Cabbage Roll Soup

My husband’s family is Polish and his Mom makes the most AMAZING cabbage rolls. I think I’ve established here that I like to make my meal prep as easy as possible, so it should come as no surprise that rather than go through the trouble of learning to actually make cabbage rolls, I would throw it all in a pot to make a soup instead. Deconstructed food is still a fad right? 

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground turkey (or whichever meat you prefer)

• 1  onion  (finely diced)

• 4 cloves minced garlic ( I love garlic so I threw in a couple additional cloves)  

• 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary 

• 1 teaspoon dried thyme  (or fresh)

• 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning herbs 

• 2 tablespoons tomato paste 

• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 

• 4 cups coarsely chopped green cabbage 

• 2 carrots (peeled and diced)

• 1  red bell pepper  (diced)

• 4 cups broth (I decided on vegetable)

• 2 cans (8-ounce each) tomato sauce 

• 1 can (14-ounce) diced tomatoes 

• 1/2 cup uncooked rick (I used basmati)

• 3 tablespoons brown sugar 

• 2 tablespoons parsley (chopped)

Instructions

1. Place a large pot over medium-high heat and add olive oil. Once the oil is simmering, add the ground meat, season with salt and pepper, and cook unmoved for 1-2 minutes to get a nice sear on it. After that, break it down and cook until meat is browned, approximately 4-5 minutes.

2. Add the onion and garlic cook for 2-3 minutes.

3. Add rosemary, thyme, Italian seasoning, and tomato paste. Stir to combine.

4. Add the Worcestershire sauce, cabbage, carrots, bell pepper, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, rice, bay leaf, and brown sugar to the pot.

5. Add broth.

6. Bring to a simmer and cook for 25-30 minutes or until the rice is tender.

7. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.

Note: I found the soup to be a little on the sweet side, so, I added some extra Worcestershire sauce and salt. The next time I make this I will cut back on the brown sugar.