Easy VEGETABLE SOUP

I can remember my grandmother's soup when I was growing up. It was so good , warm and yummy but it also added comfort to the meal as well. She made her vegetable soup with beef because she raised bulls on her farm. The ground beef in this recipe was easy for me to add, normally still one of the cheaper cuts of meat while not as cheap as it was in the past. This budget friendly meal was great to feed to my family of 14.         

                                                                                                  

2 cartons of beef broth (I prefer Pacific Organic Stock brand)                                                           1 can 8oz can roasted garlic tomato sauce                                                                                       1.5lbs ground beef 80/20 or 85/15                                                                                                 5 yokon gold potatoes (or 3 russet potatoes) diced small (U could use a bag of frozen pre-diced potatoes for faster prep)                                                                                                             1/2 tsp SMOKED paprika                                                                                                            3-4 cups (half  of 46oz bottle) Spicy V8 juice                                                                              1/2 onion (yellow or white) diced small                                                                                        4 garlic gloves pressed or minced well                                                                                          2 bay leaves                                                                                                                               1 15oz bag of frozen mixed vegetables (carrots, peas, green beans, corn: I use Birds Eye)                   Salt and pepper to personal taste (I use 1 tsp of sea salt)                                                                 3 cups of water 

*Cook 2-4hrs on low summer on stove top. Perfect recipe for a crockpot cooked on low for 8+ hours. 

12/20/14 update. I’n my instructions I state to add water, I add about 1 cup of water. That was left off of ingredients. On a medium high heat sauté ground beef until red is no more. Do not over cook, probably for 2-5 minutes. If using 80/20 ground beef once cooked, drain fat and set aside. Sauté diced onion in a dash of oil and add sautéed ground beef. Cook on a medium low temperature util onions are translucent. Add bag of frozen vegetables, bay leafs, beef broth, spicy V8, water, diced potatoes. Let cook for at least 30-45 min covered on a slow simmer. Serve with bread such as my Cheddar Drop Biscuits which only take about 20 min from start to finish to make.