Italian-Style Beef and Pepperoni Vegetable Soup

Looking for a way to have a veggie beef soup with a twist, I began experimenting with a standard veggie beef soup using lean ground beef and added sliced pepperoni and some Italian seasonings!  The results are this recipe and there are never any leftovers. A friend even nick-named it "spaghetti soup!"  LOL!  Served this with some Italian Feather Bread and you have a meal.  It cooks in a crock pot on low for 8-10 hours, making it the perfect weeknight meal. Original recipe adapted from Southern Living.

Recipe

Ingredients

1 pound extra-lean ground beef
1 cup sliced pepperoni (3 ounces)
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1/2 cup celery, diced
3/4 cup carrots, diced
3/4 cup French-style green beans
3/4 cup corn
1 cup potatoes, peeled and diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
4 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried basil
1  teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Garnishes: sliced fresh basil, shredded Parmesan cheese

Method

Cook ground beef and pepperoni in a large saucepan over medium-high heat 8 minutes or until beef crumbles and is no longer pink. Rinse and drain beef mixture.

Sauté mushrooms and next 3 ingredients in hot oil.

In a large crock pot, stir in beef mixture, carrots, green beans, corn, potatoes, garlic, tomato paste, and next 5 ingredients.

Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours.  

Servings: 8

Enjoy,
Mary

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