Spicy Ground Beef Cabbage Soup

Notes:

1. I use an enameled cast iron dutch oven to make this recipe. If you are not using this heavy of a pan, you might have to adjust the burner temperature since nothing seems to hold the heat like cast iron.

2. All I had was a small can of crushed tomatoes. If you have the larger can (28 ounces), you can use that and reduce the amount of water to 2 cups. You can also adjust the amount of water to your liking (my family prefers soupier soups).

Directions:

Heat a dutch oven over medium heat and add a light coating of olive oil.

Sautee onions, celery, and bell pepper until soft, but not cooked through.

Add ground beef, garlic and jalapeño. Cook until ground beef is done, stirring and breaking up ground beef pretty much constantly.

Add cabbage. Mix everything up. Put the lid on the pan and let the cabbage steam in the pan for a few minutes.

Remove lid, add paprika, rice, water, Worcestershire and crushed tomatoes. Reduce heat. Simmer covered for about 25 to 30 minutes or until everything is cooked through. (Or if your family is late getting home, this can simmer for a long time without ruining the soup.)

Salt and pepper to taste, and dig in.