Sweet-and-Sour Beef Cabbage Soup — a simple, comforting old‑world soup made with beef short ribs, cabbage, allspice, brown sugar and red wine vinegar. Almost as good as Cecil’s in Saint Paul, Minnesota!
When we lived in St. Paul, Minnesota, Cecil’s Deli was one of our favorite spots. I always ordered a Reuben and a cup of their cabbage soup — sweet and sour, with tender beef in a tomato‑based broth with cabbage. I recently found a similar cabbage soup recipe in my local paper that the writer said was based on his mother’s version. I tried it and this sweet‑and‑sour beef cabbage soup tastes just like Cecil’s.
Ingredients
This recipe uses beef short ribs, a little onion and canned stewed tomatoes. The primary seasoning is allspice, using both whole berries and ground allspice. The sweet‑and‑sour balance comes from brown sugar and red wine vinegar. There’s no added broth — just water — and the soup is simmered until the flavors concentrate.
Like many soups, this one improves after a day in the fridge. Overnight refrigeration firms any remaining fat so it’s easy to skim off before reheating. I recommend making it a day ahead if you can.
My partner loves this soup. When he brought some to work for lunch, a co‑worker insisted on the recipe — it’s that good. Enjoy. Kelly 🍴🐦
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Sweet-and-Sour Beef Cabbage Soup
Ingredients
- 2 lbs beef short ribs
- Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 7 cups water
- 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
- ½ head green cabbage, thinly sliced
- 12 whole allspice berries
- 2 (14½-oz) cans stewed tomatoes, broken up by hand (or blended)
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice (original calls for ½ tsp — adjust to taste)
Instructions
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium‑high. Season the short ribs with salt and pepper and brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove the ribs to a plate, leaving rendered fat in the pot.
- Add the sliced onion to the pot, sprinkle with a little salt, and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes, scraping up browned bits. Pour off and discard excess fat.
- Return the browned ribs to the pot. Add water, sliced cabbage and whole allspice berries. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes, skimming foam from the surface as needed.
- Add the broken stewed tomatoes, brown sugar, red wine vinegar, black pepper and ground allspice (start with ¼ teaspoon and adjust). Season lightly with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the meat pulls at least ½‑inch from the bone, about 30 more minutes. Skim surface fat when possible.
- Remove the short ribs to a cutting board. Trim fat, cut meat off the bones into bite‑sized pieces, and return the meat to the pot.
- Taste and adjust salt and pepper. If the broth tastes weak, simmer longer to concentrate flavors. Let the soup cool, refrigerate overnight, then remove any hardened fat from the surface before reheating and serving.
Notes
I like to serve this with a crusty bread to soak up every last drop.
Nutrition
*Adapted from St. Louis Post‑Dispatch, “Mom’s Cabbage Soup,” November 30, 2016.