Cabbage Patch Soup!

  This is a soup that used to be served by a certain chain restaurant we had or have in the southeast and I always loved it.   We don't have that restaurant anymore in our town.  They tore it down to build yet another drug store.  I understand the need for drugstores, but we have one on every busy corner in town it seems.   How many drugstores do you need in one city?   Anyway, this was a good recipe to take the place of that soup, because I missed it all these years.  This is also a healthy soup and fairly quick to make!  Here is what you will need for this:


1 lb. ground beef (I prefer ground chuck)
1 medium sweet onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 cup celery, sliced
2 tsps. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. chili powder
1 Tbs. sugar
2 (15 oz.) cans kidney beans, drained
1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
4 cups tomato juice or V-8 juice
4 cups cabbage, shredded

Saute beef, onion, bell pepper, and celery in a soup pot or Dutch oven until beef is browned and vegetables are soft, stirring so the meat doesn't stick.  Drain any excess grease and return to pot. 

Add all of the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil.  Stir well and turn the heat down to simmer.  Cover and cook for 20 to 30 minutes or until the cabbage is tender. 

 This soup is really good served with Aunt Vel's Sour Cream Cornbread or Cornbread Hoe Cakes!