Evangeline Parish Corn & Beef Soup

An uncomplicated, well-seasoned Cajun-style soup. This makes a nice, satisfying weeknight supper, and can be made a little more substantial by adding some cooked rice. Remember to remove the bay leaf before serving!

• Ready In: 1 hr 10 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1  tablespoon olive oil
• 1⁄2 medium onion, chopped
• 3 1⁄2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1⁄2 lb ground beef (I use sirloin because it's less fatty)
• 2  cups beef broth or 2  cups vegetable broth
• 2  cups water
• 1 (15 ounce) can  no-salt-added corn, with liquid
• 1⁄2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1  bay leaf
• 1⁄4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2  tablespoons tomato paste
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1  small green bell pepper, chopped

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, combine broth, water, corn, oregano, bay leaf, thyme, tomato paste, salt, cayenne pepper and green bell pepper.
2. Bring mixture to a boil, then simmer on low heat for about 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine olive oil, onion, and garlic; saute on low heat for 10 minutes or until onion is transparent and garlic is golden but not brown.
4. Add the ground beef and cook with onion-garlic mixture on medium heat until beef is well-browned, stirring frequently.
5. Add beef-onion mixture to broth-water mixture.
6. Simmer on low for another 20 minutes.
7. Taste for saltiness; add a little more water if necessary.
8. Leftover soup thickens slightly overnight (and tastes great the next day).
9. Thin with a little more water if you wish.