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This Russian Cabbage Soup recipe is an excellent choice to get you through a long winter. It’s one of my favorite soup recipes–made with fresh veggies and hearty turkey, this is one of the most delicious comfort foods out there!
Russian Cabbage Soup with Ground Turkey
This easy Russian cabbage soup is one of the most delicious and comforting soups to enjoy on cold winter nights. It’s the best thing for the first course of a winter menu or as a stand-alone lunch or dinner (it’s great with a side of rye bread or black bread)! The recipe is also easily modified – you can make a vegetarian version by omitting the turkey and swapping the chicken broth for water or vegetable broth. You can also swap out the fresh herbs and seasonings to fit your preferences. What I love most is how wholesome it is–the main ingredients are lean protein and fresh veggies.
How to Make Russian Cabbage Soup
Start by chopping one large yellow onion, five large carrots, and a large head of green cabbage, and dicing about 14 oz of tomatoes. Then, place a tablespoon of olive oil or vegetable oil over medium heat in a large pot or Dutch oven. Once it simmers, add a pound of ground turkey and cook until evenly brown (around 2-4 minutes).
Then you’re ready to add your chopped onion and carrots. Cook for about five minutes, then add the garlic and stir well. After another minute, add your cabbage, diced tomatoes, and eight cups of chicken broth or cold water to your soup pot. Finally, add ½ a cup of brown rice, two teaspoons of paprika, one teaspoon of crushed red pepper, ½ a teaspoon of dried thyme,½ a teaspoon of dried parsley, two bay leaves, and salt to taste.
Bring your pot to a boil on high heat, then cover it, reduce it to low heat, and allow the soup to simmer for about 20 minutes. Then, you’re ready to add a tablespoon of white vinegar, a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, one teaspoon of sugar, and salt and pepper to taste. Garnish each individual bowl with fresh parsley and an optional dollop of sour cream.
How to Serve
You can serve this delicious soup immediately while it’s hot or reheat it in the coming days. Enjoy it with the recommended parsley and sour cream or any garnish you like. It’s delicious with a slice of bread for dipping–I recommend rye or black bread!
Storage and Freezing
This Russian cabbage soup is just as good when reheated the next day! It should last 3-4 days in the fridge and 4-6 months in the freezer when stored in an airtight container. I like to make a big batch and reheat it on the stove or in the microwave. You’ll have a filling lunch to look forward to all week!
More Yummy Soup Recipes
- Egg Drop Soup
- Onion Soup
- Carrot Ginger Soup
- Tomato Basil Soup
- Chicken Pot Pie Soup
- Broccoli Cheddar Soup (30 Minutes!)
If you try making this Russian Cabbage Soup, please leave me a comment below! I always love to read your thoughts and feedback!
Russian Cabbage Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 5 large carrots, chopped
- 7 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- 1 large head green cabbage, washed, quartered, cored and chopped
- 8 cups chicken broth or water, add more if desired
- 14 oz diced tomatoes, one 14 ounce can, no-salt-added
- ½ cup brown rice medley, I used the kind from TJ's, but any rice will work great, rinsed
- 2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, + 1 teaspoon
- 1 Tablespoon white vinegar
- salt + pepper, to taste
- Fresh parsley, for garnish
- Sour cream, optional
Instructions
- In a large pot or dutch oven heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot and shimmering, add the ground turkey and brown evenly for 2-4 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Stir in the onions and carrots, mixing well. Cook for approximately 5 minutes to soften. Add the garlic and mix well. Cook for approximately 1 minute then add the cabbage and diced tomatoes and chicken broth or water. Stir well. Finally, stir the rice into the pot, along with the paprika, crushed red pepper, thyme, parsley, bay leaves, and salt.
- Bring the pot to a boil over high heat, and then turn the heat down to low and place the lid on the pot. Simmer, covered, for approximately 20 minutes until the rice is cooked and the vegetables are soft.
- Stir in the sugar, Worcestershire sauce and vinegar. Mix well. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve garnished with chopped fresh parsley and sour cream.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made this today. It is delicious! I used 6 cups of chicken broth and 2 cups water. I used a can of good chopped tomatoes. I did add a TBL of Red boat Fish Sauce which I always add to most soups and stews I make. Great hearty and delicious meal with southern cornbread I made!
Awesome easy recipe.
I had farro, so I used that instead of rice…and added some chorizo with the ground turkey
Hearty delicious soup
I just finished a big bowl for lunch and we also had it for dinner last night. My only deviation was to use a peeled/chopped gold potato instead of rice (I don’t eat rice). This is an excellent, healthy and comforting soup. So glad I came across it – thanks!
This soup was easy and absolutely delicious. I hate to make a substitution and then leave a review. That doesn’t seem fair to the chef. But, I didn’t have parsley or rice so I had to substitute. Finely chopped celery leaves and diced potatoes made fine substitutes. I have quite a bit of leftover soup, so I’m hoping it freezes well. I’ll definitely be making it again and sharing the recipe with friends. Thank you, Chef Jessica!
Thanks for the delicious feedback and rating Jess 🙂
Delicious soup, definitely a keeper! My mom’s heritage is Russian and she made Russian cabbage soup often while I was growing up–with hamburger of course. I like it just as well with the healthier ground turkey. Thank you for sharing. Husband and teenaged son loved it–two helpings each! The only change I made was to replace the diced tomatoes with a can of tomato sauce since my son won’t eat tomato pieces–silly guy!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this style dinner.
Regards
Your son reminds me of my Mikey, quite a few years ago. I wrote a limerick tribute to him when he was older entitled “Mikey, the Loophole Kid”. If you are interested in reading it, let me know. It is pretty long – a 5 stanza limerick, if you can imagine. I went a little overboard, I guess.
Hi Christine,
That was a beautiful limerick and story – thanks for sharing it with me by email!
Thanks again,
Jessica
This was wonderful! Thank you! Didn’t have much cabbage, so I threw in some Brussel Sprouts, & after it was done cooking, i thought it was begging for garbanzo beans (went to Safeway in my pajamas to get it) & added ~1T of fish sauce (my favorite umami ingredient).