Evangeline Parish Corn & Beef Soup - cooking recipe

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

Preparation

In a large saucepan, combine broth, water, corn, oregano, bay leaf, thyme, tomato paste, salt, cayenne pepper and green bell pepper.
Bring mixture to a boil, then simmer on low heat for about 30 minutes.
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.
Add the ground beef and cook with onion-garlic mixture on medium heat until beef is well-browned, stirring frequently.
Add beef-onion mixture to broth-water mixture.
Simmer on low for another 20 minutes.
Taste for saltiness; add a little more water if necessary.
Leftover soup thickens slightly overnight (and tastes great the next day).
Thin with a little more water if you wish.