Cabbage Patch Stew

Source: my good friend Heather Hay texted me this picture after a conversation about cabbage soup at lunch one day

Ingredients:
1 lb lean ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
2 celery ribs, chopped
11 cups coarsely chopped cabbage (about 2 lbs)
2 14.5 oz cans stewed tomatoes
1 15 oz can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 10 oz can diced tomatoes with green chiles (undrained) (I accidentally opened up a third can of stewed tomatoes, so I ended up using no diced tomatoes when I made this stew and it was totally fine and tasty)
1/2 cup ketchup
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon pepper (I always use a little less pepper than things call for, but that's just me)
1/4 teaspoon salt
optional: cheddar cheese and sour cream, for garnish

Directions:
In a large skillet, cook the beef, onion and celery over medium heat till the beef is no longer pink; drain.  Transfer to a 5-quart (or 7-quart if that's what you have, like me - just use a biggish one) slow cooker.  Stir in the cabbage, tomatoes, beans, ketchup, and spices.  Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours (my crock pot must be on the warm side because mine was ready in 5 hours on low) or until cabbage is tender.  Serve with cheese and sour cream if desired.

Notes:
As mentioned above, I got this recipe from my friend Heather after a lunchtime discussion (or almost debate) about cabbage soup.  I was one of the group who agreed that cabbage in soup was delicious, so after we got home, she texted me this recipe, knowing that I'd love it.  And she was right.  It kind of reminds me of non-spicy chili with cabbage added.  And Gregg was taken back to his Romanian days where sarmale (or cabbage rolls) were a special treat.  While this stew wasn't quite the same as what he had on his mission, it was kind of close, and he really liked it, especially with a dollop of sour cream.  Yum!  Soup Thursday for the win.