I can’t believe I haven’t posted this recipe before! Cabbage Soup or “Cabbage Patch Stew” as we call it around my circle of friends, is a super-huge hit and the recipe is requested anytime I make it. So foolproof, it’s almost not a recipe. You pretty much just dump in the ingredients and then let them all just dance together until they’ve made a merry, tasty, hot meal, on the spot.
So easy… I almost didn’t bother posting “prep” pictures. But for you visual people, here you go:
In a large stock pot or dutch oven, sauté onions, celery and ground beef. You can just break up the ground beef but I made mine into loose, little balls just for pictures. When the beef starts to barely brown on the outside…
Add kidney beans, cabbage, broth, stewed tomatoes, chili powder, some sugar and Worscestershire sauce. The addition of a little sugar to the chili powder tones down any heat in the soup and gives a nice robust flavor. Truly, the broth is incredible! Then let everything simmer for up to an hour, and done! Hearty and flavorful, a meal all in itself. I just serve it with some whole grain bread slathered with garlic butter.
This is possibly the most versatile soup I make. Leave out the meatballs but still use beef broth for beefy flavor but even more time-savings. Make it without meat and substitute the beef broth with vegetable broth and it’s vegan and still tasty! Add a carrot or two or other vegetables, like Brussels sprouts. You see where I’m going.
If you’re looking for a perfect soup to freeze for serve later or to have on hand, this is the soup for that. Cabbage Soup was actually created and tested as a freezeable meal. This is a keeper. Hope you try it soon!
Cabbage Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or avocado oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 cup celery ribs and leaves, chopped
- 1 pound ground beef
- 2 15- ounce cans kidney beans, not drained
- 3 cups chopped or shredded cabbage
- 4 cups beef broth
- 2 15- ounce cans stewed tomatoes, not drained
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley or chives for garnish, optional
Instructions
- In a dutch-oven, add the olive oil and butter and heat to medium until butter has melted. Add onions and celery and begin to cook while you break up the ground beef. You can just break it up in the pot or roll it into small, loose meatballs before adding. Cook the onion, celery and beef mixture over medium heat until the beef just starts to cook on the outside.
- Stir in the undrained kidney beans, cabbage, broth, stewed tomatoes and all the seasonings (save the parsley or chives until the end). Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer at least 30 minutes but up to 1 hour, until the cabbage has softened and the broth has thickened.
- Sprinkle individual servings with fresh parsley or chives, if desired.
- Serve immediately or if wanting to freeze the soup, allow the soup to cool and then place in freezer-safe containers or gallon freezer bag.
- To reheat from frozen: Thaw in refrigerator overnight. Reheat to slow boil. Serve!
This recipe is amazing!! I made it last night, and it was delicious. Adjustments I made: I used homemade vegetable broth instead of beef broth, and left out the beef; I also used coconut aminos instead of Worcestershire sauce; I added 3 cloves of garlic with the onion and celery; I also substituted 4 chopped ripe tomatoes for the canned tomatoes. I omitted the parsley as well! YUMMY! Thank you for the great, nutritious recipe! This is definitely a keeper.
Wow, Teresa! I love the changes you’ve made and so glad you like the recipe. It’s a favorite in my house! Thanks for taking the time to comment, it means a lot.
This looks amazing! Will any kind of cabbage work (Savoy, red, etc.)?
Hi Shar, I have used green and savoy. Green is our preference, but the savoy is also delicious. I haven’t tried red, but think it would be great, too. It is one of our favorite soups, with or without the meat. Thanks for stopping by!
Thank you! I’m going to make it for my family tomorrow. Supposed to be cold & snowy, so perfect day for it. 🙂
Yes, this is perfect for that. I might make it next week when we’re expecting a high of 9 degrees and a low of -3!