Beef & Veggie Soup

I'm making a brand new, from scratch recipe tonight. In previous posts, I would have referred to this as "Refrigerator Goulash". But, in the past, I also would have added a whole slew of unhealthy ingredients to make it extra tasty. This is definitely one of the simplest ones I've thrown together in a while, and it's every bit as tasty! Nice way to use up the last of the veggies in the fridge, along with whatever meat/protein you have on hand to toss in. Another nice addition would be some whole grain pasta, but as I haven't added grains back into my personal menu yet, I left them out this time.

Ingredients
1 lb extra lean ground beef
1 12 oz can red beans or kidney beans
2  14.5 oz cans no-salt-added diced tomatoes
4 cups diced summer squash
2 cups diced mushrooms
1 cup low-sodium vegetable stock
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp salt substitute
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 tsp various Mrs Dash seasonings (I used a little Southwest Chipotle & Tomato Basil)


Preparation
Cook up the ground beef (or whatever meat you use). Drain excess fat, if any, and return to pot. Add beans and tomatoes and let simmer for a few minutes. Add remaining veggies, stock (add as much or as little as needed for your desired thickness) and seasonings and allow to simmer until all ingredients are fully cooked. Serve and enjoy!


If you're on the 5 and 1, general breakdown of this makes about 2.5 meals. Which works out perfectly for us and our little person. And, for me, the total cost was about $6, since the squash was the last from this year's garden ... which breaks down to about $2.50 a serving. Depending on what protein and/or veggies you use, could probably even be made for less!