Our hearty and easy cabbage roll soup recipe is a one pot hit! Tender cabbage is simmered in a beefy tomato broth with savory bites of ground beef to create a bowl of comfort. Your new favorite beef and cabbage soup recipe!
Why You’ll Love This Cabbage Soup Recipe
Looking for a hearty and comforting meal that’s easy to make and perfect for leftovers? Look no further than this beef and cabbage soup! Here’s why you’ll love it:
- Comfort Food: Tender cabbage and savory ground beef is simmered in a rich and beefy tomato broth that will warm you up from the inside out!
- Super Easy: So much easier than making traditional stuffed cabbage rolls! With simple ingredients and just one pot, this hearty soup in ready in no time with minimal clean up.
- Perfect for Leftovers: Cabbage roll soup tastes even better the next day once the flavors have had a chance to meld together. Make a double batch and enjoy throughout the week or freeze for later!
If you love a good hearty beef soup, check out this crockpot lasagna soup or our easy taco soup!
What You’ll Need
Don’t worry, these simple ingredients are common and easy to find! Scroll down to the recipe card for exact amounts.
- Meat: Lean ground beef, ground Italian sausage or even ground turkey all work great.
- Veggies: Yellow onion, fresh garlic, carrots, and green cabbage.
- Seasonings: Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
- Beef Broth: Bone broth will add more flavor, you can also use chicken broth.
- Tomatoes: We use cans of diced tomatoes and tomato sauce to create the perfect broth.
- Olive Oil
- Cooked White Rice: Optional, for serving.
How to Make Cabbage Roll Soup
This soup is perfect for those busy nights when you are craving cabbage rolls, but don’t have a lot of time! Scroll to the recipe card at bottom of the post for full detailed instructions.
- Brown: Add the ground beef, onion, and carrots into a large pot and cook until the meat is no longer pink and vegetables are tender.
- Broth: Add the garlic, beef broth, tomatoes (diced and sauce), and Italian seasoning and simmer for about 20 minutes. This will create the rich broth that makes this cabbage roll soup so tasty!
- Cabbage: Add the chopped cabbage leaves and simmer for 5 to 10 more minutes, until tender.
- Serve: Taste the broth and season with salt and pepper until it’s just how you like. Serve hot with rice, if desired, and enjoy!
Cooks’ Tips
Make sure your cabbage roll soup turns out perfect every time!
- Cabbage: We used a 2-pound head of green cabbage. Once it was cored, we wound up using about half of that in the soup. Feel free to use as much or little cabbage as you like. We love cabbage so used a lot!
- Add Heat: If you’d like to add a little heat, sub hot Italian sausage for the ground beef. It’ll add a nice spicy undertone to the entire soup. You can also use crushed red pepper flakes to spice up your soup.
- Additions: Want to add more protein? Add a can of rinsed cannellini beans! Want more veggies? Sliced mushrooms would be fantastic!
- Rice: If you want to cook the rice in the soup, add ½ cup uncooked rice in step #2 when you add the broth and tomatoes. We prefer to cook the rice on the side because the rice absorbs a lot of the broth when you store the leftovers.
How to Store Beef and Cabbage Soup
Cabbage roll soup is excellent the next day and somehow has even more flavor! Here’s how to store and reheat your leftovers:
- Fridge: Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Reheat: You can reheat leftover cabbage roll soup in the microwave or on the stovetop. We use the microwave if it’s just a single bowl. Heat for a minute, give it a good stir, and then heat for another minute.
- Freeze: You can freeze cabbage roll soup for up to 3 months. Pour cooled soup into gallon freezer bags and freeze them flat to take up less space. Thaw overnight in the fridge for best results.
More Comforting Soup Recipes
- Best Chicken Noodle Soup
- Beef Stew
- Easy Chicken and Dumplings
- Crockpot Cheese and Broccoli Soup
- Loaded Potato Soup
Cabbage Roll Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lb lean ground beef, or turkey
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 cup sliced carrots
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 4 cups beef broth
- 1 (28 oz) can petite diced tomatoes
- 1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
- 1 ½ tablespoons Italian seasoning
- ½ head green cabbage, chopped
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Cooked white rice, optional for serving
Instructions
- In a large heavy bottomed pot, like a dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the ground beef, onion and carrots. Cook the meat, breaking it apart as it cooks, until it is no longer pink, about 10 minutes. If there is a lot of grease, use a spoon and remove the excess grease.
- Stir in the garlic, beef broth, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and Italian seasoning. Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered for 20 minutes.
- Add the cabbage and continue simmering for 5 to 10 minutes, just until the cabbage is tender.
- Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve hot with a spoonful of hot rice added to each bowl, if desired.