Soup For The Non-Soup Lover

Mexican Cabbage Soup

During the holiday season—even this strange one—you might feel the need to take a food break. Not a "don't eat anything" break, but a break that calls for lighter foods. Even if the parties have been fewer, some holiday foods might have still made it to your table. (Little Debbie Christmas Tree cakes, anyone? Your special homemade fudge?) We might need foods that are not so carb loaded. But we still want delicious. And I always want easy. My friend Missy told me last week that she had made this soup for her dinner. I quickly looked up the recipe. It fits the bill of not-so-carby while being simple to put together. It's also gluten-free, dairy-free, grain-free and fits paleo and whole30 diets. What it is not, is flavor-free.

I have the same cookbook that Missy used. Both of my daughters cook from it frequently. (Mommy also recommends the Greek Lemon & Oregano Potato Soup.) When I looked up the recipe I realized I had all the ingredients here...if I made a couple of minor changes. I didn't have any beef broth here but I did have a jar of Better Than Bouillon roast beef flavor. I mixed up 6 cups of that. This bouillon base is handy to keep in your pantry, but know that it needs to be kept in the refrigerator after it's opened. And my fire roasted tomatoes were garlic flavored, so I adjusted the amount of garlic I added.

This was a perfect supper on a cold rainy night. And it was the perfect balance to the caramel cake we enjoyed that same evening. It's Daddy-O's birthday week. We had the soup again the following night for supper and Daddy-O said it was even better than the first time.

Starting to simmer.

Daddy-O is a well-known non-lover of soups. There are a couple of exceptions, but in general he does not like soup the way I do. But he declared this one "a keeper." (Could be all the meat in the soup.) That is high praise from him. 

To speed up the "making supper" process, I diced all the vegetables ahead of time. And I measured the spices into a small cup, ready to all to the pot. Then it was simple to make the soup. Here is my version. (Only minor changes from the original.) Don't let the unglamorous name throw you. It's good!

MEXICAN CABBAGE SOUP

    -makes about 3 quarts

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 lb 93% lean ground beef

1 cup diced onion (about 1/2 of a medium onion)

1 large carrot, peeled and diced

1/2 cup diced green pepper

2 teaspoons jarred minced garlic

1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

6 cups low-sodium beef broth (I used Better Than Bouillon to make mine)

1/2 head of cabbage, cut in half & thinly sliced

1 (14.5 can) fire roasted diced tomatoes, undrained

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/4 teaspoon cumin

Pinch of cayenne (or to taste)

Juice of 2 limes (about 1/4 cup)

In a Dutch oven, heat oil over medium high heat. Add ground beef, onion, carrot, green pepper, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook, breaking up ground beef, until beef is no longer pink. 

Mix in broth, cabbage, tomatoes, chili powder, oregano, cumin and cayenne. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, and cover. Simmer for 20 minutes, until cabbage and vegetables are tender. Stir in lime juice and serve.

If you are looking for a cookbook to add to your collection, The Defined Dish--Healthy and Wholesome Weeknight Recipes is a really good choice. Both of my daughters have cooked many of these recipes, as has my friend Missy. All of them have used the same word when they tell about the recipes here—flavorful. We don't do Whole30, but the recipes here are just good ones. And it's good to mix in some "clean" recipes along with my regulars. 

The ingredient lists can look long, but it's often only because there are more spices/herbs to be measured. I find it helpful to measure all of those before I start cooking. It's the worst to have the main ingredients in the pan only to discover you are out of one of the spices. Plus, it seems to speed up the prep process. I often measure the spices earlier in the day—or even the day before. Less kitchen time required when it's close to dinner time.