Hamburger Soup with Variations

What you will need for the basic recipe that serves four:

Ground beef-one pound
Canned diced tomatoes-one pound can
Canned sweet corn-one pound can
Canned lima beans-one pound can
Onion-small/chopped or use frozen
Seasonings-salt, pepper, powdered garlic, parsley, chives to taste.

Brown beef and drain. I like to leave it in chunky pieces. While it's draining, put the rest of the ingredients into the same pan using the liquids from the canned goods. Mix, season, bring to a simmer and add beef. Let simmer till heated through. Reheats well.

Variations and additions:

- Today I added a few handfuls of elbow macaroni with the vegetables and added a little extra water to compensate.

- Sometimes I add a little sugar to make the tomatoes less acidic. Just maybe half of a teaspoon.

- Adding a few leaves of fresh or frozen spinach adds color, flavor, and vitamins.

- I'm thinking about trying it Mexican Style by replacing the lima beans with a black or red bean and seasoning with a little cumin and chili pepper.

- For an Italian flair, maybe add fresh, cut up zuchinni with Italian style seasonings. Oregano, basil, garlic etc..,

- If you're on a sodium watch you can drain the canned goods and just add water.

Sides:
I used Jiffy cornbread mix to make a giant cornbread pancake to go with the soup. It's too hot to turn on the oven and even though the pancake broke, it tasted delicious.