Cabbage Roll Soup
Cabbage Roll Soup is a thick and hearty dish inspired by the flavors of stuffed cabbage rolls! Full of ground beef, rice, tomatoes, seasoning, and of course, cabbage!
A FILLING SOUP IN UNDER AN HOUR
Cabbage Roll Soup is a comforting soup recipe that you’ll love if you enjoy a good, classic cabbage roll. It’s sort of all the flavors and fun of cabbage rolls without all the fuss! I love that it’s cooked in a rich tomato beef-based broth so the cabbage can soften and absorb the flavors of the meat and spices. It’s perfect for those chilly fall evenings or when you just want a nice cozy bowl of soup to heat you up from the inside out!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
You can make a vegetarian version of this soup so easily. Simply use either a meat substitute of choice (like impossible meat) instead of the ground beef. Or you can just leave the meat out altogether. For the stock, you can use a vegetable broth instead of a beef broth.
This is a thick and hearty soup for sure. If you’d like it more “soupy”, just add a bit of water or more beef broth until it reaches your desired consistency.
This cabbage and meat soup is very filling, but it can pair nicely with a green salad and your favorite Garlic Bread, Breadsticks, or dinner rolls.
Yes you could. I would probably follow my recipe from Crock Pot Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls but add about 2-3 cups of low sodium or unsalted beef broth to that recipe to make it more like a soup.
Once your soup cools down to room temperature you can transfer it to an airtight container. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat leftovers in a pot on the stove or in a bowl in the microwave.
Any leftover soup can be frozen. Make sure the soup has cooled off before transferring to an airtight container, make sure to leave about ¾” at the top. It can be frozen for up to 3 months.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- yellow onion
- extra virgin olive oil
- lean ground beef– lean ground chicken, ground turkey, or ground pork could also be used in place of the beef.
- garlic cloves – I use freshly mined garlic here but you can use the jarred stuff to save time.
- long grain rice – you could make this with minute rice but you may want to adjust the liquid a bit (unless you want this more soupy) since minute rice doesn’t need as much liquid to cook.
- cabbage – make sure to remove the core before chopping it all up
- diced tomatoes with juices
- tomato paste – if you find the tomatoes make this a bit too acidic for your tastes, try adding a Tablespoon of sugar to your soup. This usually balances out any strong acidic flavors without making it taste sweet.
- low sodium beef broth– If you’re sensitive to sodium, I definitely recommend sticking to a low sodium beef broth if you can. If not, you could use regular beef broth, just be careful because you don’t want it to become too salty.
- paprika
- dried thyme
- Worcestershire sauce
- bay leaves – if for some reason you forgot to pick up bay leaves, don’t let this stop you from making it. Just leave them out. I promise they do add a wonderful depth of flavor though.
- salt and pepper
HOW TO MAKE CABBAGE ROLL SOUP:
In a large pot or Dutch oven heat olive oil, then ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium high heat. Brown and crumble the ground beef until fully cooked and onions are softened. Drain any excess grease.
Stir in the chopped cabbage and let cook until slightly softened, about 3 minutes.
Add in the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, beef broth, uncooked rice, paprika, dried thyme, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, salt and ground pepper. Stir well to combine.
Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium low. Cover the pot and let simmer until the rice is fully cooked, approximately 30-35 minutes. Remove bay leaves before serving.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Cabbage Roll Soup
Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion, finely diced
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 pounds lean ground beef
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ¾ cup uncooked long grain rice
- 1 cabbage, chopped and core removed (about 8 cups)
- 28 ounce can diced tomatoes with juices
- 3 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 6 cups low sodium beef broth (more if you like it to be a bit 'soupier')
- ½ Tablespoon paprika
- ½ Tablespoon dried thyme
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ Tablespoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
Instructions
- In a large pot or Dutch oven heat olive oil, then ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium high heat. Brown and crumble the ground beef until fully cooked and onions are softened. Drain any excess grease.
- Stir in the chopped cabbage and let cook until slightly softened, about 3 minutes.
- Add in the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, beef broth, uncooked rice, paprika, dried thyme, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, salt and ground pepper. Stir well to combine.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium low. Cover the pot and let simmer until the rice is fully cooked, approximately 30-35 minutes.
- Remove bay leaves before serving.
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Love this recipe!! Made it as stated and it was so good!!
Thanks so very much Janice! I appreciate you coming back to comment!
My mom made this soup all the time, I always loved it and potato soup still make them and chicken dumplings when me are my family is getting sick as a comfort food.
Love happy food memories!
Very delicious and can’t wait to have this again.
Absolutely my favorite cabbage roll soup! I do add some shredded carrots into the mix for more color and a bit of crunch.
Sounds like a great addition – thank you!