Great Northern Bean Soup

It's dance night and it's Tuesday, but for some reason the energy level around here feels like Thursday.  Franny's a zombie, Tim was in his pj's at 6:30, and the girls barely said a word during dinner.  My head has that dull ache of a too-busy week.  So, even though it did hit the mid-70's today, I thought we could use a really warm, delicious and healthy soup for dinner.  
Now, this is one of those recipes that didn't come from a friend.  I actually found in in one of those county cooperative extension newsletters from when I lived in Surry County.  Even though this soup had absolutely NO characteristics of a soup I would normally like, I decided to try it.  Stranger still, for the first time ever, I didn't follow the recipe exactly, which is what I normally do when trying a recipe for the first time.  Somehow, I just knew what small changes this soup would need and it really turned out delicious.  I must have been cooking with The Force.


Great Northern Bean Soup
1 lb extra lean ground turkey (or beef)
1 cup chopped onion
1-1/2 cups chopped carrots
1 quart stewed tomatoes with liquid (I use puree or finely diced tomatoes)
2 cans Great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed or 4 cups cooked dried beans
2 cups chopped cabbage (or more, I usually buy a bag of shredded cole slaw mix, about 3 cups) 
1 T brown sugar
1 T apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp hot pepper sauce (I use Buffalo Chipotle and TO TASTE... I swear the amount changes every time I make this soup!)
1/2 cup chopped parsely
1 quart stock, optional (Strangely, The Force told me "beef stock" and it does add a depth and richness to this soup.  But, TF isn't always right, so feel free to use vegetable or chicken.)
Combine onions and ground turkey in stock pot.  Brown together and drain.  (Since it's lean, I actually just brown it in the bottom of the soup pot and dump everything in on top.)  Combine in soup pot with the remaining ingredients.  Add 1 quart of water (or vegetable, beef or chicken stock) to get to desired consistency.  Simmer at least thirty minutes or until carrots are tender.
Something about this soup tastes like tomato soup, but all grown up, so I serve it with grilled cheese on whole wheat.   Or make a toasted cheese open-faced using your toaster oven.  Not in a refined-palate mood?  Make it with good old American cheese.  Feeling a little fancy?  A nice Sharp Cheddar.  Either way, use a lot of unsalted butter for grilling!
Enjoy... and may The Force be with you!