Cabbage Roll Soup

Everyone loves cabbage rolls, but nobody likes the work it takes to make them properly. If you love traditional cabbage rolls, this soup is for you! Cabbage Roll Soup is all the flavour without the fuss! And, it’s much easier and faster too!

A good friend and work colleague makes the best damn cabbage rolls I’ve ever eaten. The time and effort she puts into these cabbage rolls is quite impressive. Personally, though, I think it’s her Ukrainian roots that give her the better advantage. I don’t have the know-how to be authentically Ukrainian, so my Cabbage Roll Soup will have to do.

I didn’t want to ask her to spend her weekend preparing a batch of the delicious, salty, tomato-y, meaty goodness. I have found that this cabbage roll soup recipe can suffice between the long droughts of her not preparing the real thing.

USE REAL PORK AND BEEF OR A VEGETARIAN SUBSTITUTE

This soup can be easily prepared and assembled in 60 minutes. But I prefer to let the soup simmer for at least 90 minutes. That way, all of the ingredients come together as one great-tasting unit.

I’m writing out the details for a vegetarian version. You can easily switch out the vegetarian product for a meat product. Simply use one pound of ground beef and one pound of ground pork instead of the textured vegetable protein. Be sure to drain the fat well before adding the browned meat to the cooked veggie base.

You can use Lord Byron’s Kitchen as a source for many vegetarian soup recipes. Click this link if you want more vegetarian soup recipes: Give Me Vegetarian Soup!

AN OLD CLASSIC, BUT NEVER MADE OFTEN ENOUGH!

My mom used to make cabbage rolls – not often, but often enough for me to remember the taste of them.  I thought they were delicious. It wasn’t until I tasted Vera’s cabbage rolls did I come to realize just how delicious cabbage rolls could be!

I think she once told me that the recipe she uses is her mother’s recipe. It’s an authentic Ukrainian recipe that beats any cabbage roll I’ve ever tried!

I’m not Ukrainian. And, Newfoundlanders are not well known for dishes such as cabbage rolls. But, Newfoundlanders can make the best pot of soup you’ve ever tasted!  That’s why I fully stand behind this deconstructed cabbage roll in soup format.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Beef/Beef Crumbles – The version you see in the photographs was prepared using vegetarian beef crumbles, otherwise known as textured vegetable protein. You can make this soup non-vegetarian by substituting the beef crumbles with one pound of lean ground beef and one pound of ground pork.
• Bay Leaves
• Cabbage – Use green cabbage that has been quartered, cored, and cut into pieces.
• Carrots – I used large carrots that I peeled and cut into rounds. You can dice them if you prefer.
• Onion – You can use white or yellow onions.
• Garlic
• Seasonings – You will need dried thyme, dried oregano, paprika, salt, and ground black pepper.
• Brown Sugar – The little sweetness helps to balance the acidity of the tomatoes and tomato sauce.
• Worcestershire Sauce
• Olive Oil
• Lemon Juice – Use fresh lemon juice.
• Canned Diced Tomatoes – Add the juice in too.
• Canned Tomato Sauce
• Vegetable Stock – Use low sodium stock here, otherwise the soup may be too salty.
• Rice – Use instant rice, like Minute Rice, for example.

HOW TO MAKE CABBAGE ROLL SOUP

First, add the olive oil to a large, heavy-bottom stock pot. Saute the onions and garlic in the oil until the onions are translucent. Add the vegetarian beef crumbles, chopped carrots, salt, and pepper. Saute on medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring often. (If you are substituting the vegetarian beef crumbles with ground beef and ground pork, add the olive oil, beef, and pork to the pot and cook for 5-7 minutes or until the beef is no longer pink. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes more and the continue with the recipe as written below.)

Add the bay leaves, cabbage, thyme, oregano, paprika, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir all ingredients well to combine. Saute for an additional 10 minutes. Add the brown sugar, lemon juice, chopped tomatoes, tomato sauce, vegetable stock, and uncooked instant rice. Stir well to combine. Place a lid on the pot and reduce the heat to simmer.

Allow to simmer for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and serve immediately.

THICK VS THIN SOUP

You can make this soup as thick or as thin as you want it.  This recipe makes quite a large pot of soup, but if you want a thicker soup, add more instant rice.  Or, if a thinner, more broth-like soup is what you want, go ahead and half the amount of instant rice.

In my version of the soup you see pictured here, I used instant brown rice. It just makes the Cabbage Roll Soup a little healthier.  I know the brown rice will increase the amount of protein in the soup too.

If you’re using beef and/or pork in your recipe, you can certainly use white instant rice, or add the brown and make your soup even heartier!