This delectable Cabbage Roll Soup takes everything you love about cabbage rolls and puts them into one easy soup. Just think of it as deconstructed cabbage rolls. This hearty family friendly soup is flavor packed and full of wholesome ingredients like ground beef, onions, carrots, garlic, tomatoes, and cabbage. I love to serve it with cornbread or beer bread.
I love everything about cabbage rolls, but I don’t always have the time to make them. It takes time to simmer the cabbage leaves, stuff them and roll them. This soup eliminates all of that but still gives you all the flavor of cabbage rolls. Besides, who wouldn’t love a nice warm hearty bowl of soup? To me, soup is great anytime. It warms the cockles of my heart.
In no time at all, you can have a whole pot of hearty soup for your crew. This family-friendly recipe starts with ground beef, onion, carrots, and garlic. It is seasoned perfectly with paprika, oregano, and thyme and sweetened with just a bit of brown sugar. The aromas from the kitchen will be enough to ensure that you don’t miss out on a bowl.
How to make Cabbage Roll Soup
First, brown the ground beef in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. When the ground beef is about halfway browned, add the onions and carrots and cook until the onions are soft. Now reduce the heat to low and add the garlic, paprika, oregano, and thyme. Cook for 1 minute while stirring.
Add the cabbage, beef broth, tomato sauce, fire-roasted tomatoes, brown sugar, bay leaves, and rice. Bring the mixture to a boil. Then reduce and simmer for about 25 minutes or until the rice is tender. Season with salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley or thyme.
Helpful tips for making Cabbage Roll Soup
- Ground turkey, ground pork, or even pork sausage can be substituted for the ground beef.
- If you know, you will save some of the soup for another night’s meal split the batch before adding the rice. Plan to refrigerate the half without the rice. When you go to simmer it for another night’s dinner, add the other half of the rice and cook until it is tender.
- Fire-roasted tomatoes are tomatoes that have been charred over an open flame before being diced and canned. They are with the other canned tomatoes at your local grocery store. I love them because they really add a smokey sweetness to this soup.
- Vegetable broth or chicken broth can be substituted for the beef broth.
- To make this soup low-carb friendly, use cauliflower rice.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.
- Freeze this soup for up to 3 months in heavy-duty freezer bags Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. For best results, hold back the uncooked rice. Add it when reheating the soup, so the rice does not get mushy.
More soup recipes to try!
Chicken Vegetable Soup
Cabbage Roll Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 medium yellow onion finely diced
- 2 carrots peeled and chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 5 cups chopped green cabbage
- 4 cups low sodium beef broth
- 1 15 ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 14 ounce can fire roasted tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ cup uncooked long-grain white rice
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or fresh thyme
Instructions
- Heat vegetable oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Brown the ground beef. When the ground beef is about halfway browned, add the onions and carrots and cook until the onions are soft.
- Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic, paprika, oregano, and thyme. Cook for 1 minute while stirring.
- Add the cabbage, beef broth, tomato sauce, fire-roasted tomatoes, brown sugar, bay leaves, and rice. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce and simmer for about 25-30 minutes or until the rice is tender.
- Season with salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley or thyme.
Notes
- Ground turkey, ground pork, or even pork sausage can be substituted for the ground beef.
- If you know, you will save some of the soup for another night's meal split the batch before adding the rice. Plan to refrigerate the half without the rice. When you go to simmer it for another night's dinner, add the other half of the rice and cook until it is tender.
- Fire-roasted tomatoes are tomatoes that have been charred over an open flame before being diced and canned. They are with the other canned tomatoes at your local grocery store. I love them because they really add a smokey sweetness to this soup.
- Vegetable broth or chicken broth can be substituted for the beef broth.
- To make this soup low-carb friendly, use cauliflower rice.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.
- Freeze this soup for up to 3 months in heavy-duty freezer bags Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. For best results, hold back the uncooked rice. Add it when reheating the soup, so the rice does not get mushy.
Nutrition
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This post was originally published on September 12, 2016, and was republished on February 6, 2020, with new content.
https://www.smalltownwoman.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Beth-1.pdf
Rose Ann Sales
Great soup. We loved it! We will make it again!
Tiffany Ivie
My husband bought a head of cabbage instead of iceberg lettuce (not the first time he’s done this. Ugh) So I was trying to figure out what to do with all of that cabbage. Came across this recipe & I already had all of the ingredients! I told the husband what I was making & he seemed less than enthused. He even made a snarky comment about making his own dinner. I started cooking, everything was simmering in the pot… he came in & kept asking when it would be ready. I made him a small bowl, just so he could try it. Two bites in & he made a bigger bowl. Said that I HAVE to save the recipe & make this again.
Thank you so much!! I love adding new soup recipes to my dinner rotation!!
Beth Pierce
Thanks Tiffany! So glad that you and your husband liked it! You are humoring me with this story.
Lynn
Can I freeze this? Looks really good. Cabbage is super cheap this week.
Beth Pierce
Yes you can freeze it.
ali randall
I’m like you…no time to make a favorite. This soup is the perfect solution and so perfect for this time of the year. This looks chock full of deliciousness! Make this soon.
Tracy
This soup is so incredibly delicious and easy to make! We love cabbage rolls and anything to make it easier is a winner in my book. Thank you!
Alisa Infanti
Such a delicious soup. Warm and hearty for the winter!
Sue
This is hands down one of my favorite meals ever!!
Donna
This is delicious! I will be making this again and again. Thanks for the recipe!
Beth Pierce
Thanks so much Donna! Glad you enjoyed it
Anita
This is such a delicious soup and so easy. It does taste like the usual cabbage roll, but in soup form. We’ll be making this often for sure. 🙂
Irina
Well, you bought me with the first picture of your recipe. As a soup lover, I really appreciate this cabbage roll soup recipe. Now it is on my list to make! Thanks.
Suzy
We loved it! So simple to through together but so tasty too! Perfect comfort food!
Jessica Formicola
I made this soup for dinner last night and it was incredible! The whole family loved it- thanks for the recipe!
Jen
Love that I it is naturally gluten free!
Palmier
Since I’m allergic to nightshade plants, what can I use to replace the fire roasted tomatoes and tomato paste?
Beth Pierce
Just skip the fire roasted tomatoes and thicken the soup with a little cornstarch and chicken broth.
Mary
It says 1/4 cup tomato paste
Beth Pierce
Yes it does. If you feel like that is too much cut it back to suit your taste.
Donna McElroy
I just printed off the recipe and there is no Tomato Paste in the recipe. But you are talking about 1/4 cup of tomato paste. I plan to make this on Tuesday. Do I add tomato paste or not?? I LOVE your recipes. I have made several
Beth Pierce
It must be from the comments. I revamped this recipe and went with tomato sauce. There is no tomato paste in this recipe.
Dave Johnson
Cockles originated in Cahoots, wherever Cahoots is?