Polish Cabbage Roll Soup

Ingredients

• 0.5 cups unsalted butter
• 1 yellow onion
• 2.5 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 pound ground beef
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 2.5 cups beef broth
• 3 cups crushed or puréed tomatoes
• 1.5 cups water
• 2.5 pounds green cabbage
• 1 cup long grain white rice
• 0.75 cups chopped Italian parsley

Instructions

1. 1

   Set a soup pot over medium-high heat and melt butter. Add onion and salt, and cook, stirring, until onions turn soft and translucent, 4 to 5 minutes.

2. 2

   Add ground beef and cook, stirring and breaking up large clumps, until meat is browned and broken into small crumbles, about 5 minutes.

3. 3

   Season with garlic, black pepper, cayenne, and bay leaf; cook and stir for 1 minute. Pour in beef broth, increase heat to high, and bring to a boil. Stir in cabbage, reduce heat to medium, and cook until cabbage is just tender, 10 to 15 minutes.

4. 4

   Pour in tomatoes and water, and continue to simmer, 10 to 15 minutes more. Stir in rice and half the parsley; simmer over medium heat until rice is tender and soup thickens, about 20 minutes. If soup becomes too thick as it simmers, add a little more beef broth and/or water. Season to taste with salt.