Cabbage Soup

I used to watch my mother cook when I was a kid. I found out very quickly that she didn't always use recipes. Instead, she would add a pinch of this, a sprinkle of that, and a squirt of something else. Her instruction to me was to pay attention to what she was doing.

Well, I watched, I smelled, I tasted, and yet there's just some things you can't duplicate. Oh, you'll get close and it will taste good, but it just won't taste the same. My mother's spaghetti sauce is one of those things and this cabbage soup is another.

Now, over the years, I've made this recipe, measuring things out just so to try and get it right. At the same time, I've also added in my own flair and adapted my mother's method of throwing in a little of this and a little of that. It's a compromise, the best of both worlds so to speak. While it may not be my mother's, it is still very good.

Cabbage Soup (more or less like my mother's)

3 (8 oz.) cans no-salt added tomato sauce
4 1/2 c. water
2 Tbsp. sugar
garlic powder
squirt of ketchup
splash of Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. all-purpose seasoning (or to taste)
cayenne pepper (to taste)
salt, pepper
6 c. cabbage, thinly sliced

Combine all the ingredients except for the cabbage in a large pot over high heat. Season the soup to your taste. Bring it to a boil, then add in the cabbage. Lower the heat to medium and let the soup simmer for at least 30 min. until the cabbage is cooked through and soft.

This recipe is linked to:
A Prairie Story's "Recipe Swap Thursday"
Vegetarian Foodie Fridays
Family Food Fridays
EKat's Kitchen's "Friday Potluck"
My Sweet and Savory's "Meatless Mondays"