buy the cans)
• Final cost = $9.86 or $10.12 depending on the VegAll. 

Considering that will make enough for two people or more, for at least two meals, you're looking at about $5 bucks per meal!

Now, here was tonight's variation, with pictures and directions included!

First, get your pound of ground beef and brown it. 

In the meantime, gather all of your ingredients 

So as you can see, I threw in an extra can of corn and diced up a potato for extra heartiness. Drain your corn and your VegAll; do not drain the tomatoes. Get out a medium/large pot and just pour everything in! 

This time, I added about two tablespoons of minced garlic, three bouillon cubes, a teaspoon or so of crushed red pepper (we like a nice kick to it!) and I'd say about half a teaspoon onion powder. I didn't actually measure any of that out, I just eyeballed it. All of it is to taste, really. 

Let it get nice and hot and steamy! I let it go like this until my meat is ready to be drained. After draining the meat and adding it to the pot, I continue to let it boil for a few minutes before turning the heat down a few notches. I like to let it simmer for a while before serving. 

I often serve this with cheesy garlic bread. In the bakery at WalMart you can find a Roasted Garlic Batard - it's to die for and is great plain with this soup. It's $2.98 for a loaf! I often freeze it until I plan on using it; it does require a little planning ahead so that you remember to let it thaw out. 

Well there you have it, my version of vegetable soup with prices and directions!