Spicy Hamburger Soup

Adapted from Kalyn's Kitchen

Ingredients:

• 2-3 tsp. olive oil (depending on your pan)
• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 6 cloves chopped garlic
• 2 cans (14.5 oz.) petite dice tomatoes with juice (rinse each can with about 1/2 can of water)
• 4 cups beef stock
• 1 can vegetable broth
• 1 can kidney beans, rinse can with 1/2 can water
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 T dried parsley
• 1 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
• 2 cups very thinly sliced and chopped green cabbage
• 1 cup chopped spinach
• 2-3 T sherry vinegar
• sour cream or grated Parmesan cheese for serving (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy frying pan and cook ground beef until it's well-browned, breaking apart with the turner as you cook. If desired, place the cooked ground beef in a fine mesh strainer and rinse with VERY HOT water to remove most of the fat.
2. Chop the onion, celery, and garlic.
3. Put the ground beef, chopped onion, chopped celery, garlic, canned tomatoes and water you rinse the cans with, beef stock, vegetable broth, kidney beans, red pepper flakes, dried parsley, and dried thyme into the slow cooker
4. Cook about 4 hours on high or 8-9 hours on low.
5. Taste soup and add salt and fresh-ground black pepper as desired.
6. While soup cooks, thinly slice the cabbage and chop the spinach.
7. After soup has cooked 4 hours on high or 8-9 hours on low, add the cabbage and spinach, turn slow cooker to high if needed, and cook about 1 hour more, or until the cabbage is done.
8. Stir in the sherry vinegar (start with 2 T and taste to see if you want to add more.)
9. Serve hot, with sour cream or grated Parmesan cheese to add at the table.