This wholesome sweet-and-sour soup is just the right consistency of both liquid and cabbage, big chunks of carrots, celery, onion, beef, caraway seeds, and sweet pepper. It is particularly nice served with crusty rye bread. For an even heartier soup, add diced cooked potatoes along with the cabbage.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound lean (90% or leaner) ground beef
- 1 1/2 teaspoons caraway seeds
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 1/2 cups frozen bell pepper and onion mix, thawed, chopped
- 1 medium Golden Delicious or other sweet-tart cooking apple, unpeeled, diced
- 6 cups reduced-sodium beef broth
- 1 15-ounce can crushed or diced tomatoes
- 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon paprika (sweet pepper), preferably Hungarian sweet
- 3 cups coarsely chopped Savoy, or green cabbage
- 1-2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1 onion, chopped
- Chopped carrots
Preparation
Heat oil in a cooking pot over medium heat; add beef, caraway seeds and thyme and cook, stirring and breaking up the beef with a spoon, until it is mostly browned, about 4 minutes. Stir in pepper-onion mix and apple, celery and then cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes more.
Stir in broth, tomatoes, honey and paprika and adjust the heat so the mixture boils gently. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes to blend the flavors. Stir in cabbages and carrots and cook just until barely tender, 3 to 4 minutes more, season with vinegar to taste, salt and pepper.