One of my very favorite cold weather soups is this hearty and comforting Turkey Cabbage Patch Soup.
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Traditional cabbage patch soup is prepared with ground beef, which you can most definitely use instead of ground turkey. I used to order this soup often at a local downtown restaurant and wanted to make my own healthier version. I really can’t tell the difference! 
Now that cold weather is pretty much here, I’m totally into soup mode. But then again, I could eat soup every season of the year.
What’s awesome about this soup is that it’s freezer-friendly and reheats well if you have leftovers. I’ve only frozen it for a month before thawing and reheating, so I can’t say how long it will last in the freezer after a month.
It’s important to note to discard the outermost few layers of cabbage before chopping it… they’re tougher and take longer to cook. I normally peel off about 3 layers after I quarter and core the cabbage.
Enjoy!
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Turkey Cabbage Patch Soup
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: Approximately 3 quarts
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 pounds lean ground turkey
- 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
- 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 (10-1/2 ounce) can condensed beef broth
- 10 1/2 ounces water (use beef broth can)
- 2 (15 1/2 ounce) cans dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 6 cups coarsely chopped cabbage, about 1/2 head
- 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh chopped parsley and additional parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Heat olive oil over medium heat in a soup pot or dutch oven. Add ground turkey and onions. Cook, crumbling while cooking, for approximately 5 minutes or until turkey is browned. Drain off fat.
- Add tomato sauce, beef broth, water, kidney beans, garlic, chili powder, salt and pepper. Stir to combine and bring to a mild boil.
- Add chopped cabbage and diced tomatoes. Stir to combine. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cover. Simmer for 45 minutes, or until cabbage is tender.
- Add chopped parsley and simmer an additional 10 minutes. Sprinkle with additional parsley, if desired.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 65 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: turkey cabbage patch soup, cabbage patch soup
Bridget O. says
I used chicken broth instead of beef, tomatoes from the garden, and added some carrot along with 2 small red skin potatoes. No salt. I thought the kidney beans would be a little strange but I’m so glad I added them. I also threw in some chopped kale just because I had it in the garden. This turned out really good – it tastes very healthy and has great flavor. Thank you!
★★★★★
Tierney says
Wow, I cannot say enough good things about this recipe! I bought some cabbage from my local farmer’s market and was looking for some inspiration to cook it. My husband said it was the best soup he has ever had. Hearty, healthy, flavorful and satisfying. I added some additional veggies I had like mushrooms and spinach, and I feel like my body is thanking me for all this nutritious goodness. Thank you for this recipe!
★★★★★
Amy says
Thank you so much, Tierney! Mushrooms and spinach sound like a delicious addition. So glad you and your husband enjoyed the soup!
Luther Hollingsworth says
This is a six star keeper! We made this with ground beef instead of turkey and it was delicious. It is also just as tasty warmed over. We used cooling spray instead of the two tablespoons olive oil. Also we used minced garlic from a jar and dried parsley flakes. When we fix this again we will probably experiment by adding other beans and or vegetables.
★★★★★
Amy @ The Blond Cook says
Thanks so much, Luther! So happy to hear everyone enjoyed it. I love it with ground beef as well! 🙂
Diana says
So where’s the ingredient list for turkey cabbage patch soup? Directions aren’t very precise, either. Looks so good I want to try it. Don’t see any mention of beans, but looks like you use kidney beans, too.
Amy @ The Blond Cook says
Hi Diana, at the bottom of the post I direct you to this link for the full recipe and directions: Click here I hope you enjoy it!