So soup season, y’all.  California has had some crazy non-winter weather lately, but it was actually chilly out not that long ago so I wanted to make soup.  I also have Five Guys on the brain, but I really need to get back on track with the eating, so I threw together a hamburger soup.  Genius, right?  Ohhhh yesssss.

Hamburger Soup

2.5 pounds ground beef
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic
4 stalks celery, chopped
2 green bell peppers, seeded and diced
6 whole carrots, unpeeled and sliced
3 potatoes, cut into large bite sized pieces
1 can of whole tomatoes (the big can)
3 cups beef broth
3 tablespoons tomato paste
salt, pepper, parsley, ground oregano, cayenne pepper, bay leaves
1 bag spinach

Get our your big soup pot and put in on the stove over a medium-high flame.  Toss in the onion, garlic, and ground beef.  Cook the meat through and then drain off the excess fat.  Add in the celery, bell pepper, carrots and potatoes.  Pop in that can of tomatoes, crushing the tomatoes with your fingers.  You could use diced tomatoes instead, but I like the randomness of hand crushed tomatoes.  Add in that beef broth, tomato paste and spices, then let that pot of deliciousness simmer over low heat for 30 minutes to an hour.  Add more broth or water if you need to.  Throw in that spinach at the end or as you dish up the soup so you don’t overwilt the greens.

Pssst!  This goes really good with a cheese cracker.