Hearty Vegetable Beef Soup
Ingredients:
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium carrot, diced
- 1 small zucchini, diced
- 1 small bell pepper, diced
- 1 small potato, peeled and diced
- 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes
- 4 cups beef broth
- 1 cup water
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup frozen green beans
Instructions:
- In a large pot, brown and crumble the ground beef over medium heat. Drain any excess fat.
- Add onion, garlic, carrot, zucchini, bell pepper, and potato to the pot. Cook for 5-7 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften.
- Incorporate diced tomatoes, beef broth, water, bay leaf, thyme, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper. Stir well.
- Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Introduce frozen green beans and continue simmering for an additional 10 minutes or until the vegetables reach desired tenderness.
- Remove the bay leaf and serve the soup hot.