Sweet & Sour Cabbage Soup
This hearty Sweet & Sour Cabbage Soup is a rustic, soul-warming dish that balances the sharp tang of sauerkraut and lemon with the natural sweetness of raisins and brown sugar. The broth is rich and complex, filled with tender shredded cabbage, carrots, and earthy dill. Savory ground beef meatballs, studded with rice and onion, provide a satisfying protein element that absorbs the flavorful broth. It’s a perfect meal for chilly evenings or when you crave something deeply comforting yet vibrant. The flavors meld beautifully over a long simmer, making it even more delicious the next day. Serve hot with crusty bread to soak up every last drop of the tangy, sweet, and savory sauce.
Description
This hearty Sweet & Sour Cabbage Soup is a rustic, soul-warming dish that balances the sharp tang of sauerkraut and lemon with the natural sweetness of raisins and brown sugar. The broth is rich and complex, filled with tender shredded cabbage, carrots, and earthy dill. Savory ground beef meatballs, studded with rice and onion, provide a satisfying protein element that absorbs the flavorful broth. It’s a perfect meal for chilly evenings or when you crave something deeply comforting yet vibrant. The flavors meld beautifully over a long simmer, making it even more delicious the next day. Serve hot with crusty bread to soak up every last drop of the tangy, sweet, and savory sauce.
Ingredients
- 1 large cabbage, shredded
- 1-2 carrots, shredded
- [OR--use 2 lbs pre-shredded cole-slaw mix instead]
- 2 lbs sauerkraut, with liquid
- 1 large can tomato juice
- 1 can water salt to taste
- 1-2 tsp peppercorns (or to taste)
- 1-2 tsp dill weed (or more to taste)
- 1 c raisins
- 1/4 c brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 c lemon juice
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 onion, minced fine
- 1/4 c raw rice
- 1 egg
- salt, pepper, dill weed to taste
Directions
- 1 In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, minced onion, raw rice, egg, salt, pepper, and dill weed. Mix thoroughly with your hands until well combined. Shape the mixture into small meatballs, roughly 1-inch in diameter.
- 2
In a large pot, combine the shredded cabbage, shredded carrots, sauerkraut (with its liquid), raisins, tomato juice, water, peppercorns, and dill weed.- 3
Bring the soup mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.- 4
Reduce heat to low to maintain a gentle simmer. Carefully add the prepared meatballs to the soup.- 5
Add the brown sugar and lemon juice to the pot. Stir gently to incorporate.- 6
Simmer uncovered for approximately 1 to 1.5 hours, or until the cabbage is tender, the rice in the meatballs is cooked, and the flavors have blended. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt, pepper, brown sugar, or lemon juice as needed to achieve your preferred balance of sweet and sour.- 7
Serve hot in deep bowls.NoteStorage: This soup keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. It reheats wonderfully and the flavors often improve after a night of resting. It also freezes well for up to 3 months.
Variation: For stuffed cabbage rolls, remove the large outer leaves from the cabbage before shredding the rest. Blanch the large leaves to soften. Wrap a portion of the meatball mixture in each leaf to form rolls. Place these rolls into the cooking soup and simmer for approximately 3 hours until the cabbage leaves are tender.
Substitution: You can use 2 lbs of pre-shredded coleslaw mix in place of the fresh cabbage and carrots for convenience.
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