Easy Cabbage Meatball Soup
Tasty and nutritious cabbage meatball soup with tomato, lemon, fresh herbs and rice!
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 881kcal
Ingredients
For The Meatballs:
- 500 grams (17.6 ounce) ground beef or pork or half and half
- 80 grams (2.8 ounce) ripe tomato
- 1 egg yolk
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove minced or pressed
- 50 grams (½ medium-sized) onion minced
- 50 grams (4 tablespoons) short-grain rice
- 1½ tablespoons parsley minced
- 1½ tablespoons dill minced
- ⅔ teaspoon mint minced
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- ⅔ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ teaspoon ground pepper
For The Soup:
- 10 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 450 grams (15.8 ounces) ripe tomatoes chopped/diced
- 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons tomato paste
- 10 tabelspoons tomato sauce (tomato passata)
- 8 cups hot water or stock (either vegetable, beef, or chicken stock)
- 1 bay leaf
- 100 grams (1 small) green bell pepper diced
- 70 grams (2.4 ounces) celery stacks including the leaves chopped
- 450 grams (15.8 ounces) white cabbage shredded
- 100 grams (9 tablespoons) short-grain rice rinsed
- 2 tablespoons parsley minced
- 1½ tablespoons dill minced
- 6 tablespoons lemon juice fresh
- extra lemon to serve with
Instructions
Prepare The Meatballs:
- NOTE: You may prepare the meatballs ahead of time and keep them in the fridge for up to 3 days until you are ready to make the soup.
- Add all of the ingredients for the meatballs in a mixing bowl and knead to combine thoroughly.
- Shape into 12, round meatballs. About 60 grams each. Place on a dish and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to get firm.
Prepare The Soup:
- Heat 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in a large cooking pot over high heat.
- Add the diced tomatoes and the garlic.
- Cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste and tomato sauce. Season with salt. Cook for 2 minutes more stirring with a wooden spoon.
- Pour in the hot water or stock. Add the bay leaf and bring to a hard boil.
- Add the meatballs in one at a time. Dip them in with a spoon and wait 30 seconds before adding the next meatball for the temperature to rise to a boil again.
- Cook over medium heat for 20 minutes leaving the lid of the cooking pot slightly open on the side.
- Add the shredded cabbage, the celery, and the bell pepper. Continue cooking for 10 minutes.
- Add the rice and remaining 5 tablespoons of olive oil and cook for 20-25 minutes or until the rice is cooked.
- Add the parsley, dill, and lemon juice. Cook for a minute and then turn the heat off.
- Let the soup sit for 30 minutes on the warm stove to thicken. If you leave it for up to 1 hour it will get even better.
- Serve with extra lemon squeezed on top, freshly ground pepper, or even cayenne pepper.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 881kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 64g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 42g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 130mg | Sodium: 554mg | Potassium: 1155mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 2088IU | Vitamin C: 96mg | Calcium: 109mg | Iron: 6mg