Filipino Beef Macaroni Sopas

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 whole onion chopped
• 1-2 stalks celery chopped, about 1 cup
• 1/2 pound lean ground beef
• 1 whole tomato chopped
• 4 to 6 cups beef broth or use chicken or vegetable
• 1 cup elbow macaroni pasta noodles
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon Knorr seasoning
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper powder
• 1 whole carrot peeled, cubed (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley for garnish
• 1 whole large potato peeled, cubed (about 3/4 cup)

Instructions

1. In a medium stock pot, over medium high heat, add the cooking oil. Saute the garlic, onions, celery, carrots, potatoes for  2 to 3 minutes till soft.
2. Add the sliced tomatoes and ground beef. Sprinkle the Worcestershire sauce and Knorr seasoning on the ground beef as it sizzles in the pan. Stir around the pot till the beef turns from a light pink to brown in about 5 to 6 minutes. Pour the broth and increase the heat to bring to a boil.
3. When broth boils, add the elbow macaroni to the pot. Stir all the ingredients together to blend well with the macaroni. Lower heat to medium. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes till noodles become soft. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Garnish with chopped parsley if desired. Serve piping hot.
4. Cook’s comments : This is easy to put together when we have leftovers from other meals. You can use ground pork or chicken, and add other vegetables conveniently available. I also make homemade chicken or beef broth separately when I have time on weekends and freeze it for soup meals like this one. Check out a previous post of Nilagang Manok (Boiled Chicken) for how to make basic chicken broth.