The first time I served soup after Adam’s teacher helped us expand his diet, Adam went in the kitchen, got a paper towel, and then tried to dry up all the extra liquid in his bowl.  I still make him eat soups, but I always know he’s going to be less than excited about it.  Adam’s favorite food, even when he only had a list of six things he’d eat, has always been spaghetti.  None of us will ever forget the day he came home from the hospital at age two, newly diagnosed with diabetes and starving, and ate three whole cups.  So, when I saw this soup in Diabetic Living’s Diabetic Slow Cooker publication, I had to try it to see if it would pass the test with my diabetic spaghetti-loving, no-soup-today, autistic son.

Adam loved it, an easy five stars! He ate not one but two bowls, and the rest of us really enjoyed it too.  It has just enough broth to qualify as soup, but not so much that Adam complained.  To him, it was just extra saucy spaghetti.:) I love that it’s flavorful (a hint of cayenne gives it just a tiny zip), full of all kinds of vegetables, and very healthful (1 cup has 252 calories and 27g of carbohydrates).

I prepared the ground beef and vegetables on Saturday afternoon so that getting it into the crock-pot the next day would be quick and easy.  We left it simmering when we went to Sunday morning worship and came home to the mouthwatering smell of delicious soup ready-to-eat. Hope you and your family enjoy it too!

Diabetic Living’s Spaghetti Lover’s Soup

1 pound extra-lean ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium green sweet bell pepper, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 medium carrot, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 14.5oz. cans diced tomatoes, undrained

1 14oz jar spaghetti sauce (I like Prego Light Smart Traditional)

1 cup water

1 TBS quick-cooking tapioca

1/2 tsp dried Italian seasoning

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

2 ounces dried spaghetti, broken (I always use whole wheat thin spaghetti, and it’s so good in this!)

In a large skillet, cook ground beef, onion, sweet pepper, celery, carrot, and garlic over medium heat until meat is browned and vegetables are tender.  Drain off fat.

Transfer meat mixture to slow cooker.  Stir in tomatoes, spaghetti sauce, water, tapioca, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and cayenne.

Cover and cook on low-heat for 8 to 10 hours or on high-heat for 4 to 5 hours.

If using low-heat setting, turn to high-heat setting.  Stir in spaghetti.  Cover and cook for 15 to 20 minutes more or until pasta is tender.

Source:  Diabetic Living’s Diabetic Slow Cooker publication (a Better Homes and Gardens Special Interests Publication), 2012, pg. 44 ~ I found this magazine cookbook in the check out line one day at the grocery store, and I have to say, if your goal is to serve healthy foods your whole family will enjoy (despite a full and busy schedule at home), you should definitely look for this one! It’s well worth the purchase.:)

Search out recipes of all kinds here at the link party!or here at Taste this Thursday!