Mom'S Hamburger Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 lbs hamburger
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons onion flakes
2 (16 ounce) cans diced Italian-style tomatoes, with juice
2 (46 ounce) cans tomato juice
2 teaspoons italian seasoning (optional)
2 (16 ounce) packages frozen mixed vegetables
1 cup white rice, uncooked (or raw spaghetti broken into 2-inch pieces)
2 cups hot water

Preparation

Use 8 quart stock pot.
Combine first 4 ingredients and cook together until hamburger is loose and no longer pink. Do not overcook. Drain off grease and return meat mixture to the stock pot.
Add the diced tomatoes, tomato juice and steak seasoning to the meat mixture; simmer on low heat for 30 minutes. Stir after 15 minutes.
Add the frozen mixed vegetables; simmer on low heat for 60 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.
Add the rice and 2 C water; continue to simmer for about 60 minutes stirring frequently. Add additional water if soup is too thick.