Beef and Cabbage Soup in a Tomatillo Broth

I found this recipe on Pinterest.  It is from a website called Hispanic Kitchen.  I made it last night and it was really good; perfect for a cool fall evening or a cold winter night.  You can make as spicy or as mild as you want based upon the use of the jalapeno. (the canned chiles usually aren't that spicy)

1 pound fresh tomatillos, peeled and washed
1 pound lean ground beef, pork or chicken  (I used pork)
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon oregano, crushed
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
Olive oil
1 small white onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeño pepper, minced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
10 ounce can of whole Anahiem peppers or 2 small cans (7 oz. each) of diced green chiles
8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
4 cups green cabbage diced
1 medium zucchini, diced (about 2 cups)
1/2 cup long-grain rice



Peel and rinse the tomatillos. Add them to a saucepan of boiling water, reduce heat and cook for 10 minutes. Drain and transfer to the blender. Blend until smooth and set aside.

Preheat a large dutch oven pot to medium/high heat for a few minutes. Add the ground meat and season with salt, pepper, cumin, garlic powder, oregano and smoked paprika. Cook, stirring often until meat is seared and browned. Reduce heat to medium.

Add the onion, garlic, jalapeño, and bell pepper. Cook for a few minutes. Add the tomatillos from blender and all of the remaining ingredients except the zucchini and rice. Bring to a boil and reseason with spices as desired.

After about 20 minutes, add in the zucchini and the rice. Continue cooking until rice has cooked, about 15 minutes. Stirring occasionally.