Have some cole slaw mix in your refrigerator? Time to make Lazy Cabbage Soup. The soup is great for cold days and is inexpensive, filling, and good. It's also easy to make, so don't let the long list of ingredients put you off. Many of the ingredients are spices or condiments that give the soup incredibly flavor--a little sweet, a little sour, a little savory. I often use ground turkey to make the soup, which works fine, but I think the flavor is better--heartier and deeper--with ground beef. If you have neither, you can make a veggie only version or even try the soup with chopped ham or kielbasa. The soup is adaptable to what you have on hand. Working from home? The soup can be put together and left to simmer on the stove while you do Zoom meetings or paperwork. An occasional stir of the soup is good, but, frankly, the soup isn't fussy. It also keeps well if someone is late for dinner. This is a "meal in a bowl" soup, so you really don't need to add much for a complete dinner. A salad and/or some bread would be a gracious plenty.
Lazy Cabbage Soup -- Makes about 4 quarts
1 tablespoon of canola oil
1 onion chopped (1/2-3/4 cup)
14-ounce bag of cole slaw mix
1/2 cup of shredded carrots (from a bag is fine)
16 ounces of lean ground turkey or beef (93 percent or so)
4-5 cloves of chopped garlic
1 teaspoon of salt, divided, plus additional to taste
1/4 teaspoon of pepper or to taste
1 teaspoon of dried ginger
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
1 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes, plus two cans of water
2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
3/4 cup of brown rice, uncooked
1/4 cup of brown sugar
3 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons of beef "Better Than Bullion"
1/4 cup of raisins
Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat and add the onion, cole slaw mix, and carrots. Saute them for about 5 minutes or until they start to soften. Crumble in the meat, add 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and saute the meat and vegetables together for 7-10 minutes or until the meat has mostly cooked through. Add the garlic, remaining salt, pepper, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg and saute everything for another couple of minutes. Stir in the crushed tomatoes. Fill the tomato can twice with water, adding the cans of water to the soup pot. Add the Worcestershire sauce, brown rice, brown sugar, red wine vinegar, "Better Than Bullion," and raisins. Stir everything well and bring the mixture to a boil. Turn down the heat to a gentle simmer and let the soup cook until the vegetables are very tender and the soup has cooked down a little--at least an hour, but two-three hours is fine, as the flavors will develop and blend. Stir the soup periodically while it cooks and enjoy the aroma! Taste the soup and add additional salt and pepper to taste.
