Delicious and hearty, this Stuffed Cabbage Soup is a full meal in one pot, and perfect for chilly nights!
This recipe combines all of the flavors and comfort of stuffed cabbage rolls into a simple-to-make soup that rarely leaves any leftovers.
Stuffed Cabbage Soup is one of my favorite shortcuts!
Traditional stuffed cabbage rolls are such a delicious treat, but while I enjoy eating them when my mom or someone else makes them for me, I rarely make them myself.
This is because stuffing cabbage rolls is a very time-consuming process! You have to roll each individual cabbage leaf around the meat and rice filling and then bake them for quite a while. I just don’t have time for that!
So when I want all of the homey, fuzzy feelings that cabbage rolls evoke, I turn to this easy Stuffed Cabbage Soup instead.
You’ll also love my Minestrone Soup, Stuffed Pepper Soup and Cabbage and Sausage Soup. All three of these recipes are delicious, filling, and comforting soups that the whole family will enjoy.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- A Healthy Meal – Not only is this cabbage roll soup delicious, but it’s packed with vegetables and lean protein, with rice to keep you satisfied. Stuffed cabbage soup is also naturally gluten-free, and easy to make low-carb if you like.
- One Pot – You can make this entire recipe in your handy Dutch oven or soup pot! The dishes will be finished in just minutes tonight.
- Simple, Inexpensive Ingredients – There is nothing in this recipe that won’t be easy to find at your local grocery store. Cabbage is typically very inexpensive too, so you’ll be able to feed your whole family for a bit less.
Key Ingredients In Stuffed Cabbage Soup
Here’s what you need to make this delicious and comforting soup:
- Ground Beef: Opt for lean ground beef to cut down on fat content.
- Garlic and Onion: These aromatic vegetables add depth to your soup, and will make it taste like you simmered it slowly all day.
- Cabbage: Green cabbage adds fiber and texture to this meal, plus is a requirement to replicate the feeling of stuffed cabbage rolls!
- Tomatoes: We’ll add both tomato sauce and diced tomatoes to this soup to give the broth richness.
- Beef Broth: Use a good quality store-bought beef broth, or learn how to make your own beef bone broth at home.
- Rice: Long-grain white rice is what I like to use, but you can use any type of rice you enjoy.
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
How To Make Stuffed Cabbage Soup
- Brown the Beef: In a large Dutch oven or your favorite soup pot, heat olive oil, add the ground beef, season with salt and pepper, and cook stirring it and breaking it apart with a wooden spoon until no longer pink. Drain fat if needed.
- Add Onions and Garlic: Add the onion, and cook for three minutes, or until softened. Then add the minced garlic and cook for just 30 seconds.
- And the Rest of the Ingredients: Pour in the canned tomatoes (with their juice), tomato sauce, and beef broth. scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Then add the chopped cabbage, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, paprika, and bay leaf to the pot. Stir and bring to a simmer. Add the uncooked white rice.
- Simmer: Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the rice is tender and the cabbage is cooked to your liking.
- Serve: Remove the bay leaf, and serve, garnished with fresh parsley if desired.
Tip!
Don’t forget to remove the bay leaf! While it does impart a ton of flavor to the soup, it’s not actually edible.
Recipe Tips
- Cut the cabbage into bite-sized pieces. You want the leaves to fit easily inside of a soup spoon!
- You can cook the rice in the soup, or cook it separately and add it in at the end. If you decide to use something other than white rice, I suggest pre-cooking it since different grains will take longer to cook.
- Save time by using leftover beef or rice that you already have cooked in the fridge!
- You can also prepare the ground beef mixture the night before, then just assemble the rest of the ingredients when it’s time to make dinner.
- Try different proteins: Replace the ground meat with ground chicken, turkey, or sausage.
- Add more veggies: Try diced carrot, sauteed mushrooms, or green bell pepper.
- Make it low-carb: Leave out the rice and try this soup with cauliflower rice or buckwheat instead!
