Cabbage Roll Soup

A hearty, easy, comforting UN-stuffed cabbage roll soup that takes only a few minutes to put together and cooks in less than an hour!

What do you make when it’s April and there’s a blizzard on its way … AND there’s still a half of a head of cabbage in the fridge from St Patrick’s Day because you never actually did make the cabbage to go with the corned beef?

Cabbage rolls came to mind. I LOVE cabbage rolls … my mom used to make them for us when we were kids. Recently I asked her why, when me and my sisters were little and she had three young girls to care for, why cabbage rolls? Why did she choose to make something that took so much time to make? She told me it just seemed like the right thing to make. Those cabbage rolls were definitely loved and they carved an impression of comfort food in my mind that will be there forever.

Ah, but this time I wanted an easier path to cabbage rolls. And soup sounded delightful … especially with the impending nasty weather on its way. A nice hot comforting cabbage soup sounded perfect.  With all the flavors of the cabbage rolls my mother used to make for us. So I set out to make cabbage roll soup.

I used barley in place of rice, for health reasons mostly, because barley is one of the top grains recommended for lowering cholesterol (right next to oats), but also because barley doesn’t fall apart in soup like rice does. Barley retains a lovely chewy texture no matter how long it soaks in the broth, so leftovers taste even better. I knew I would have lots of leftovers because, unlike my mother, I never made cabbage rolls for my kids so they have no fond memories of the lovely things I know as cabbage rolls and thus, no desire to eat cabbage rolls or cabbage roll soup.

(Not that I asked them … I just assumed they wouldn’t want cabbage roll soup …)

Which means I (most likely) get all this soup to myself. I’m quite content with that, actually. This soup transports me back to days when I played with my sisters (inside or out! … making castles out of couches, playing with dolls, or playing games with all the neighbor kids outside) … and nights of getting tucked in with a bedtime story by my dad. With flavors like this awaiting me, I still feel like that little girl inside, no matter how old I get.

Cabbage Roll Soup

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 8 1x

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Ingredients

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• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/2 – 1 lb. lean ground beef or venison
• 3 – 4 cloves garlic, peeled & chopped
• 1 small onion, peeled & chopped (about 1 cup)
• 2 carrots, peeled & chopped
• 4 cups beef broth
• 1 quart (32 oz.) canned tomatoes
• 1 bay leaf
• 3/4 – 1 cup uncooked barley
• 1 teaspoon Greek seasoning
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• About 4 cups thinly sliced cabbage

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Instructions

1. Heat a nonstick soup pot over medium heat, then add the ground meat and saute, stirring frequently to chop up the meat, until the meat is browned. Strain off any excess fat.
2. Make a hole in the center, add the oil (if needed) and then the garlic and onions. Stir and cook the onions and garlic until fragrant, tender and translucent. Add the carrots and saute just a minute or two longer.
3. Stir in the broth, tomatoes, bay leaf, barley and seasonings.
4. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 25 – 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the barley is tender. Add the cabbage after 10 – 15 minutes of cooking time and cook (covered) until both the barley and cabbage is tender. Add water (or broth) as needed if the soup is too thick.Taste and add seasonings, salt or pepper as desired.

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Notes

For a gluten free version, use rice in place of barley and shorten the cooking time to about 20 minutes.

RECIPE SOURCE: http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: About 1 cup
• Calories: 178