What a wonderful Savory Cabbage Roll Soup made from Salted Tender Cabbage and Rice with Parsley, Tarragon & Caraway to add that Cabbage Roll taste. This soup is based on the Vegetable Soup and can include a variety of meats, such as ground Beef, Pork, Chicken, or Sausages like Italian Sausage or Chourico just the same as Cabbage Rolls. Enjoy this Delightful & Bright, Savory Cabbage Soup! Your Belly is going to love it.
Cabbage Roll SOUP BASE
This is a Tomato & Pimento Paste Soup Base, with Lemon Juice for Zest and Chickpea Flour for viscosity. It includes the seasoning which can be changed depending on the type of soup being made. It’s an Amazing & Flavorful Soup Base that can be shared across many Soups that are Tomato based. All you have to do is place the Oil & Tomato paste in a Soup Pot and combine the remaining ingredients in another bowl to add when needed.
Cabbage Roll Soup Base
- 5 C Water
- 3 C Tomato Juice
- 1/2 C Pimento Paste
- 1/4 EVOO & Tomato Paste, set aside separately
- 2 Tbl Lemon Juice & Chickpea Flour
- Cabbage Roll Soup Seasoning
Sweet Pimento Paste
Use Sweet Pimento Paste. Hot Pimento Paste can be used too. Although, this makes it really Spicy. For less Spicy, add half & half or less.
Cabbage Roll Soup Thickener
This soup is thickened with Chickpea Flour instead of Flour or Starches, making this completely gluten-free. The Chickpea Flour offers up a very nice viscosity to the Soup and is added directly to the Soup Base and whisked in. Tomato paste also assists in thickening slightly.
Adding in Rice will also thicken the soup and depending on how much or the type of Rice will take the Soup to a slightly thicker soup or a stew like consistency. If you find it too thick, thin out with more water or tomato juice.
Fat for Cabbage Roll Soup
The Extra Virgin Olive Oil can be replaced with Ghee, Pure Lard or rendered Fat like Bacon fat or Beef Suet, especially where Meat will be included. Beef Suet is excellent for pairing up with 1 lb of Ground Beef or thinly sliced or cubed beef. Bacon Fat or other rendered fats is excellent with Sausages, Pork and Chicken.
Cabbage Roll Soup Broth
Either Vegeta or Bouillon Cubes can be used. The Vegetables Soup Base that this soup is based on, uses 2 Tbl of Vegeta as the Broth. However, in a Cabbage Roll Soup where Meat will be added. Then it is preferred to have a meaty broth such as Chicken Bouillon. Which is an all around good option. Optionally Beef Bouillon for ground beef or thinly sliced or diced Steak, Pork Bouillon for ground Pork, or thinly sliced or diced Pork or using Sausages.
Cabbage Roll Soup Seasoning
With Cabbage Roll Soup, the seasoning used is Parsley, Tarragon & Caraway to derive those Cabbage Roll Flavors with Bay Leaves. The Vegeta that is used in the Vegetables Soup can be included or omitted in favor of Bouillon Cubes. Especially where Cabbage Roll Soup will contain Meat.
Cabbage Roll Soup Seasoning
Add the Seasoning to the Soup base.
- 1 Tbl Parsley
- 1 tsp Tarragon & ground Caraway
- 3 Tbl Hodi Sweet Smoked Paprika
- 2 Bouillon Cubes or 2 Tbl Vegeta
- 1/4 tsp Ground Bay Leaves
Hodi Smoked Paprika
A good quality Smoked Paprika works just fine. However, Hodi Smoked Sweet Paprika with Beech will elevate it just that little bit extra. This stuff is wonderful.
This can be very hard to find online. I had to go right to the source with the QR code on the back, which took me to Hodi Paprika Website. I source mine at Di Pietro in Cambridge, Ontario.
Mild or Spicy Cabbage Soup
Add some heat to make a Mild or Spicy Vegetable Soup in the form of;
- Hot Paprika to replace some of the Smoked Sweet Paprika
- Hot Pimento Paste to replace half or less of the Sweet Pimento paste, or all of it for spicier
- Chili Peppers or Chilies added with the Onion & Garlic
- Peppercorns, Chili Flakes or Cayenne
- Chili Oil, a small amount added with the EVOO or to taste
- Hot Sauce served at the table to add to taste
Cabbage Roll Soup Vegetables
Just thinly sliced or diced Onions and Minced Garlic is all that is needed for a Cabbage Roll Soup.
Onion & Garlic
Slice one Onion into thin slices or dice and mince the Garlic.
Rice
Add 1/4 C – 1/2 cup of washed Rice after the 10-minute simmer time and continue to simmer for 10 minutes. Mix every so often to prevent the Rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot before removing from the heat and covering to rest for 20 minutes or more until the Rice is tender throughout.
