i either get requests for my beef & stars soup, or his mother's potato soup, which she taught me. the beef and stars is actually a variation i did off her soup. it ends up being very fatty though.
1-2 lbs. ground beef(use lean if you are calorie/fat conscious), depending on how you want the meat-to-noodle ratio to be
1/3 box of tiny star shaped noodles, i'd guess this ends up being a cup and a half to 2 cups, i never measure. i've also used wide egg noodles.
2 cans double strength beef broth, campbell's or otherwise
1 can beefy mushroom soup
onion powder
garlic powder
italian seasoning (mine is mostly sage and oregano)
seasoned salt
defrost hamburger. pour all three cans of soup into large pan, with about 2/3 can of water for each. add heat and bring to boil, stirring to give an even texture. add seasonings to taste. i usually only add about 1/3 of the italian seasoning i want at this point. once liquid is boiling, begin to drop in bite-size pieces of hamburger. i usually vary the sizes a little. stir periodically through this to ensure even cooking, and work quickly for the same reason. careful, it'll splash a bit. when all of the beef is in the boiling liquid, give it another stir and add noodles. turn down the heat. be sure to stir often if you use the tiny star noodles; they will stick to the bottom of the pan and they are a nightmare to get off. this is when i add the rest of the italian seasoning. when the noodles are tender, the soup is done. you'll want to let it cool for a long time-- this stays white-hot forever, and letting it stand gives the noodles more time to plump. sometimes i add the noodles and then turn the heat completely off if i'm in a hurry.