Hamburger Soup

Total Time: 3 hrs 15 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 3 hrs

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 2 lbs extra lean ground beef
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic (can use more)
• 1 large onion, chopped finely
• 1 (28 ounce) can tomatoes (undrained)
• 1 3/4 cups water
• 3 (10 ounce) cans beef consomme, undiluted (make certain to use only beef consomme, not beef broth!)
• 1 -2 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
• 1 (10 ounce) can tomato soup, undiluted
• 5 -6 carrots, chopped into about 1-inch pieces
• 1 -2 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup pearl barley
• crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• grated parmesan cheese

Recipe

• 1 in a large pot, brown the ground beef with onion and garlic; drain any fat (if you are making this soup with meatballs, brown the meatballs first, then sauté the onions and garlic after the meatballs).
• 2 add in all remaining ingredients except parmesan cheese, and simmer for a minimum of 3 hours, (adjusting ingredients to suit taste).
• 3 ladle into serving bowls and sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese.