Stuffed cabbage soup

 

 

Stuffed cabbage soup is what you make when you bought the ingredients to make stuffed cabbage only to realise you just don't have the time to go through the whole process (after you have been pushing it off for three days in a row) and your ground meat really needs using up. And guess what? It is just as good (or at least we thought so), very comforting, warming and full of flavor, and can be ready in under an hour, so I knew you would appreciate if I shared.

I used potatoes because I had some that were starting to sprout, but adding raw rice (about a cup for the amount below) would probably be more fitting, since stuffed cabbage is often filled with ground meat and rice. Up to you entirely, but make sure you add more liquid if you do this, as rice generally absorbs more than potatoes while cooking.

Also, I used pimenton de la Vera because that is what I had and I love the smoky flavor it adds, but using spicy Hungarian paprika - or any other sort - is more than ok since this soup is loosely based on Eastern European stuffed cabbage recipes.

The amounts below are just a suggestion, I usually eyeball them depending on how liquid or spicy or meaty I want the soup to be.
 

 

  

Ingredients

1 large yellow onion

500gr ground meat (beef or a mix of beef and pork)

1 small cabbage

2 medium sized potatoes

1 can diced tomatoes

1 tsp tomato puree

1 tsp sweet paprika

1/2 tsp Pimenton de la Vera or spicy paprika

salt

olive oil

1 bay leaf  (optional)

 

 

Heat enough olive oil in the bottom of a pot to cover it. Clean and chop the onion and cook until it softens. Add the meat and cook until nicely browned.

In the meantime halve, core and then roughly chop the cabbage, which you will add to the pot, followed by the diced tomatoes and some vegetable stock (or meat stock or just plain water), just enough to cover the ingredients. Add a bay leaf and the tomato puree. Mix in the paprika, pimenton de la Vera (for added spiciness and smokiness) and some salt. Cover and let simmer until the cabbage turns silky and the flavors meld together nicely. About twenty minutes before serving, peel and cut the potatoes into bite-size pieces, so they are cooked through, but not too soft. Taste and adjust for flavor and sprinkle with a little more Pimenton de la Vera before serving.