Winter has certainly hit NJ in the last few days. We even had some snow. Yes, just some snow. Not a blizzard, like every weatherman said we would. Instead, we woke up to a few inches of snow. It was enough to give me a snow day today though, which I am always grateful for!
To me, the best way to warm up from the cold is by having a steaming hot bowl of soup. Yum. I decided (with a little pinspiration) to take a dish that I love but that is somewhat tedious and time-consuming to make and turn it into a soup. This Stuffed Cabbage Soup has all of the flavors of the traditional cabbage roll, but is much easier (and quicker) to make. I omitted the ground beef from the original recipe and went with just ground pork. I added lots of flavor with ingredients like V8, Worcestershire sauce, and tomato paste. If you’re a fan of cabbage rolls, you must try this soup!
Start with the meat…
- Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add some ground pork (use beef if your prefer!).
- Break the meat up with a wooden spoon.
- Cook until the meat is almost completely browned.
- Meanwhile, chop up a red onion and mince up some garlic.
- Add the onion and garlic to the pot.
- Stir to combine.
- Cook until the veggies soften a little, about 5 minute.
- While the veggies cook, chop up a head of cabbage.
- Add the cabbage to the pot.
- Let cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage begins to wilt.
- Sprinkle in a few tablespoons of flour.
- Stir to evenly distribute the flour.
- Let cook for a minute or two.
- Add 1 large can of diced tomatoes.
- Pour in 4 cups of beef broth.
- Pour in 1½ cups V8.
- Add a bay leaf.
- Add 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce.
- Sprinkle in a teaspoon each of dried thyme and paprika.
- Season with s&p, to taste.
- Stir, then add ½ cup of brown rice.
- Stir again, then bring to a boil.
- Reduce to a simmer.
- Cover and cook until the rice is done, about 30 minutes.
Enjoy!
- 1 package ground pork
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 head green cabbage, chopped
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 large can diced tomatoes
- 4 cups beef broth
- 1½ cups V8 juice
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- salt and pepper, to taste
- ½ cup brown rice
- Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Add the pork, and break the meat up with a wooden spoon.
- When the pork is almost completely browned, add the onion and garlic to the pot.
- Stir to combine.
- Cook until the veggies soften a little, about 5 minutes.
- Add the cabbage.
- Let cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage begins to wilt.
- Sprinkle in the flour.
- Stir to evenly distribute the flour.
- Add the diced tomatoes and broth.
- Stir then pour in the V8.
- Add the Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf, thyme, paprika, salt and pepper.
- Stir to combine.
- Add the rice.
- Stir again.
- Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, then cover and let cook for about 30 minutes until the rice is cooked through.