More than five years ago, some friends and I had a book club. Over time we abandoned the books and started just getting together every couple of months for dinner. With the focus of our gatherings strictly on food, we did all sorts of creative things like have an evening devoted solely to appetizers, theme some meals around comfort food (read macaroni and cheese) and have several soup nights.

It's the soup night where I got this particular recipe. It's a meal that my friends Erin and Jamie grew up eating and it is easy to throw together, can expand indefinitely, it really hard to ruin and always tastes good. The main flavor players are a pound of ground beef (you could substitute ground turkey, chicken or a Quorn crumbles), a can of whole plum or roma tomatoes that you crush with your hands before adding to the pot and some fresh rosemary and thyme (substituting dried herbs is okay as well). I also sometimes throw in a single beef bouillon cube, to amp up the flavor (I realize that they are filled with chemicals, and yet they are so darn handy that I haven't been able to give them up). A bunch of veggies also go in and what you are left with is a flavorful, filling soup that is ready to eat in less than an hour (the pot I made last night was done in 40 minutes). This is also one that freezes well and I often have a small bag or two of it in the freezer for a quick lunch. The recipe is after the jump. Winter ground beef soup

1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
2 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 pound ground beef (or ground turkey, chicken or Quorn crumbles)
2 carrots, chopped in half or quarter moons (depending on size of carrots)
2 potatoes, cubed
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1/4 of a green cabbage, shredded
1 large can (28 ounces) whole peeled tomatoes
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
salt and pepper to taste
1 beef bouillon cube (optional)

In a large pot (I use a six-quart Dutch oven for this job), saute beef in the olive oil. If it is fatty beef, use the lid of the pot to strain off the fat and cooking juices into a jar or measuring cup when the meat is finished cooking (when the fat solidifies, you can scrape it off and return the flavorful juices to the pot). Add the onions and garlic and continue to cook. When they start to brown, add the carrots. Cook for 2-3 minutes and then add 4-6 cups of water (take the water level to three inches below the top of the pot). Add in the potatoes, celery, cabbage and tomatoes (crushing them with your hands as you add them). Stir and add the herbs, salt and pepper and bouillon cube (if using). Let everything cook together. When the potatoes are soft, add the peas (they should go in at the very last moment, so they don't get mushy). Taste and adjust the flavors to suit. Serve immediate, freeze some for a later day or reheat for lunch.