Hints From Heloise

VEGETABLE-BEEF SOUP

Dear Heloise: On the weekends I love to make homemade soup. What I'm looking for is a vegetable-beef recipe. A friend of mine told me that for homemade soup, you were the expert. So, got a recipe for some homemade veggie soup? -- Harold R., Hendersonville, N.C.

Harold, I do have a delicious recipe for homemade vegetablebeef soup. It's easy to make and tastes great on a chilly winter day. Here it is:

10 1/2 ounce unsalted chicken broth

1/2 cup water

2 cups frozen mixed vegetables for soup

16-ounce can tomatoes

1 cup beef, cooked and diced 1 teaspoon thyme leaves, crushed

Dash of pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 bay leaf

2 ounces (about 1 1/4 cups) narrow-width noodles, uncooked

Heat broth and water. Add vegetables, tomatoes, meat and seasonings. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and boil gently, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Add noodles; cook until noodles are tender, about 10 minutes. Remove bay leaf before serving. Makes about 4 cups of soup.

If easy-to-prepare meals that taste great appeal to you, then you need my pamphlet "Heloise's Spectacular Soups." To get a copy, go to www.Heloise.com, or just send $5, along with a stamped, self-addressed, long envelope to: Heloise/Soups, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001.