Unstuffed Cabbage Roll Soup
Yield: 8 servings
This hearty Unstuffed Cabbage Roll Soup recipe takes everything you love about cabbage rolls and "unstuffs" them into an easy soup! Featuring a rich tomato-based broth, ground pork and beef, and tender cabbage, plus a handful of chewy wild rice, this is a super tasty and satisfying one-bowl meal.
Ingredients
For the soup
- ½ cup uncooked whole not cracked wild rice
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- 4 large garlic cloves minced
- 5 cups chopped 1" pieces green cabbage
- 1 cup shredded carrot
- 4 cups low-sodium beef broth
- 6 cups tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste or more, to taste
- 3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon Morton kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried marjorum
For the carrot garnish
- ½ cup water
- 2 teaspoons unsalted butter
- ¼ teaspoon Morton kosher salt
- 2 cups shredded carrot
Additional garnish
- Sour cream
- Chopped fresh dill substitute chopped fresh parsley or chives if desired
Instructions
For the soup:
- First, cook the wild rice according to package directions, until it curls up and splits open. Wild rice takes quite awhile to cook properly (up to 1 hour, depending on the wild rice size and heat), so get this started right away. When it's done cooking, drain any excess water and set aside.
- Heat a large soup pot over medium heat. Add ground pork and beef, and break it apart with a wooden spoon. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring a couple times. Add the onion and cook until pork and beef are cooked through. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
- Add the cabbage, carrot, beef broth, tomato sauce, tomato paste, brown sugar, bay leaves, salt, pepper, basil, oregano, and marjorum. Stir well to incorporate.
- Turn the heat up just a bit and bring the pot to a boil. Immediately reduce heat to a very gentle simmer. Let simmer for 25 minutes, or until cabbage has softened to your liking.
- Stir in the cooked and drained wild rice. Simmer for 5 more minutes, then turn off heat.
For the carrot garnish:
- While the soup is simmering, set a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the water, butter, and salt. Once the mixture is hot, add the shredded carrots. Cook just until carrots are tender-crisp, 2 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
To serve:
- Ladle hot soup into individual bowls. Using a slotted spoon, add carrot garnish to the top of the soup. Add a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of fresh dill.
Notes
If you have leftovers, I like to keep some extra beef broth on hand if the soup needs to be loosened up a bit when you reheat it.
Recipe inspired by the "Grandma's Golubsty" cabbage rolls that I love to order at Moscow on the Hill.
Nutrition Information:
Serving: 1 Calories: 440kcal Carbohydrates: 29g Protein: 37g Fat: 21g Saturated Fat: 8g Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g Cholesterol: 107mg Sodium: 1446mg Fiber: 6g Sugar: 16g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by Spoonacular. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee accuracy. If your health depends on nutrition information, please calculate again with your own favorite calculator.