With the cold weather, I’ve opted to experiment with soups once more. This one has almost an Italian flare.

Soupthing Italiano

Ingredients required:

· 20oz 16 bean soup mix · 7oz small elbow maraconi · 24oz ground beef (15% lean or better) · 16oz beef stock broth · 3 tbsp basil leaves (dry, finely chopped) · 1 clove garlic, finely chopped · 1 small onion or 2 tbsp onion powder First, you’ll want to add an arbitrary amount of water to a rather large pot. Three quarts of water should be sufficient. Bring this to a boil, then add the entire content of beans. Bring to a rapid boil for three minutes. Remove the beans from heat. Cover and let stand for approx. one hour.

Drain and rinse beans. Refill with 8-10 cups water. Add the macaroni, onions, garlic, and spices. Break the ground beef into tiny portions, place directly into the pot. Add beef stock broth.

Cover and let simmer for a few hours. The maraconi will expand, and you will notice that the fat from the ground beef will expand into a rather nice broth. Add extra garlic powder, onion salt, allspice, etc, as you see fit. I generally asdd a bit more garlic. A side of garlic bread would be excellent with this dish!

Serves: A full family. Quite well.