My mother is Ukrainian so I grew up loving all things cabbage. My boyfriend comes from Polish heritage so he shares the same fascination with cabbage and with hearty soups. This recipe is perfect for a chilly afternoon when you need a bit of warmth. Ingredients:
2 beef bullion cubes
6 cups water
1/2 head green cabbage
1/2 tsp dried minced garlic
large can (28-32 oz) petite diced tomatoes
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 packets Splenda (or other sweetener)
1 small (2-inch) onion
1/2 to 1 pound of ground beef
salt
pepper
In a large pot (6 qt or so) on medium to high heat, add the beef bullion cubes to about 5 cups of water. Quarter the cabbage and then slice it into thin slices, just a bit wider than for coleslaw. Add that in as well as salt and pepper to taste. Mix in the garlic and tomatoes. Now stir in the white vinegar and Splenda.
Peel the onion and cut it in half. Slice each half into very thin slivers and add it into the soup.
In a frying pan, brown the ground beef. When it's fully browned, add the last cup of water to the pan to deglaze it and then add the water and beef to the soup.
Let that cook for at least a half hour. Longer is even better. You want the cabbage to be nice and soft.
Enjoy!
The main carbs here come from the tomatoes. Our can had 42g minus 14g of fiber which leaves 28g across 6 servings - about 4g apiece. The cabbage probably gives you another gram or two per serving.
If you prefer pork or chicken you can certainly use that as your protein - just use chicken bullion instead to match with that. Another option is to add in an additional can of crushed tomatoes to make it less brothy and more stewy.
If you enjoy carrots, you can peel a carrot and then add shaved carrot to the stock. It may need to cook a little longer to soften up with the cabbage, so do this from the start if you think you will like it.
Lots of options!
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