My Mom's Red Broth Soup...

Ok, basically, it's a really spicy tomato soup. But growing up, I "hated" tomato soup, so she never called it that. And honestly, it was only recently (like, in the past 2 years or so...) that I realized, Hey! This is TOMATO SOUP. And I LIKE it!

Hot damn.

So, for those cold and wintry days, here's my favorite soup to warm your tummy:

Ingredients:

~ 1 lb beef, chopped into bite-size pieces (stew meat's ok, but if you can swing a better cut, all the better!)
~ 1 regular sized tomato SAUCE (Not the big honkin can or the teeny can... is that 16 oz.?)
~ black pepper - LOTS of it
~ basil
~ alphabet noodles or acini de pepe noodles (really, the tinier the noodles, the better. And the letters are WAY more fun.)
~ about a cup or two of chopped carrots
~ mushrooms (this is a recent addition on my part. My mom never put mushrooms in it, but it tastes fuller to me...)

Once the beef is browned in the big ole pot on your stove, add the tomato sauce and about 3-4 cans of water. Pour in loads of black pepper (Like, several tablespoons). Then add some more black pepper, because really? That's what it's all about... Add a few shakes of basil and a dash of salt and let boil for a bit. I sautee my mushroom in some black pepper and basil before adding to the soup, but that's up to you... So, add the mushrooms and carrots. While those are beginning to cook, check the back of the box of noodles to see how long to cook them, because I ALWAYS forget! Finish boiling with the noodles and veggies to your liking and voila! A "red broth" soup that will fool even the most dedicated "tomato soup haters."

IMPORTANT ingredient to serve the soup with!!! One must always, ALWAYS serve red broth soup with buttered raisin bread. Truly, it simply cannot be eaten properly unless you have several slices of buttered raisin bread. I mean, don't come crying to me if you make it and it doesn't taste as fabulous as I promised if you didn't eat it with raisin bread, for I will say "You didn't listen to the directions!! Get thee to a bakery, fool!"

All right. So, get cooking and let me know...

Check out Overwhelmed with Joy's Five Ingredient Friday Soup edition. The list is a-calling my name as the weather gets more and more chilly!!