Homemade Vegetable Beef Soup in Under an Hour

I came home to find out it is going to be 12 degrees tonight. It is time for a bowl of hot vegetable beef soup! This can be made in an hour. 

This was my dinner tonight. My family ate the entire pot of soup. This is a good for you soup that is very tasty and easy to make. Your are going to need. a few things. I keep soup ingredients in my house at all times in winter.

(This will feed four people 2 big bowls of soup with some left over for your lunch)
  1 bag of frozen vegetables for soup (these are not the steam bags of veggies...regular frozen bag)
1/2 pound of lean hamburger ( I pull out my tall bag of frozen patties from Costco and pop off 2)
2 cans of stewed Italian tomatoes ( squeeze the tomatoes with your hand to break them up...or use a metal spoon...less dishes with using your hand)
1 box of Chicken broth
1 beef bouillon cube
2 raw potatoes
2 raw carrots
1/2 teaspoon of sugar
Onion powder
Garlic powder
Italian seasonings
Salt, pepper
Olive Oil
Parmesan Cheese 
Bay Leaf (if you have one)
Texas Pete Hot Sauce (4 drops)

  These two patties started as frozen meat (popped off the Costco frozen lean beef patties sleeve). Two frozen patties....cover with paper towel. Put in microwave. Hit defrost....hit 1 and hit 0 and hit start. When it starts, just stop it at one minute and pull out your meat. This can be done in less than four minutes. You need a half-pound of lean hamburger meat...it can just be a half pound from the store. Then brown the meat in your soup pot on medium high .Add a swirl of olive oil to the meat. 

Wipe up extra oil with a paper towel. Add two cans of stewed Italian (you could use diced tomatoes). 
Break up the tomatoes with your hand. You COULD use a metal spoon. :) The pot should be on medium high. While the mixture bubbles sprinkle it with Italian Seasoning (heavy), sprinkle it with onion powder and garlic powder ( sprinkle each while counting to three) Add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of sugar (reduces acid but add to taste). Add one teaspoon of salt and a good sprinkle of pepper. Add the Bay Leaf if you have one. Add 4 small drops of Texas Pete Hot Sauce....or your favorite hot sauce. 

Add your box of chicken broth. Turn heat up to high. Now peel and chop your two carrots and two potatoes...use what you have..no stress. Now dump in in the carrots and potatoes and the frozen vegetables for soup from the bag. 

Now add the beef bouillon cube. Stir. Wait for it to boil. When it does...turn down heat to medium and cover. 30 minutes later you have DINNER! Remove the Bay Leaf...it is a spice not a veggie. You have one more important thing to do to make this taste great. Serve each bowl with a swirl of Olive Oil (it carries the flavor). You can put shredded Parmesan Cheese on top if you like. A slice of bread and a glass of iced tea...or a glass of white wine... and you have yourself a lovely dinner on a cold night. All phones in a basket. Everyone at the table. No TV. Ask each person "What was the best thing that happened to you today". Talk to your family.   This soup freezes well in Zip Lock Freezer Bags....great for when people are sick or just cold. If someone answers his phone....that person does dishes immediately after dinner.