Beef and Cabbage Soup in a Tomatillo Broth

Ingredients

• 1 lb  fresh tomatillos, peeled and washed, or 1 large can pre-cooked tomatillos
• 1 lb lean ground beef, pork, or chicken
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp oregano, crushed
• 1 tsp 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 oz can whole Anaheim peppers or 2 – 7oz cans diced green chiles
• 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 4 cups green cabbage, diced
• 1 med zucchini, diced (about 2 cups)
• 1/2 cup long-grain rice

For the Garnish

• chopped cilantro
• lemon or lime wedges
• crushed red pepper flakes

Directions

1. For canned tomatillos, drain and transfer to blender. Blend on high until smooth, set aside. If using fresh tomatillos, peel and rinse tomatillos. Add to a saucepan of boiling water, reduce heat, cook for 10 minutes. Drain and transfer to blender. Blend until smooth, set aside.
2. Preheat large dutch oven to medium/high. Add 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.
3. Add the onion, garlic, jalapeño, and bell pepper Cook for a few minutes. Add the tomatillos from blender and all remaining ingredients, minus the zucchini and rice. Bring to a boil, and reseason with the dry spices used to season meat. Season to taste.
4. After about 20 minutes, add in zucchini and rice. Continue cooking until rice has cooked, about 15 minutes. Stir occasionally. Garnish soup with cilantro and lemon wedges.