Cabbage Roll Soup

Ingredients :

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• Kosher salt and ground pepper to taste
• 1 medium yellow onion diced finely
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 2 medium carrots quartered and sliced
• 1 red bell pepper seeded and diced
• A few spears of fresh thyme leaves picked
• 1 small green cabbage chopped (about 6-7 cups)
• 4 cups low-sodium beef broth
• 3 x 8 oz cans crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup brown rice uncooked, or quinoa
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tbsp honey

Instructions :

1. Heat the oil in a large dutch oven pot over medium heat.
2. Add ground beef and cook, mincing the meat with a wooden spatula as it browns. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Stir in the onion, garlic, carrots, pepper and thyme, and cook for a few more minutes, until veggies start to soften.
4. Add 1/2 cup of broth to deglaze the pot, stirring all the way through the bottom.
5. Add the remaining ingredients and stir well to combine.
6. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 35-40 minutes, or until the rice is done and the cabbage is tender.
7. Remove and discard the bay leaf and serve soup hot