Stuffed Cabbage Soup

Updated at: Thu, 17 Aug 2023 02:55:50 GMT

Step 1

In a large pot with a lid, over medium-high heat, heat up 3 TBSP of oil until hot (not smoking) and add the chopped onion. Cook the onion, stirring occasionally, until translucent. Add the carrots, coat them with the oil, and let them sauté with the onions until they become slightly soft, stirring occasionally. Once the carrots begin to soften, start adding the cabbage. Add it in handfuls (probably in 2 – 3 additions, depending on the size of your pot), and sprinkle the cabbage with a bit of salt after each addition. Stir to coat the cabbage with the onion and carrots, and as it begins to wilt add the next bunch of cabbage and repeat with the salt. Do this until you’ve gotten all the cabbage into the pot and it’s all started to wilt.

Step 2

Once the cabbage has wilted a bit, add the can of tomatoes and the broth. Stir to coat everything and if there’s not sufficient liquid in the pot to feel “soupy” add more broth (or water if you don’t have broth). Bring this mixture to a gentle simmer. Now comes the part that you need to do by taste. Begin by adding about 2 heaping tablespoons of brown sugar and the juice of ½ lemon. Stir completely into the soup and taste. Add brown sugar and lemon juice alternately until you get the basic “sweet-sour” combination that you like. You might want to add a bit of salt as you feel you’re getting close to the flavor you want to see whether a bit of salt “punches up” the flavor so that you are happy with it. Once you’ve got the sweet-sour combo you like, let the soup simmer on low, partially covered while you make the meatballs.

Step 3

In a large bowl, mix the meat, the rice, the season salt (be judicious with this stuff as it can be very strong and salty), and the pepper all together (you can used your hand to do the mixing). Once they’re combined evenly, take the lid off the pot and take a scoop of meat (about 1 heaping TBSP), and form it into a ball, and drop it into the simmering soup. Continue until you’ve used up all the meat. Gently push the meatballs into the soup to almost cover, then partially cover the pot and allow to simmer (light boil) for at least 45 minutes, longer if you can. (The longer it cooks, the more melded the flavors will be).

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