Cabbage Roll Soup for a Crowd

Everything you would find in a cabbage roll but in a soup, plus bonus - no rolling and tucking! This will feed 8 to 10 people and freezes beautifully. I've cooked the rice separately so that it doesn't absorb the liquid, which is also better for leftovers.

• Preparation Time: 15 mins
• Cooking Time: 1 hr 10 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 25 mins
• Calories: 328 Calories

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ pound lean ground pork
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ¾ teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• ¼ cup red wine
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 teaspoons salt, divided
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 leaf (blank)s bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon Sriracha sauce, or to taste
• 4 cups low-sodium beef broth
• 8 cups roughly chopped cabbage, core removed
• 5 cups tomato puree (passata)
• 11 ounces diced tomatoes
• 1 cup long-grain rice, uncooked

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Meanwhile, bring water and rice to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until rice is tender and water has been absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes.

Step 2

Heat a large pot over medium-high heat and cook ground beef and pork until browned and crumbly, about 5 minutes. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and pepper. Drain meat in a colander and set aside.

Step 3

Heat olive oil in the same pot, add onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute more.

Step 4

Pour in red wine and deglaze the pot, scraping off all the browned bits of the bottom. Cook until wine evaporates, 3 to 5 minutes. Mix in cabbage and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Add browned beef, tomato puree, beef broth, diced tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, oregano, 1 teaspoon salt, thyme, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a low boil, reduce heat, and simmer until cabbage is soft, about 45 minutes.

Step 5

Add lemon juice and brown sugar to the soup and cook for 5 minutes. Spoon 3 tablespoons of rice into the bottom of each bowl and spoon soup mixture over the rice. Add a few drops of Sriracha sauce to each bowl.