Ground Beef and Sauerkraut Soup

Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 2 cups homemade chicken stock
• 2 14 oz. cans beef broth
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 can sauerkraut
• 1 T sweetener of your choice
• 1 T Worcestershire sauce
• 4 dried bay leaves
• 3 T minced parsley
• 1 tsp. dried rubbed sage
• 1 medium onion, chopped small
• 1 T minced garlic
• 1-2 cups water, if needed
• Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Warm 1 tsp. olive oil in a heavy frying pan, then add the ground beef. Cook it until it is well browned, breaking it into small pieces with a turner as you go; this can take 10 minutes, so let the pan do its job and don’t rush it.
2. While the beef is cooking, put the chicken stock, beef stock, canned tomatoes with juice, sauerkraut with juice, your chosen sweetener, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, parsley, and sage into a large stock pot. Bring the mixture to a low simmer.
3. Once the beef is browned, transfer it to the soup pot. Spoon a little of the soup liquid into the frying pan, scrape up the browned bits from the bottom, and pour that liquid into the soup too.
4. Wipe out the frying pan and add the other 1-2 tsp. olive oil. Cook the onions for 2-3 minutes, just until they begin to soften, then stir in the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes more.
5. Add the onion and garlic mixture to the soup. Lower the heat under the soup pot and let the soup gently simmer for about 1 hour.
6. After 1 hour, taste the soup for seasoning, and add water if the flavor seems too strong. If you add water, simmer the soup for 15 minutes more.
7. Before serving, season to taste with fresh-ground black pepper, and add a little salt if you want it. Serve hot, with sour cream if desired.