1 pound lean ground beef
1 medium onion, sliced
2 large green bell peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 cups water
1 can (28 oz) Progresso® diced tomatoes with Italian herbs, undrained
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
2 cups uncooked mafalda (mini-lasagna noodle) pasta (4 ounces)
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cups Italian-style croutons
1 1/2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (6 ounces)
1. Cook beef, onion, bell peppers and garlic in Dutch oven over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is brown and onion is tender; drain.
2. Stir in water, diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Stir in pasta, brown sugar, Italian seasoning and pepper. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until pasta is tender.
3. Set oven control to broil.
4. Pour hot soup into 6 ovenproof soup bowls or casseroles. Top each with 1/4 cup croutons. Sprinkle with cheese. Broil soup with tops 3 to 4 inches from heat 1 to 2 minutes or until cheese is melted.
MY NOTES:
I didn't add the green pepper or croutons (didn't have any). I cooked my pasta separately. Instead of the 2 cups of water I used 2 cups of chicken broth or you could use tomato juice. I added a little too much pasta so by the next day this wasn't soup, it was way too thick so I ended up adding tomato juice to it and some more seasoning. This was awesome as leftovers, the flavors have soaked in by the next day. The amt of mozzarella is stingy for us Wisconsinites
I probably had 1/2 cup for each bowl Also it was an Italian cheese blend not just mozz. Then I added some Parmesan cheese to the top when I took it outta the oven.
