Cabbage Roll Soup

So I recently signed up for a Pinterest account.

What a brilliant idea for a website.  Why didn't I join sooner?

I'm still finding my way around on there, though, and I don't really understand the whole following part yet.  Are everyone's boards open to everyone?  If they are, then why would you need to follow someone?  Am I missing a setting that makes my boards private or only open to my followers?  And what if I have a board called "Swimsuits made of Spanx with tummy control panels that I would feel somewhat comfortable in next summer?"  Can everyone in the whole wide world see that?  'Cause that might be a little embarrassing.  Maybe I'll just delete that board.  I don't have a pin on it yet anyway.  I guess I'll have to spend some more time on there and figure it all out.

So the next thing is Twitter.  Then I think I will be completely media socialized.

About this soup.  Let me just go ahead and say that this soup is, well, ugly.  Not photogenic AT ALL, although I could have helped matters by baking a pan of cornbread or adding some crusty bread to go alongside it.  A sprig of fresh dill would have jazzed it up too.  But it is what it is.  And I stand by it.  Just like Tammy Wynette stands by her man, I stand by this soup.  Not every dish can be a chocolate espresso cupcake with salted caramel buttercream and sprinkles, now, can it?  Nope.  Eventually, one has to be nourished.  And this soup will do it.

So my inspiration was obviously cabbage rolls.  And what I love about this soup is the dill weed.  In fact, next time I think I'll increase it a little more.  Nothing complicated in this recipe, folks.

Here are my notes:

-Like I said, I might have upped the dill weed a bit to 3 teaspoons but I was afraid my family wouldn't like it.  The seasonings are always adjustable to taste.  Fresh dill would be better, but I don't have access to the fresh.

-I think ground turkey would be great in this, or maybe a combo ground beef /ground pork.  Or maybe some bulk sausage.



-I thinly sliced my own cabbage, but I have used a bag of coleslaw mix in the past and it works perfectly.  My daughter's only complaint about this soup when I made it today was that my cabbage needed to be shredded more finely.  Try the coleslaw mix in the bags.

-I always like to cook my rice or pasta separately from my soup base.  I just add a scoop of rice to the bowl first, then ladle the hot soup over it.  That way, the rice doesn't continue to swell and swell as it absorbs the water.

-I used brown rice, but white would be fine.

-As with all soups, the flavor gets better and better as it sets.  It's much better the next day.

-This is pretty darn cheap to make.  And healthy too.  Cabbage is a cruciferous vegetable, you know.


-Make sure you dig those bay leaves out of the soup before serving.  People can get choked on them.  So don't play "Whoever gets the bay leaf in their bowl wins!"  If you want to play games at the table, try balancing a spoon on the end of your nose.  No one should get hurt that way.

Cabbage Roll Soup

Printable Recipe

1 pound ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 medium green bell pepper, chopped

6 cups of water

6 chicken bouillon cubes

1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce

1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon paprika

2 teaspoons dried dill weed

1 tablespoon brown sugar

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 head shredded cabbage or 1 bag coleslaw mix

3-4 cups cooked rice

Cook ground beef in a Dutch oven medium-high heat until crumbled and done.  Drain grease.  Add onion, garlic, and bell pepper and cook until vegetables are soft.  Add 6 cups of water and 6 bouillon cubes.  (Or substitute 6 cups of chicken stock or broth.)  Stir in the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes.  Add bay leaves, paprika, dill weed, and brown sugar.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer for about 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Stir in the cabbage and cook just until tender, but not too soft.

To serve, place a spoonful of rice in a bowl, then ladle hot soup over the top.  Store rice and soup separately in fridge.