Egg Roll Soup

It was raining on Sunday morning.  When we got home from church I knew I wanted to make some soup.  Hubby and I love soup and I make a batch almost every week in the fall and winter. I discovered Egg Roll Soup last winter and there are many recipes and variations online.  I found a good one and tweaked it just a bit.

When our guys were still at home I bought the frozen egg rolls from Costco.  With three growing boys, I kept a lot of snacks in the house. If I smelled an egg roll cooking in the microwave, I had unreal cravings to have one too.  It was crazy, like an addictivelittlechemical** crazy.  This soup is more delicious and a healthier option than frozen egg rolls.

 Egg Roll Soup

• 1 pound hot(it's more spicy than hot) Jimmy Dean sausage* 
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium white onion, peeled and diced
• 3 stalks of celery, chopped - other recipes don't include celery but I think it amps it up.
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced - I use the shredded carrots and toss in until it looks like 2 carrots.
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small green cabbage, chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 6-8 cups chicken* or vegetable stock
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• Toppings: toasted sesame seeds, thinly-sliced green onions, store-bought won ton strips

1. Add ground pork to a stock pot and cook over medium-heat, stirring and flipping occasionally, until the pork is lightly browned.  Use a slotted spoon to transfer the pork to a bowl and set aside.
2. Add the olive oil, onions and celery, and stir to combine.  Saute for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the carrots and garlic, and saute for 2 more minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the cabbage, stock, ginger, and cooked pork, and stir to combine.
3. Continue cooking until the soup reaches a simmer.  Then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the carrots and cabbage are nice and tender.  Stir in the sesame oil until combined.  I think the sesame oil makes the soup, so don't skip it.
4. Add your toppings and enjoy! 
5. Substitution notes:  If you prefer ground turkey or chicken, they would work.  The Jimmy Dean Hot sausage does add something to every recipe that I use it.  *If you are vegetarian or vegan use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth and use mushrooms instead of sausage.

**So I Married an Axe Murderer movie reference.