Let's Do Lunch Community

Sweet and Sour Beef Cabbage Soup

Active Time:  30 Minutes
Total Time:  30 Minutes
Yield:  6 servings, about 1 3/4 cups each

This wholesome sweet-and-sour soup combines beef, caraway seeds, sweet paprika and cabbage—ingredients that star in a number of German dishes. 

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, 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

Heat oil in a Dutch oven 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; 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 cabbage and cook just until barely tender, 3 to 4 minutes more. Season with vinegar to taste, salt and pepper.

Recipe reprinted by permission of © EatingWell Magazine. All rights reserved.
Date Added: 12/01/2009

VickiAnn,
Thanks for the recipe. Sounds good.
Tina

This recipe will most certainly make it into my LDL recipe book!

Vickilynn,
I'm curious about your LDL recipe book. I have a blue folder that I put my LDL recipes into. I'm assuming that you copy all of your recipes into a blank journal or notebook. I'm not very organized, so any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks,
Tina

Tina,

When I see a recipe on here that looks good, I add it to my "bookmarks" on this website. I also cut and paste it into a word document and save it on my computer. Sometimes I print out the recipe and slip it into a sheet protector and put it in a notebook. When I get ready to make the recipe, I just pull it out of the notebook. Sheet protector keeps it from getting so messy as I cook.

Hope this helps,
Ollie

Ollie- That's pretty much the way I do it.  I have a lot of recipes printed out and in sheet protectors in a notebook, however, I have many more bookmarked that I haven't even tried.  Like I said a while back, I probably won't live long enough to try them all.  Especially since our creative members are developing and sharing new recipes so often!  Pam

Same here Tina, have some bookmarked, saved in a LDL Recipe file on my computer, and some printed out in sheet protectors.

Tina,

I have a 1-inch, 3-ring binder with labeled index tabs -- breakfast, main dishes, soups, salads, helpful hints, etc. which is always within my reach in my kitchen. When a new recipe is posted and if I think it is worth trying out I immediately print it and add it to the labled "new recipes" section of my binder. I try to cook one new recipe at least once every two weeks and if I really love it and it passes my husband's taste test, I move it to whichever section it references after placing it into a sheet protector. If it is not a keeper, I toss it away.

Another tip... Before I go grocery shopping I go through my recipe binder, pick out 3-4 meals to make, and then add to my grocery list those items that I don't have in the house.  3-4 meals a weeks for the two of us (we are empty nesters) makes at least 7 meals because we always have leftovers.

P.S. I know just by reading the ingredients for vickiann's cabbage soup that it will be a keeper.

VickiLynn,
Wise words. I like the binder idea with the tabs. Thanks!
Tina