Tomato Macaroni Soup



2 cups macaroni pasta

1 lb hamburger

1 quart tomato juice or vegetable juice

2 tsp dehydrated onion flakes or 1/2 of a small onion diced

2 tsp dehydrated celery flakes or 1 stick of celery chopped

1 tsp parsley flakes

salt and pepper

Optional: 1 can sweet corn undrained

Cook macaroni in 8-10 cups of water.  When macaroni is done drain most of the water off, leaving enough in the pan that it just covers the macaroni.  Brown hamburger with onion in seperate fry pan, then drain off any excess grease off hamburger.  Add hamburger, tomato juice, celery, and parsley to macaroni.  Bring to a simmer.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add corn if you want.  Let simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasional.  If it seems too thick you can add more tomato juice or add a few cans of tomato sauce til it is the consistancy you would like.  Enjoy!

**When needing a quick warm meal on a stormy spring day, this always does the trick.  I like to make fresh breadsticks or rolls to go with it.  The kids love that it has macaroni in it.  Anything "Pasta" is a hit with the kids.  Not quite like Tina's Tomato Mac soup at the cafe, but it's still good.

**I love Celery Flakes!  I hardly ever buy celery because no one in the family likes it.  I found a jar of celery flakes in the seasoning section and love them.  When I use them in soup they hydrate and look like fresh celery.  Celery adds alot of flavor to soup, so I always keep a jar on hand.