Ingredients:
- 1 pound ground chuck
- 1 finely chopped onion
- Salt & pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoons basil
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Pinch of dried thyme
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 (28 ounce can) crushed tomatoes
- 1 (15 ounce can) tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 8 ounce cream cheese spread, room temperature
- 2 cups short tube pasta (ditalini or elbow macaroni)
- Freshly grated Parmesan for serving
Directions
Heat a large soup pot and add ground beef, onion, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook until meat is done. Drain. Return to soup pot.
Add basil, oregano, garlic powder, thyme, broth, brown sugar, crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce. Stir well.
Bring to a simmer and add pasta. Simmer until pasta is just cooked. Stir occasionally. Turn down heat to gentle simmer to prevent scorching.
Add softened cream cheese to a bowl and ladle in 2 cups of the hot soup (ladle mostly liquid if possible). Let the cream cheese and soup sit for 2 minutes so the cream cheese can melt. Whisk it together to blend then add back to the pot of soup. Stir to incorporate and simmer until slightly thickened. The soup will thicken as it cools.
Serve with Parmesan.
Recipe from Mel’s Kitchen Café.
