Garden Vegetable Soup

Beef and Garden Vegetable Soup   2 tablespoons olive oil 2 lbs. beef stew meat, cut into bite-size pieces 1 large onion, chopped 2 bay leaves 3 carrots, diced 4 small red potatoes, diced 2 quarts beef stock ½ lb. fresh green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces 3 ears fresh corn, kernels cut from cob ½ cup frozen petite peas 1 zucchini, diced ½ head cabbage, chopped 2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning blend ¼ teaspoon garlic powder salt and ground black pepper to taste ⅓ cup uncooked orzo pasta   Servings/Yield: 10 servings

1.Heat the olive oil in a stock pot over medium-high heat; cook the beef in the hot oil until completely browned, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the onion and bay leaves, reduce heat to medium, cook until the onion is softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Use a wooden spoon to scrape any bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Stir the carrots, potatoes, and beef stock into the mixture; bring to a simmer and cook until the vegetables are just barely tender, about 5 minutes. 2.Stir the green beans, corn, peas, zucchini, cabbage, tomatoes, Italian seasoning blend, garlic powder, salt, and pepper into the beef mixture. Cover the stock pot, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer the soup until the beef is cooked through and the vegetables are tender, 45 to 50 minutes. 3.Stir the orzo pasta into the soup; replace the cover to the stock pot and continue cooking until the pasta is tender, about 5 minutes more.