Spaghini Stick To Your Ribs Soup

This stick-to-your-ribs beef soup earns its name through a one-pound payload of ground beef and three cans of kidney beans, all built on a tomato-juice base that gets a two-hour simmer to deepen the flavors. It’s the kind of soup that fills the kitchen with steam on a cold January night and feeds twelve people for the cost of a couple of fast-food combos.

Browning the ground beef first is the move that gives the broth its meaty backbone. Those caramelized fond bits at the bottom of the Dutch oven dissolve into the simmering liquid and add a roasted depth that raw beef thrown straight into water can’t match.

Draining off the rendered fat after browning keeps the soup from getting greasy across that long simmer.

The pasta goes in only at the very end, just five minutes before serving. Angel hair cooks fast, and adding it earlier turns the strands to mush.

Four cups of chopped cabbage softens into the broth and adds a sweet, almost meaty note that ties everything together.

Kitchen Tips

• Break the angel hair into 2 to 3 inch pieces before adding. Long strands tangle awkwardly on the spoon.
• Use a heavy Dutch oven if you have one. The thick walls keep the simmer steady and prevent scorching.
• The soup tastes better on day two. The flavors meld and the broth thickens slightly as the pasta absorbs liquid.
• For longer storage, cook the pasta separately and add to each bowl. Pasta in the soup turns to paste in the freezer.

Variations

• Swap kidney beans for a mix of cannellini and black beans for more visual variety.
• Add a Parmesan rind to the simmer for an umami-rich, restaurant-style depth.
• Stir in a quarter cup of red wine with the tomatoes for a richer, more complex broth.