Wow it’s been really cold in my neck of the woods lately. All that Polar Vortex wind and chill factor hit us full force. The forecast for this next week, looks very much like a repeat.

Now, I’m used to snow, living in Ohio does that to a person. I’m used to cold. But I’ll admit, wind chill factors down to negative 45-50 degrees Fahrenheit is a bit unusual.

We hunkered down, stayed inside and bundled up when we had to go outside. We tried not to go outside. But, I do have one of those full time 8:00 am – 5:00 pm type of responsibilities that required me to go outside.

I piled on the layers. Lots of layers. Like undergarments, then leggings and tank top, then pants and shirt, then sweater. That was my basic attire for indoors. When it came time to leave the house … coat, boots, hat, scarf, gloves… yeah I was bundled up nearly as much as that little boy in the movie “Christmas Story”.

And you can bet your socks, I sure didn’t stick my tongue on any-stinking-thing. Been there. Done that. When I was a kid and it hurts.

Cold weather always makes me want to make soup. Soup is a food that heats a person completely from the inside out. And I like to make soup. So, why not?

Last week I made beef vegetable soup and ate it every day for lunch. This recipe makes a good sized pan full of tastiness, so I packaged up containers to take with me to work for lunch. That sure made going to work a little easier. It didn’t make scraping the snow and ice from my car windows any better. Nothing does.

 

Beef Vegetable Soup Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 can (46 oz) Tomato & Vegetable Juice
• 1 pkg (10 oz) frozen Mixed Vegetables
• 1 lb Beef Tips
• 4 oz Pasta Shells, miniature

Instructions

• Cut beef tips into half inch size pieces.
• Place tomato juice, vegetables and beef tips in large five quart crock pot.
• Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high 3-4 hours.
• Prepare pasta shells according to package directions and add to soup just prior to serving.

Make It A Meal: Serve with biscuits and a side salad. For a more filling meal, add a lunch meat sandwich.

Variations: You may substitute any small pasta form for the miniature shells in this recipe.

Approximate Nutritional Information: Servings Per Recipe: 12, Amount Per Serving: Calories: 497, Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 16mg, Sodium: 939 mg, Total Carbs: 83g, Protein: 24g.

This recipe is one of my favorites because it’s so simple. I like the quick prep time, and that’s made possible by using convenience cooking ingredients like vegetable juice and frozen vegetables. The most labor intensive part of this recipe is cooking the pasta for the last step.

That’s not hard at all!

There is something comforting about having a pot of soup simmering on the back burner during a cold day. We seem to scoop a bowl every time we pass through the kitchen, so it’s nice that this recipe makes a good sized quantity. Otherwise, we might not have any soup for supper.

What’s your favorite winter soup to make?

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