The kitchen was kind of bare yesterday, so I threw together what I had into a soup for lunches this week.  The guys thought it smelled really good, so I told them I’d post a recipe for it.  It’s nothing amazing, just a simple, quick, spicy soup for a very, very cold day.

Italian Tomato Soup

• 1 lb ground beef (can substitute stew meat, etc)
• 2 tsp crushed garlic
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 2 cans crushed tomatoes
• 1/2  green pepper, chopped
• 2 cups sliced carrots (about 3 carrots)
• 1 tsp dried oregano, crushed
• 2 tsp dried basil, crushed
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• salt & pepper to taste
• 6 cups water
• 1 cup dried pasta, cooked al dente and drained*
• Parmesan cheese, grated for garnish

Large saucepan or dutch oven

Brown ground beef in skillet, add garlic and onion and cook additional 2 minutes.  Add tomatoes, vegetables, spices and water.  Bring to a low boil, stirring constantly, reduce heat and let simmer for 20 minutes.  Add pasta and parmesan before serving.

* I use the tiniest pasta I can find – tiny shells, ditalini, etc.  Just found Barilla has come out with a whole ‘mini’ line. So I stocked up on mini farfalle and mini spirals.  Small pasta doesn’t get mushy as fast as regular pasta in soups.