Hamburger Soup Recipe

This hamburger soup recipe comes from my friends Gail and Duane.

They were invited to someone's house for lunch one day and loved this soup so much they ate several bowls each, thinking that the soup was lunch.

Oops - then the hostess brought out the rest of the meal and they had to brave their way through it.

I think of them with a smile each time I make this recipe, and that's quite often.

This soup recipe makes about 10 servings, although it's so good you can't count on it really serving 10 people.

They'll be like my friends, back for more and more.

Hamburger Soup

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 2 hours

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 medium onion chopped fine
1 - 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
2 cups water
3 cans beef consomme soup, undiluted
4 carrots, chopped fine
1 bay leaf
3 stalks celery, chopped fine
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 cup pearl barley
parsley, salt & pepper to taste

Brown meat and drain off fat. Add onion and sauté about 3 minutes.

Combine all ingredients in large 5 quart pot or crockpot and simmer for a minimum 2 hours. If you are using a crock pot you can cook it all day.

• I have added a small can of kernel corn to give it some colour. Try anything else that strikes your fancy.

Makes 18 ladles & freezes well.