Crockpot Beef Bean and Cabbage Soup

Ok so I know some people who eat primally shun legumes. There's some compelling arguments why, but for me, I think I'd dig myself a shallow grave and weep bean-free tears until I mummified myself if I could never have peanut butter again. I tolerate them well and can't deny the nutritional impact some legumes deliver. 

That being said, they can pack a wallop of a carbohydrate punch in their bean form so I eat them sparingly when I'm trying to actively lose weight and only put them in recipes I think truly benefit from their texture and flavor. In this case, since I didn't want to put traditional noodles or rice in the soup so I opted for some pink pinto beans. The end result was awesome with the beef and cabbage.

I had bought some soup bones from the farmer's market ($1.50 per bone) and made homemade organic stock. So much cheaper and better tasting than store bought stock. This recipe calls for a crockpot but you can use a large soup pot without issue.

Beef, Bean, and Cabbage Soup
What you need:

• 1/2 head cabbage sliced
• 4-6 medium carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 1/2 bunch celery chopped, top leaves included (these have the best celery flavor!!)
• 1 clove garlic
• 1- 1/2 lbs of stew meat
• 1 can of beans of your choice (optional)
• 3 qts beef stock, plus 1 cup
• 1 tsp dried rubbed sage
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 2 tsp parsley
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 tbsp butter

What you do:

• Put the cabbage, butter and 1 c. beef stock in the crockpot on high. Let cook to softness for around an hour.
• Then, saute the top leaves of the celery along with 2 tbsp chopped onion, garlic, sage, thyme, and parsley in some butter in a saucepan. Cook on medium until soft.
• Add this mixture, the rest of the stock and the chopped carrots and celery into the crockpot.

• At this point, you can sear your meat. I use a cast iron skillet for this and it's perfect. Your meat should be room temperature, not super cold. This is because it will lower the temp of the pan if too cold and not create that searing effect you want. You also don't want to do all of your meat at once; do them in batched. Sear about 30 seconds per side just to get a browning on the meat. You don't need to worry about cooking it through because it's going in the pot.

• Once all your meat is seared, add it to the pot. Cook 4-6 hours.
• If you choose to add the beans, add them into the pot right before serving. They don't need to cook, just be warmed up. Cooking them too long will cause them to fall apart.
• The meat comes out tender and delicious.
• Perfect for a fall day!