48. Chili-Beef-Potato Soup

I’ve had the Better Homes and Gardens Good Food on a Budget book for years. I have some favorite recipes in this book but have never made this soup. I think the book is out of print, but there seems to be some used copies available through Amazon.


Chili-Beef-Potato Soup

½ pound ground beef
½ cup chopped onion
½ cup chopped celery
1 16 ounce can tomatoes, cup up
2 cups diced, peeled potatoes
1 10 ½ ounce can condensed beef broth
1 soup can water (1 1/3 cups)
1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup cooked or leftover peas or green beans

Brown meat in large saucepan. Drain off fat. Add onion and celery; cook till vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir in tomatoes, potatoes, beef broth, water, chili powder, salt and Worcestershire sauce. Cover and cook till potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in peas or beans; heat through. Makes 6 servings.

Changes and shortcuts:
I used some cooked ground beef that I had in the freezer and I used a 14 oz can of diced tomatoes with garlic and onion instead of the can of whole tomatoes. (I don’t think they were available when the book was written.) We don’t like peas in our house and I didn’t have any green beans on hand so I used a drained can of corn.

Results:
Using pre-cooked beef saved time. The tomatoes with garlic and onion gave a little extra flavor. I’m glad I used the corn—it seemed to go perfectly although the green beans or peas would be healthier. After the flop of the corn chowder this was a tasty, simple soup. The winds are raging outside tonight, but the soup was nice and warm. I served it with oven toasted cheddar and whole wheat sandwiches.

Keeper? Yes