This tasty Cabbage Roll Soup is a hearty and budget friendly soup made with simple ingredients, in one pot and without much effort. Also known as Stuffed Cabbage Soup, this easy to make soup is more like a deconstructed, unstuffed cabbage roll in warming soup form.
This beefy Cabbage Soup recipe is a perfect dinner option when you are short on time but still want to enjoy the amazing flavors of pure comfort food. Although this beefy soup is a meal on its own, you can serve it with a simple salad or a simple side dish like oven roasted carrots or sauteed green beans.
📝 Cabbage Roll Soup Ingredients
- Cabbage: I use green cabbage, I like to cut the cabbage into large pieces (about 2.5 to 3 inches) however, you can cut it into smaller pieces if you prefer.
- Ground Beef: I use lean ground beef. If not using lean beef, drain any excess fat from the pot before adding the vegetables. Instead of hamburger cabbage soup, you can make this soup with ground turkey, ground chicken and even bulk sausage.
- Onions: Diced. Brown, white or yellow onions is usually what I use.
- Garlic: I love using fresh garlic. Garlic paste can also be used. In a pinch, use 1 teaspoon of granulated garlic.
- Carrots: Peeled and diced. You can skip peeling if you prefer!
- Crushed Tomatoes: I use canned crushed tomatoes. Canned diced tomatoes or a combination of diced tomatoes and tomato sauce (one 14.5 ounces) can of each can be used.
- Beef Broth: You can also use chicken broth.
- Ketchup: My secret ingredient (shared with me by my momma-in-law). The sweetness in the ketchup balances the acidity of the tomatoes. You can use 1 – 2 tablespoons of light brown sugar instead.
- Worcestershire Sauce: Adds a rich beefy flavor to the soup.
- Rice: I always have long grain rice at home but medium or short grain can be used.
- Olive oil, salt, ground black pepper, dried thyme, bay leaf. Chopped parsley (optional as garnish).
✅ How To Make This Cabbage Soup Recipe
- In a pot or Dutch oven, brown the ground beef (hamburger meat) until cooked through. Season the meat with salt and pepper.
- Add the onions and saute for about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for about a minute.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil.
- Lower the heat, cover and simmer for about 20 to 25 minutes or until the rice is tender.
- Stir the soup a couple of times to prevent the ingredients from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Serve!
🔎 Can Cabbage Roll Soup Be Made Ahead?
This beef and cabbage soup reheats well. Just keep in mind that as the soup sits, the rice absorbs more of the broth ending up with a thicker type stew. Add additional broth to get the soup to the desired consistency.
❄️ Can You Freeze Cabbage Roll Soup?
This hearty ground beef and cabbage soup freezes well. Place the soup in resealable freezer bags, seal and squeeze out as much air as possible. Try to make them flat so they thaw out evenly.
Freezing individual portions of this soup is very helpful, especially if you need to pack a lunch.
Hosting this year?
Which Thanksgiving Are You Hosting?
I wrote four complete menus so you can plan only the dinner you can actually pull off. Each one has its own shopping list, oven schedule and hour-by-hour plan.
✓
Cooking for 2–4
Menu 1 · Turkey breast, one oven, planned leftovers
✓
A classic dinner for 8–12
Menu 2 · Brined turkey, half the work done Wednesday
✓
A big crowd, 12–16
Menu 3 · Ham and slow cooker turkey; guests bring the rest
✓
Vegetarian guests
Menu 4 · Stuffed acorn squash with mushroom gravy
Free 40-page printable, with a thawing chart, a “What can I bring?” sheet and my fixes for when things go sideways.
🔪 Chef Kathy’s Tips for the Best Cabbage Roll Soup
- For a different twist, use quinoa instead of rice. The quinoa just like the rice, will cook in the soup until it becomes tender.
- This is a thick soup, almost like a stew, however you can thin it out with extra broth.
- As it sits, this soup will thicken. Add beef broth or chicken broth to thin it out.
- Make Cabbage Roll Soup in the Pressure Cooker/Instant Pot: Use the saute function and brown the beef, saute the onions and garlic and follow the rest of the recipe. Close the lid and cook on high pressure for 14 minutes. Do a quick release. You will need an 8 qt. instant pot or bigger.
- To make Cabbage Roll soup in the slow cooker/crock pot: Brown the beef in a skillet, then saute the onions and garlic. Place all the ingredients in the crock pot and cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 5-6 hours.
- Top the ground beef and cabbage soup with sour cream and shredded cheese, if you wish.
Tested in Kathy’s kitchen. What cooking means to me.
Find instructions for making Cabbage Roll Soup in the slow cooker (crock pot) and Instant Pot Cabbage Roll Soup in the pressure cooker in the recipe card below.
Take a look at these Ground Beef Recipes:
Take a Look At Some of our Favorite Soup Recipes:
- Tom Yum Soup (Thai)
Cabbage Roll Soup
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 1 small onion finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups coarsely chopped green cabbage
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 4 1/2 cups beef broth
- 1 (28-ounces) can crushed tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 cup uncooked long grain rice
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the ground beef and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Cook the ground beef, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon for about 4 to 5 minutes or until cooked through and no longer pink. Drain any excess fat, if needed.
- Add the onion and cook for 2 – 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for about a minute or until fragrant.
- Add the cabbage, carrots, beef broth, crushed tomatoes, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, rice, and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, and season to taste.
- Cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes or until the rice is tender, stirring a couple of times during cooking. Remove the bay leaf and discard.
- Garnish with chopped parsley and serve.
Chef’s Notes
- This is a thick soup (almost stew like). For a soupier consistency, add more broth.
- Make Cabbage Roll Soup in the Pressure Cooker/Instant Pot: Use the saute function and brown the beef, sauté the onions and garlic and follow the rest of the recipe. Close the lid and cook on high pressure for 14 minutes. Do a quick release. You will need an 8 qt. instant pot or bigger.
- To make Cabbage Roll soup in the slow cooker/crock pot: Brown the beef in a skillet, then sauté the onions and garlic. Place all the ingredients in the crock pot and cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 5-6 hours.
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