Hamburger Soup (Easy!)

A couple of weeks ago, we had a hurricane come through our area. Living so close to the hospital, I was pretty confident that if we ever lost power, it wouldn't be for long. I decided on Friday (the hurricane was set to hit on Saturday) that I was going to make a large pot of hamburger soup. No, there are no hamburger patties, hamburger bun, cheese, pickles, etc. in the soup. My dad always called it hamburger soup when he made it because it had hamburger meat.

It's an excellent storm food (if you're confident about your power situation---because it does need to be served warm). I also make it very often in the winter time. My husband and I enjoyed this soup for dinner on Friday, lunch and dinner on Saturday (day of the hurricane), and lunch and dinner on Sunday. It reheats very well. It was also so easy and quick to make on Friday that I was able to make dinner and still help my husband secure the house for the storm.

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground hamburger
1 32 oz. (2 lb.) bag of frozen mixed vegetables (corn, green beans, peas, carrots)
3 15-oz. cans tomato sauce
3 cans of water (reuse tomato sauce cans)
ketchup
oregano

Directions:
In large pot, brown hamburger meat. Drain all grease. In separate pot, heat frozen bag of mixed vegetables (follow directions on bag). Once vegetables are cooked to desired tenderness, add them to the large pot with the ground beef. Add all 3 cans of tomato sauce, followed by refilling each can with water and also adding the water to the pot (reusing the cans also help to get any remaining sauce that was left in the can). Cook on medium-high heat until the soup comes to a boil. Once the soup is heated through, start adding oregano to taste. If salt is desired, it's best to add ketchup rather than table salt. Another ingredient that I have added (but not lately) is Worcestershire sauce. Depending on what flavors you enjoy, it's a good option. This is a fun soup to personalize and make your own. I'm sure onions, lima beans, etc. would also be delicious.

After the soup is perfected to your desired taste, go ahead and begin making some peanut butter sandwiches, and enjoy!

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