Hamburger (or Lamb) Soup

Cheap, super easy, and delicious, this is a great soup to make and freeze in smaller containers for lunches or weekend freezer dinners! Delicious topped with a dollop of sour cream. This recipe was given to me from a friend and can be found in the Best of Bridge Cookbooks.

1 1/2 pounds (750 g) of lean ground beef (or try lamb! Yum!)
1 onion, finely chopped
28 oz can tomatoes
2 cups water
3-10 oz cans consomme (or beef broth-it's less fatty)
1-10 oz can tomato soup
4 carrots, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
3 celery sticks, finely chopped
parsley
1/2 tsp thyme
pepper to taste
1/2 cup barley

In a large pot, brown the beef and the onions until the beef is no longer pink. Drain off the fat. Add all the other ingredients and simmer, covered, a minimum of 2 hours.

Serves 10.

Freezer Cooking: This freezes really well. We put it in individual sized containers, labeled, and then defrost one in the morning for a school lunch.