Cabbage Patch Soup
Growing up one of my favorite meals my Mom would make for us was Cabbage Patch Soup. I loved coming home from school and smelling the aroma of the soup simmering away on the stovetop. One of the first meals I made once I started to teach myself to cook was this soup. Over the years my recipe has changed a bit from that which I grew up with, but only for the better!
This is an excellent soup to make no matter if you are going meat free on Meatless Monday or if you are a meat eater. The version I grew up with always started with ground beef, but as I’ve developed my own recipe, I have tried ground turkey, ground bison etc, or leave it out all together, and the soup is still wonderful.
One part of the recipe that I have kept from my Mothers version is that it’s served with pasta such as elbow macaroni. With the addition of pasta you may think this is a Minestrone. The difference is I always cook the pasta separate and allocate desired amount to each bowl with the soup. This keeps the soup perfect for leftovers because the pasta doesn’t get mushy.
Toppings always make a soup that much better and this soup can hold some great flavors. I love to add a dollop of sour cream or fresh grated Parmesan. Lately I have limited my dairy intake so I add diced avocado and the fresh bright flavor really pops this soup!
- 1 pound ground beef or turkey
- 1 tb olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 10 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 bell peppers, diced (I use red & yellow)
- 2 cups sliced cremini mushrooms
- 2 zucchini, sliced into half circles
- 1 15 ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 15 ounce can kidney beans (low sodium), drained & rinsed
- 1 15 ounce can garbanzo beans (low sodium), drained & rinsed
- 4 cups vegetable broth (low sodium)
- 1-2 cups water, depending on how much broth you want.
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cajun spice mix (optional)
- 1/2 head of green cabbage, diced
- elbow macaroni
- In a large dutch oven or soup pot heat olive oil over medium high heat.
- Add in ground beef/turkey and cook till browned and crumbled. SKIP THIS STEP IF VEGETARIAN.
- Add in onions, garlic, mushrooms, and bell peppers. Sauté for 3 minutes, lower heat if needed to not burn. Add the zucchini and sauté another 3-5 minutes until all veggies are beginning to soften.
- Add tomatoes (with juices), beans, and spices, stir to incorporate. Add in broth and enough water to cover everything. Bring to a boil and then lower heat to simmer and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Add cabbage and cover with lid, simmer until cabbage is tender but with slight crunch, about another 15-20 minutes.
- While cabbage is simmering in soup, make desired amount of macaroni according to package directions, drain and toss with a drizzle of olive oil.
- Place desired amount of macaroni in bowl and top with soup, top with desired additions!
- Hot Sauce
- Sour Cream
- Parmesan Cheese
- Avocado
