Recipe Favorites: Goulash Soup with Red Peppers and Cabbage

(Updated and added to Recipe Favorites March 2010) This soup is one of my very favorites of all the soup recipes I've created, and when we had snow again in Utah I made a double batch and decided it was time to update this post with step-by-step photos and officially make it one of my Recipe Favorites. The soup has ground beef, red peppers, tomatoes, and cabbage, and it's something I've been making ever since I discovered how much I love paprika. If you use Hungarian paprika (which comes in a tin, not a jar), the recipe is reminiscent of Hungarian Gulyas but without potatoes, and I'm of the opinion that lots of paprika is essential in a soup like this! I used both sharp and sweet paprika, but you can probably get by with only sweet paprika, especially if you're making it for kids. This soup freezes especially well, and I like to pull a container of it out of the freezer on a cold night, heat it up, and serve with a big dollop of sour cream!

Cut onions in half both ways, then cut into thick slices, aiming for pieces that are all the same size.

Saute the onions in olive oil for about 5 minutes or until they are starting to brown, then add minced garlic and saute about 2 minutes more.

If you're using the optional caraway seed, grind it a bit with a mortar and pestle or crush with a heavy mallet or knife.

Add the paprika and caraway seed to the browned onions and garlic and saute a minute or two more.

Put the browned onion mixture into a large soup pot. Deglaze the pan with 1 cup of beef stock and add to soup pot, then add the rest of the beef stock, tomatoes, and water to the soup pot and start to simmer. (Remember, this is a double batch of soup in these photos.)

Finely chop 2 cups of green cabbage and add to the simmering soup.

Cook 1 pound lean ground beef until it's nicely browned, then add to the soup, turn heat to very low, and let it simmer for 1 hour.

After the soup has simmered for about an hour, drain the jar of roasted red pepper and chop into pieces, then add to the soup. Taste for seasoning, and add more paprika if needed.

Here's the finished double batch of soup after it's simmered for two hours and is thick and flavorful. I served some of this to guests who came for dinner, and it was a hit!

Goulash Soup with Red Peppers and Cabbage
(Makes 4-6 servings, recipe created by Kalyn)

Ingredients:
2 onions, cut half both ways, then in thick slivers
2 tsp. finely minced garlic
1 T olive oil
2 T sweet Hungarian Paprika (I recommend Penzeys)
1 T hot Hungarian Paprika (I recommend Penzeys)
1/2 tsp. crushed caraway seed (optional)
4 cups homemade beef stock (or 3 cans)
3 cups roasted tomatoes (or 2 cans diced tomatoes - I recommend Muir Glen Fire Roasted Tomatoes if using canned tomatoes)
2 cups finely diced cabbage
1 lb. lean ground beef (ground chuck is best)
1 jar (12 oz.) roasted red peppers, diced into 1 inch pieces
sour cream for serving (I use light, do not use fat free sour cream with added sugar)

Instructions:

Heat large heavy frying pan, add oil, and saute onions about 5 minutes, until barely starting to color. Add garlic and saute 2 minutes more, then add paprika and caraway if using and saute 1 minute more.

Put onion/spice mixture into large soup pot. Deglaze pan with 1 cup of beef stock, then add that and rest of beef stock to soup pot. Add roasted tomatoes, cabbage and 2 cups water to soup pot and start to simmer.

Brown ground beef in frying pan until quite brown, breaking into small pieces as it cooks. When browned add to soup pot. Let simmer on very low heat one hour. (Taste for seasoning and add more paprika if desired. I personally think you can never have too much paprika in a soup like this.)

After one hour, add diced red peppers and simmer one hour more. Serve hot, garnished with sour cream. This freezes very well.

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South Beach Suggestions:

Made with lean ground beef and served with low fat sour cream, this is a great soup for any phase of the South Beach Diet. For phase 2 or 3, you could add a freshly baked loaf of 100% whole wheat bread. For dinner, you could add something like Arugula and Sweet Mini-Pepper Salad for even more great antioxidants.

More Great Soups with Roasted Red Peppers:
(Recipes from other blogs may not always be South Beach Diet friendly; check ingredients.)
Lentil Soup with Italian Sausage and Roasted Red Peppers from Kalyn's Kitchen
Black Bean Crockpot Stew with Roasted Red Pepper, Chicken, and Cilantro from Kalyn's Kitchen
Roasted Red Pepper, Lentil, and Spinach Soup from Albion Cooks
Black Bean and Roasted Red Pepper Soup from Bitchin' Camero
Chilled Red Pepper Soup from The Well Seasoned Cook
(Want even more recipes? I find these recipes from other blogs using Food Blog Search.)