Hearty Beef and Veggie Soup

Um, hi. It's finally freezing here in NYC. I've been craving soup for days now that the Winter seems here to stay. For this soup, I took a handful of all of the veggies we had in the fridge. You can use your favorites. I used extra-lean ground beef given that it was going in to a pot with lots of other flavors.

What You'll Need:

-1 lb extra-lean ground beef

-1 tsp salt and pepper

-1 small onion, minced

-3 cloves garlic, minced

-1 cup celery, diced

-1 cup bell peppers, diced any color

-1 cup carrots, diced

-1 cup zucchini, cubed

-2 small sweet potates, cubed

-1 cup green beans, cut into 1 in. pieces

-4 cups beef broth

-1 cup water

-1 6 oz can tomato paste

What I Did:

1. Season the ground beef with salt and pepper. Put into a skillet and brown, using a wooden spoon to break up the pieces. When almost brown, add garlic and onions. Continue cooking for 2-3 minutes.

2. Put all the chopped veggies and tomato paste in a big saucepan. Add the beef mixture, the broth and the water.

3. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and cover. Simmer for 20 minutes. Check the potatoes. If tender, you're ready to enjoy! If not, simmer a few more minutes.