Beef & Cabbage Soup aka "Pigs in a swimming pool"

        This is a super easy, low maintenance, delicious soup that I whipped up last night.  I'd been craving Crapper (Cracker) Barrel's Beef & Cabbage soup for awhile now, and I decided to recreate it to the best of my ability!  I'm rather famous (atleast in my house) for my Cabbage Rolls aka "Pigs in a blanket", so I tried to keep some of the basic flavors/concepts for this soup! My husband nicknamed it "Pigs in a swimming pool", since the pigs are outside of their blankets, swimming around =) ... I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!  Oh, serve it with some delicious crusty bread, or even some soft homemade dinner rolls!  Yum!!!!

        Ingredients:

• 2 tsp Olive Oil
• 1lb Ground Beef (or half beef half pork)
• 1 small Onion, chopped
• 2 stalks of Celery, chopped
• 3 cloves of Garlic, chopped
• 28oz can Diced Tomatoes (and their juice)
• 28oz can of water
• 8-12oz Dry Beans (Navy, Northern, whatever you like, smaller ones are best)
• 49.5oz can Chicken Broth
• 3-4 Beef Bullion cubes
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp Ketchup
• 1/2 tsp Cumin
• 1 tsp Parsley
• 1/2 tsp Basil
• 1/4 tsp Dill Weed
• 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 3/4 head of Cabbage, chopped

        Directions:

1. In the bottom of a large stock pot or dutch oven, add your olive oil, meat, onion and celery.  Cook over medium heat until the meat is browned and the onions are translucent.  Add the garlic and stir often so it doesn't burn, until the garlic is aromatic (about a minute or two).
2. Dump in the diced tomatoes, water, dry beans, chicken broth, bullion cubes, worcestershire sauce, & ketchup.  Stir until well combined. 
3. Bring to a boil, and lower to a simmer.  Simmer for about 2-3hours until the beans are soft.  (Test them often, because cooking times/temps may vary depending on the type of beans used).
4. When the beans are starting to soften, add your cabbage and the seasonings that are left and cook until the cabbage and beans are deliciously edible.
5. Serve with a crusty french bread or some soft dinner rolls!  
6. Enjoy!