Slow Cooking Soup

Here's a recipe for a soup that I've been crafting for my Gang. It comes from a recipe in an old Giant Foods newsletter around the New Year, for Pork Roast With Cabbage. I've surfed their archives but have been unable to locate the original recipe. If it sounds tempting to you, please contact me and I'll share the original gladly.

On New Year's Day, The Boss always craves the somewhat regional traditional dish of Pork and Sauerkraut. He's really the only one who loves the dish, so when this new take on the old recipe came to my in-box I was really interested. The cabbage was fresh (as opposed to pickled) and served as an almost-Italian-flavored side dish. It did not disappoint. It was truly delish. Even The Boss's craving was satisfied (well, somewhat) with the offering on the table.

As I was eating, my culinary wheels started spinning.

"This would be an excellent base to a hearty beef soup!"
"Add a little of this, a lot more of this, and wow, this could be a great slow-cooker soup!"

And off I spun, into culinary creative bliss while my family chattered on around me.

Well, this Sunday night, I took out the massively-discounted stewing beef I had stashed in the freezer. I chopped and diced. I cried over my onions. And the house filled with the most amazing smells ever. Thank you, Giant Foods - you have sparked the creation of a new culinary masterpiece! (I know, I'm so humble, aren't I?!)

Beef and Cabbage Soup

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 c. chopped sweet vidalia onion
2 cloves garlic, pressed
2 - 3 cans (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes, unseasoned (to preference)
6 - 8 cans (14.5 oz.) beef broth, fat free and low sodium is best (to preference)
2 tsp. dried basil
2 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. dried parsley
1 very small head of green cabbage, coarsely chopped
(or 1/2 a medium head)
1 1/2 - 2 lbs. stewing beef, cut into bite-sized pieces

*I say "to preference" because it really depends
how hearty or how "broth-y"
you like your soup to be.

1. In a large sauce pan, heat olive oil on medium. Add onions & garlic and heat through till tender. Add tomatoes, broth, and spices slowly and heat through.
2. Pile in the chopped cabbage and stir well. Turn up heat to medium-high and allow to come to a gently boil. Immediately turn heat down to low and transfer to slow cooker when cool enough to handle.
3. Add stewing beef and turn slow cooker on to low. Allow soup to simmer in crock pot on low for at least 2-3 hours before serving. Be sure beef is cooked all the way through. This might take 4 hours if you choose to add the full two pounds of meat.
4. Serve with a coarse, dark rye or pumpernickel bread or a hearty Italian bread. Might even be yummy with "cheese on bread" - your favorite flavorful cheese melted on a hearty bread. Careful that the flavors don't overpower your soup, though.

I think the next time I make it, I may add some chopped carrots and maybe even some cut green beans for color. That's the wonderful thing about home-made soups: you can change them up for your family's tastes and it's really, really hard to mess up a good soup! Good luck and as always, let me know what you think if you make this one. I'm particularly interested in hearing what changes you make for your family!