Skinnytaste's Unstuffed Cabbage Soup

This recipe is the best kind of recipe: incredibly simple and incredibly tasty. It says it serves 8, but Z and I ate it up within two days. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Bookmark this for a cold, wintery evening!

INGREDIENTS

1 pound lean ground beef
1 1/8 tsp kosher salt
1 large white onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1.5 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp dried thyme
(2) 14-.5 ounce cans petite diced tomatoes
(1) 8 ounce can tomato sauce
5 cups Swanson unsalted cooking beef stock OR 5 cups water + 5 tsp Better Than Bullion Roast Beef Paste*
4 cups chopped green cabbage
Freshly cracked black pepper
1 cup cooked brown rice

INSTRUCTIONS

*If making your own stock via water + paste, do this first in an appropriately sized soup pot. Comes together within literal seconds.
In a large pot or Dutch oven set over high heat, season the ground beef with 1/4 tsp of salt and cook, using a wooden spoon to break the meat into small pieces as it browns. Drain any fat from the pot and reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the onion, garlic, paprika, and thyme and cook until the onions are soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, beef stock, and cabbage, and season with the remaining salt and black pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the cabbage is soft, about 35 minutes.
Add the cooked brown rice and simmer 5 more minutes before lading the soup into 8 serving bowls to serve.