Stuffed Cabbage Soup

While Tim was growing up, his mom made stuffed green peppers. He hated that meal. He said if I ever made that meal he would divorce me. I know he was just kidding around. For the past couple of months I have been hearing people rave about stuffed green pepper soup. Knowing Tim hates green peppers, I found a soup from Rachael Ray that used cabbage. I served it with some fresh bread that I made that afternoon. Great meal.

4 T olive oil, divided
1 C raw rice
1 quart plus 2 cups chicken stock, divided
1 1/2 pounds of meatloaf mix
1/2 t allspice
1 1/2 t coriander
2 t smoked paprika (i used just the regular paprika)
salt and pepper to taste
1 bay leaf
1 onion chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 - 3/4 Savory cabbage, thinly sliced (savory cabbage is the wrinkly cabbage)
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 cup tomato sauce
handful of flat leaf parsley, chopped
3 T dill, finely chopped

Heat a sauce pan over medium heat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the raw rice and toss to coat in oil. Add 2 cups of chicken stock and bring to simmer, cover and cook for 16-18 minutes or until the rice is tender.

Heat a deep pot over medium heat. Add the remaining olive oil, add meat and begin to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Season the meat with allspice, coriander, paprika, salt and pepper. Add bay leaf, onions, and garlic. Cook veggies 2 to 3 minutes to begin to soften them, then add cabbage and wilt it down a bit. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce and remaining stock and cover the pot. Raise the heat to high and bring the soup to a simmer. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Once the rice is cooked, add to the soup and continue to simmer for 2-3 minutes. Stir in parsley and dill, adjust salt and pepper to your taste and serve.

FYI: The original recipe does not say to drain grease after browning meat, I did.