Rice
This is Basmati Rice, but any medium to long grain rice can be used. Wash and Strain before adding to the Cabbage Roll Soup.
The Rice added will also absorb and thicken the Soup. With this soup base being thickened with Tomato Paste & Chickpea Flour and the amount of liquids, you don’t really want to go over a 1/2 C of Rice. Which will give you a thicker consistency than using 1/4 C of Rice, anywhere in between is good. You can always thin out with a bit more water or tomato juice if needed.
How to salt Cabbage
Salting Cabbage is a traditional technique that helps to enhance the flavor and texture of the Cabbage. When Cabbage is Salted, it draws out moisture from the leaves, resulting in a more concentrated flavor. The Salt also helps to soften the Cabbage, making it more tender and easier to cook. Additionally, salting Cabbage can help to remove any bitter or harsh taste that some varieties of Cabbage may have.
Use 2 % Salt by weight to salt Cabbage. ex: 900g Cabbage, use 18 g of Salt. 900×0.02 = 18 g.
Overall, salting Cabbage is a simple step that can elevate the taste and texture of the dish. It also has the benefit of shrinking in volume so that it can all fit nicely in the Pot for easier handling. Just all around better to Salt the Cabbage before adding it to the Soup.
Salted Cabbage
Combine 2 lb (900g+) of Cabbage with 1 Tbl of Sea Salt. Mix it in well, squeezing the Cabbage, and set aside for about 1 hour. Squeeze out the Juices before adding.
A little under or over is perfectly fine. Use about a medium-sized whole head of Cabbage, weighing about 2 lbs.
You can do this the night before or first thing in the morning. Another option is to prepare in advance by salting the Cabbage and then portion into Ziploc bags to freeze. These can then be added directly from frozen to make the Cabbage Roll Soup anytime you want.
If there are any thick Stems, you may want to trim these away, the same as you would for Cabbage Rolls.
Cabbage Roll Soup Meat
Add in 1 lb of Ground Beef, Pork, Chicken or Sausages. Even Diced Beef, Pork, Chicken or coarsely chopped precooked sausages like Italian Sausages, Chourico Sausages or the raw meat from Chourico Kebabs.
Ground Beef
1 lb of Ground Beef. Cook this up with the Tomato Paste and Fat until browned before adding in the Vegetables.
Raw Chourico meat
1 lb of marinated Chourico meat can be added directly with the Fat & Tomato Paste to cook through. You can also use already made up Chourico Sausages torn into bite size pieces.
Salt & Pepper Blend
Use the Salt & Pepper blend to season the Cabbage Roll Soup before serving, if needed.
Salt & Pepper
- 1 Tbl Sea Salt
- 1 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/2 tsp White Pepper
Equipment
- 1 Soup Pot or large Wok
- 1 Digital Scale
- 2 Mixing Bowls
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Cabbage - or 900g, Torn or chopped into bite size pieces, salted with 1 Tbl Sea Salt to soften
- 1 lb Ground Beef - or other choice meats
- 1 Large Onion - thinly sliced or diced
- 3 Cloves Garlic - minced
- 1/4 C EVOO & Tomato Paste - each, optionally use Beef Suet
- 1/4 C Rice - Medium-Long Grain, washed and strained.
- To taste Salt & Pepper
Soup Base
- 5 C Water
- 3 C Tomato Juice
- 1/2 C Sweet Pimento Paste - Or Hot for Spicy Vegetable Soup
- 3 Tbl Paprika - Hodi Sweet Smoked with Beech is best
- 2 Tbl Lemon Juice & Chickpea Flour - each
- 2 Cubes Chicken or Beef Bouillon - can exchange with 2 Vegeta
- 1 Tbl Parsley - Optional
- 1 tsp Tarragon & ground Caraway - each
- 1/4 tsp Ground Bay Leaves
Instructions
- Chop or tear the Cabbage into bite size pieces and weigh out 2 lbs or 900g. Slice off any thick pieces of Stems and place into a bowl. Add 1 Tbl Sea Salt, Toss & Crush the Cabbage, mixing it well. Set aside to soften for about 1 hour. Combine the Soup Base ingredients into a large mixing bowl to whisk together and set aside until needed.
- Add EVOO & Tomato Paste in a soup pot or Wok and heat over Max heat. Cook for a few minutes, mixing every so often. Add the Ground Beef and Brown.
- Then add the Onions & Garlic along with the Squeezed Cabbage. Squeeze the Juices out from the Cabbage as you add it to the pot. Continue to cook while mixing until the Cabbage has softened more, just a few minutes.
- Add in the Soup Base and mix well. Cover and bring it to a boil, mixing every few minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add the Rice, mix well and continue to simmer for 10 minutes, mixing every so often. Mix again before covering and removing from the heat to rest for 20 minutes. Adjust the seasoning if needed and serve.