Tomato Macaroni Soup

...how do I make a really quick soup?

My mom started making this classic recipe for us over 10 years ago & we instantly loved it; well my sisters & I did - my dad was impartial. So on cold days when my dad was unable to make it home for dinner my mom would cook up a big pot of her tomato macaroni soup - & with just the right amount of fresh ground pepper warmed any one's soul. My middle sister tended to have a picky palette so this recipe ended up getting adapted to simply tomato juice, broth & noodles! I have reconstructed from my taste buds memory a version I would like to think was the original that my mom placed in front of us for the first time. Be careful with the noodles as they tend to go very soft the longer they sit in the juices. You may opt to keep them seperate until you're about to enjoy; although I do find less flavour in the noodles. My husband advised me the other day that this was the best batch I made to date - so the secret is beef broth rather than chicken!

1 cup ground beef cooked

3 garlic cloves minced

3 green onions diced

1 yellow onion diced small

1 tsp olive oil

1 ½ cups elbow noodles

1 ½ cups beef broth

2 cups tomato juice

1/2 cup diced tomatoes

Ground pepper to taste

1) Add garlic, onions & olive oil to ground beef. (Oil may not be necessary if enough natural oil from beef) & brown on low heat

2) Boil noodles to al dente; drain & add to large soup pot (you may choose to add only as you serve to avoid noodles getting soft)

3) Add beef mixture, broth, tomato juice & diced tomatoes to soup pot & simmer over medium/high heat for 10 minutes & serve

1 cup = 192 calories