Spicy Potato Soup

This is an easy, low-fat soup that doesn't require many ingredients. Don't let the "spicy" part scare you - you can adjust the amount of heat to your liking simply by cutting back (or cutting out altogether) the cayenne pepper. Serve with some garlic bread and a salad, and you have a healthy and filling meal!

Here's what you need:

• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 4 large or 5 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized cubes
• 1 small onion, chopped*
• 1 29-oz. can tomato sauce
• 1 32-oz. carton beef broth
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1-1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
• scant (a little less than) 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, brown the ground beef over medium heat with the chopped onion. *My picky family is not fond of onion, so instead of chopping it small, I quarter the onion and only use it to flavor the soup. After the soup has cooked, I can easily fish out the large onion pieces before serving.

Cook until the ground beef is no longer pink. Drain any excess fat. Add the tomato sauce, beef broth, potatoes, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Note: I use slightly less than a 1/4 tsp. of cayenne, and that seems to be the amount of heat that my kids can tolerate. If your family doesn't care for the spicyness, reduce the amount to 1/8 tsp. or leave it out altogether.

Bring the soup to a boil; then reduce heat and simmer for 25 - 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender, (Poke one with a toothpick to test it.) and the soup has thickened.

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