It is Fast Friday again and time for another fast and fabulous dinner suggestion. If you are anything like me, by the time Friday rolls around the last thing you want to do to cook a big meal yet we all still have to eat. The dishes featured in this series aren’t necessarily fancy but they bring together simple ingredients most people already have in their pantries or have easy access to and allow you to put a real meal on the table in between 30 and 45 minutes. Enjoy and if you have your own fast recipes you want to share, please send them my way and I will in turn share them with all of my readers.
Soup is one of my favorite meals and since so many soups are quick to make, they are a staple in my house. Filling, warming and satisfying soups make for the perfect dinner when paired with crusty bread and make even better leftovers for lunch the next day. And just about anything can be turned into a satisfying soup. This recipe, adapted from The Noble Pig has quickly become a favorite in my house where I liberally substitute the vegetables and even the ground meat depending upon what I have on hand. And thanks to the tangy and flavorful V-8, another favorite pantry staple, the broth is rich and flavorful without hours of cooking.
So if you are looking for a fast and tasty weeknight dinner idea, look no further than this soup. I promise that you won’t be disappointed.
HAMBURGER SOUP
1/4 pound pancetta, diced
2 pounds ground beef
1-1/2 cups carrots, peeled and sliced into 1 inch thick coins
1-1/2 cups celery, sliced into 1 inch pieces
1 leek, white and green parts only, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 cup frozen corn
4 cups beef broth
1 – 14 ounce can diced tomatoes
15 ounces V-8 vegetable juice
1 teaspoon ground oregano
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 pound small dry pasta
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- Place a large soup pot over medium high heat. Add the ground beef and cook until browned, using a spoon to crumble the meat.
- Drain off the fat.
- Add the carrots, celery, leek, corn, broth, V8, garlic and oregano to the meat mixture.
- Increase the temperature to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the temperature to medium-low and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.
- Return the temperature to high, add the pasta to the pot and cook until the pasta is al dental,8-10 minutes depending upon the size of your pasta.
- Stir in vinegar right before serving.
Serves 6-8