Spicy Ground Beef and Vegetable Soup

acerast's Note:

This is a spicy soup - not hot spicy - but cloves and cinnamon - spicy. My family loves this delicious soup with rolls and an apple salad. It is great for busy families; just throw it together in the morning and dinner is ready when you get home. Don't let the long list of ingredients scare you away....they are all things you have on the shelf, in the freezer or in the fridge. It is from "Your Family Will Love It" by Rodale Press - healthy food in a bowl.

• Total Time: 9 hrs 20 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 9 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 12 ounces lean ground beef
• 2 cups onions, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 3 cups cabbage, shredded
• 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
• 2 cups frozen corn
• 8 ounces tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup rice
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 2 teaspoons thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 bay leaf

Directions:

1. In a skillet; brown ground beef, onions and garlic.
2. Drain off any fat.
3. Combine meat mixture and remaining ingredients in slow cooker.
4. Stir to mix.
5. Cook over low heat 7-9 hours.

Reviews

[SmoochTheCook]

Wow, you have to be kidding me! I was so curious as to how all of those spices would taste together! I kept running into snags along the way...no tomato sauce, so I used paste and made sauce, then, no corn, so I just left it out...etc. But, the finished product was an amazingly delicious filling dish! I served it with crackers as time didn't allow anything else, but I'm thinking maybe some kind of bread next time and possible try some ground turkey...not sure, though, as the beef really did flavor it nicely. Terrific recipe that will be used over and over and over...according to my whole family. Thanks so much!

EDIT: I made it again and submitted a pic if you'd like to use it!

Ooooh, I have to say, it's been a while since I made this (summer soup isn't a family fave) and I made it today. I always say that I put a lot of time into making this one, because I want it to be perfect...well, today, I read the recipe wrong (grrr!) and put too much thyme in it...see the pun just wanting to be found in this one? :D

[zbigbass]

Deeeelicious! I did not add cabbage or rice as we are not fans, but added canned diced potatoes and frozen green beans instead. I was out of tomato sauce so substituted V-8 juice. What really makes this recipe is the combination of spices -- perfect! Thanks so much for posting!

[Barbara's cooking again]

My family and I really enjoyed this. It was easy to put together and quite tasty. I will probably experiment with adding more vinegar to see if that gives it a little extra zing and I might change out the corn for green beans to reduce carbs. It is definitely going into my recipe repertoire