A Recipe from Fall Geraniumfest - Italian Beef Soup

Barbara and Buddy

This is the soup I brought. It's a hearty soup for a fall or winter day.

Italian Beef Soup
(I double all these ingredients and make it in a very large pot)

1 pound of ground beef - browned and drain off the fat
Then add:
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup sliced celery
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 large can crushed tomatoes
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 (15 oz.) can red kidney beans (which I leave out)
6 cups water
3 Knorr Beef boullion cubes
1 Tablespoon parsley
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp oregano
Bring this to a boil and then simmer , covered 20-25 minutes.

Then Add: 2 cups of shredded cabbage
1/2 cup frozed green beans
Bring to boil, cover and simmer 30 minutes, adding your desired pasta the last 10 - 15 minutes or whatever time the pasta takes.
This last time I made it I removed some liquid to a separate pot and cooked my pasta al dente, and then drained the soup back into the pot. I refrigerated the soup overnight with the pasta in a separate container and added it back just shortly before serving and that way the pasta wasn't over cooked. The original recipe calls for elbows but I used Gemelli and I liked them better.
Serve with nice warm crusty rolls with a garlic herb butter.
(A recipe for those will be forth coming.)