Lunch: Favorite Vegetable Soup

Making soup is a great way to get rid of some of the vegetables in your refrigerator or cabinets to help you save a few dollars. This soup is great as is but you can also replace some of the ingredients with others from the fridge that need to be used. Co

Ingredients

½ lb ground chuck (this is a cut of beef)
7 cups peeled, chopped fresh tomatoes or 2, 28-oz. cans no salt added diced tomatoes
4 cups water
1, 14.5-oz can no salt added cut green beans, drained and rinsed
1, 15-oz can no salt added peas, drained and rinsed
1, 15.25-oz can no salt added corn, drained and rinsed
2 medium carrots (3 oz each), peeled and chopped
3 medium potatoes (5 oz each), peeled and diced
1 medium onion (5 oz), diced
1/4 cup dry rice
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

Place ground chuck in a 2-gallon stockpot and brown over medium heat. Remove meat and drain it well. Wipe drippings from pot.
Return meat to stockpot, then add tomatoes and water. Bring to a simmer and cook, covered, until tomatoes are soft and a juicy broth is created, about 20 minutes.
Add remaining ingredients, cover, and continue cooking 60 additional minutes to allow flavors to blend.