Storing Tips
You can store leftover cabbage soup in the fridge for up to four days. Reheat it on the stove over low heat as needed.
For easy meal prep, portion out the soup in individual airtight containers and keep it in the fridge. It’s a great way to grab a quick and healthy lunch that you can pop in the microwave.
What To Serve With Stuffed Cabbage Soup
Find some fresh crusty bread to serve with your cabbage roll soup, or make up a batch of dinner rolls for the occasion!
Recipe FAQs
Yes, the slow cooker is an excellent option if you want to start this recipe in the morning and come home to a delicious dinner! Brown the meat and saute the onions and garlic separately and then transfer them both to the slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients and cook on low for high for 3 hours or on low for 6 hours. Cook the rice separately and add it in towards the end or into individual servings.
Yes, you can! Keep it in the freezer for up to one month. If possible, freeze this recipe without any rice in it. The texture of the rice will change once frozen. You can reheat the frozen soup and stir in freshly cooked rice before serving.
I often make a double batch of this soup so that we can enjoy the leftovers! Just be sure to use a large enough soup pot to fit all of the ingredients.
More Easy Soup Recipes
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Get that warm and fuzzy feeling with this easy recipe for hearty Stuffed Cabbage Soup! Be sure to pin the recipe so more people can enjoy it too.
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Stuffed Cabbage Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil not extra virgin
- 1 lb (450 g) ground beef lean
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 small yellow onion finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ small head green cabbage diced, about 4 cups
- 1 14 ounce can (395 g) chopped tomatoes
- 1 15 ounce can (245 g) can tomato sauce or italian passata
- 6 cups (1440 ml) beef broth
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ cup (100 g) uncooked rice I used white long grain rice – or 1 ½ cooked rice of choice
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven, heat olive oil, add the ground beef, season with salt and pepper and cook stirring it and breaking it apart with a wooden spoon until no longer pink. Drain fat if needed.
- Add the onion, and cook for three minutes, or until softened.
- Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Pour in the canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, and beef broth. Scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon.
- Then add the chopped cabbage, Worcestershire Sauce, Italian seasoning, paprika, and bay leaf to the pot. Stir and bring to a simmer. Add the uncooked white rice.
- Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the rice is tender and the cabbage is cooked to your liking. Remove the bay leaf.
- Serve immediately, garnished with fresh parsley if desired.
Notes:
- Cut the cabbage into bite-sized pieces. You want the leaves to fit easily inside of a soup spoon!
- You can cook the rice in the soup, or cook it separately and add it in at the end. If you decide to use something other than white rice, I suggest pre-cooking it since different grains will take longer to cook.
- Save time by using leftover beef or rice that you already have cooked in the fridge!
- You can also prepare the ground beef mixture the night before, then just assemble the rest of the ingredients when it’s time to make dinner.
- Try different proteins: Replace the ground meat with ground chicken, turkey, or sausage.
- Add more veggies: Try diced carrot, sauteed mushrooms, or green bell pepper.
- Make it low-carb: Leave out the rice and try this soup with cauliflower rice or buckwheat instead!
- Fridge Storage: You can store leftover cabbage soup in the fridge for up to four days. Reheat it on the stove over low heat as needed.
- Freezer Storage: You can also freeze this soup for up to 2 months. I suggest leaving out the rice and making it fresh when you reheat the soup later.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
Jo Ann says
made with Rotel tomatoes and green chilies didn’t have chopped tomatoes. was wonderful gave it a little kick. also used ground turkey
Little Sunny Kitchen says
Oh, yes. Rotel is an excellent way to get some extra flavor. Thank you for sharing!
Ginger Roberson says
I’ve looked for this reciepe ever since we ate it at a local restaurant.. they make it as the reciepe says …. but I omitted the rice completely ( I can’t eat rice) but I added carrots and a can of ranch style beans with its juice…. awesome.. thank u
Little Sunny Kitchen says
Hi Ginger! Substituting beans for rice is a great idea, thanks so much for sharing!