Cut Your Grocery Bill In Half! with Stephanie Nelson, The Coupon Mom
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Healthy Minestrone

Makes 6 large servings, about 63 cents per serving 

I'll brown a one-pound package of ground beef and use half of it in this recipe, and the other half in the Healthy Sloppy Joes recipe that follows.  I will buy less expensive ground beef on sale and rinse it under hot water in a colander to remove the extra fat.  This recipe could cost less for coupon users because they may get canned tomatoes, beans and pasta for pennies or free with coupons.

 

1/2 lb. lean ground beef

1 Tbsp. vegetable or olive oil

1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion

2 celery stalks, chopped

2 large carrots, chopped

1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes with juice

2 cups pinto beans or white beans (already soaked and cooked dried beans, or substitute one 15 oz. can of beans)

6 cups water

2 Tbsp. beef bouillon powder or 6 cubes beef bouillon

1 1/2 tsp. marjoram

1 tsp. salt

pepper to taste

1 cup uncooked small pasta (such as elbow macaroni, or whatever you have on hand)

hot pepper sauce (optional), add at the end to taste

 

Brown and drain the ground beef, reserve.  Heat the oil in the pan and add the onion, celery and carrots.  Sauté the vegetables until the onion softens.  Add the chopped tomatoes with their juice, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer the vegetables for 10 minutes.  Add the beans, water, bouillon cubes, beef, marjoram, salt and pepper.  Bring the soup to a boil and add the pasta.  Cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until the pasta is done.  Sprinkle the soup with parmesan cheese if you have it on hand and serve.

 

More Ground Beef recipes:

Healthy Sloppy Joes

Family Favorite Meat Loaf

Family Favorite Lasagna

Southwest Chili

Healthy Minestrone Soup