Cabbage Soup with Meat

Cabbage soup is both healthy and easy to make, and it fills the stomachs and souls of those who eat it. For some reason, children are not normally fond of cabbage in anything, but grown-ups think of cabbage as a treat—especially when it is cooked with a lot of dried meat and seasoned with spices. You can use any meat you would like in this soup, or you can make it without meat. Just make sure to use less water and more seasonings if you are leaving out the meat.

Ingredients:

• 2 T olive oil
• 2 medium onions, sliced
• 1 T minced garlic
• 1 T tomato paste
• 4 cups water
• 2 cups chopped dried meat
• ½ t salt
• ½ t black pepper
• ½ t paprika
• 1 medium cabbage, chopped.

Directions:

Heat the oil in a pot, and add the onions and garlic. Sauté until the onions are translucent, and then add the tomato paste. Cook, stirring, for a minute, and then add 3 cups of water (you can add the other cup later, if needed, but because cabbage releases water while it cooks you may not need it).
Add the meat, salt, pepper, and paprika and let it boil, covered, for 30 minutes.
Now add the chopped cabbage to the pot. Don’t fret if it looks like it won’t all fit at once—the cabbage will quickly start to wilt and you will be able to continue slowly adding more cabbage until all of it is in the pot.
Bring the soup back up to a boil, and continue to cook until the meat is tender, about 45 minutes.
This soup is delicious with cornbread.