Cabbage Soup or Zeleva Chorba is a very healthy and easy recipe to prepare. It is basically a no fail soup in which all the vegetables are chopped and boiled together until they become tender.

A variety of this soup is popular in Central and Eastern Europe. The chorba recipe was first popularized during the days of the Ottoman Empire where it refers to a soup or stew.

Ingredients

1 medium cabbage head
5 fire roasted red peppers
4 carrots
1 large onion
1 celery stalk
3 cups tomato puree
4-6 cups water, divided
2 vegetable bouillon cubes
2 mushroom bouillon cube
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
1 tsp of sugar (optional)

Preparation

Chop, all vegetables into small pieces and set aside. In large pot, slightly sauté onions in oil. Add garlic, celery, carrots, cabbage, 1/2 cup water and simmer for about 15-20 minutes. Add red peppers, bouillon cubes, spices, sugar, tomato puree, and 4 cups water. Bring to a boil for a few minutes. Lower heat, cover and simmer for 1-2 hours adding water occasionally if needed. Serve after making sure vegetables are tender and flavor is to your liking. Add more salt if needed.

 

Copyright 2016 Bulgarian Cooking, Kathryn N. Donev