Cabbage Roll Soup
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Make the best Cabbage Roll Soup recipe with just 15 minutes of hands-on time. Let it simmer to soak in all of the delicious flavors, then enjoy an easy one pot meal in under an hour. This soup is filled with everything you’d find in a traditional cabbage roll, including ground beef, rice and tomato sauce, all mixed up in a warm and cozy soup recipe!
Why you’ll love this soup
If you enjoy classic cabbage rolls, but don’t enjoy the effort it takes to make them, then this “unstuffed” cabbage roll soup recipe is for you.
It includes all of the ingredients you love, but in a one pot soup recipe that’s so easy to make and delicious! Here’s why you’ll love it.
- It’s quick and easy to make. After 15 minutes of prep time, just let it simmer for 30 minutes, then dinner is ready! It’s made in one pot, so clean-up is also a breeze.
- It’s so flavorful. Just like traditional stuffed cabbage rolls, known as Polish golumpki, this soup is filled with all of the same delicious seasonings and spices that make it so flavorful.
- You’ll love the leftovers. (If you have any, that is!) It’s just as delicious the next day after it’s soaked in all of the flavors overnight in the fridge. I like to double this soup recipe, because you can also easily freeze it for another meal!
Ingredients
Here I explain the best ingredients for this cabbage roll soup recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For the exact ingredient measurements, see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Olive oil – or another neutral-flavored vegetable oil to cook the onion and garlic.
- Yellow onion – I recommend a yellow onion, over red or white, for it’s nice, neutral flavor.
- Garlic – I always recommend fresh minced cloves for the best flavor.
- Ground beef – you can also substitute in ground pork. We’ve used both to make this recipe and when I double the recipe I actually use a pound of each to mix it up. I’ve always used both pork and beef when making traditional stuffed cabbage rolls, so it makes sense in this recipe. Feel free to use whichever option you prefer, they all work great!
- Green cabbage – you’ll want to roughly chop the cabbage so it’s bite-sized, but not diced into super small pieces. The cabbage will soften as it cooks in the soup, so you want to make sure and simmer the soup for the full 30 minutes so that the cabbage cooks down to a nice, tender texture.
- Carrots – you’ll want to peel and dice two carrots for this recipe, which will give you approximately one cup of diced carrots.
- Beef broth – you can purchase beef broth in a can or box at the grocery store, or make your own at home. I found this Custom Culinary Beef Base at a restaurant supply store in San Diego and love it so much. You can order it online. It’s a little expensive for beef bouillon, but oh my gosh the flavor is so good.
- Tomato sauce
- Diced tomatoes – one 14.5 ounce can of tomatoes will work perfectly in this recipe. No need to drain them, the juice in the can will add to the liquid in the soup.
- Worcestershire sauce – this amazing condiment adds so much flavor to the soup. It’s sweet, salty, tangy and adds a wonderful umami flavor to the dish. If you don’t have any Worcestershire sauce in the kitchen, you can use soy sauce instead.
- Long-grain white rice – I’ve only ever tested this recipe with this variety of rice, so I can’t speak to making it with brown rice. But if you try this at home, I recommend adding 15 minutes to the simmer time for the soup, as brown rice generally takes longer to cook than white rice.
- Brown sugar – to sweeten the soup and balance out the acidity from the tomatoes and tomato sauce.
- Paprika – this is a spice traditionally added to season the filling in classic cabbage rolls. So I added it to this soup recipe to give it the same authentic flavor.
- Salt and black pepper – to season the soup.
- Bay leaf – to simmer in the soup and add more flavor.
- Fresh parsley leaves – chopped up to mix in at the end and finish the soup with bright, fresh flavors.
Instructions
I’ve included step by step photos below to make this recipe super easy to follow at home. For the full detailed recipe instructions, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Cook onions and garlic. Heat olive oil in a large pot, or dutch oven, on the stove over medium-high heat. When hot, add diced onions and cook for 4-5 minutes, then add minced garlic and cook for an additional minute.
- Cook ground beef. Add a pound of raw ground beef to the pot. Crumble and cook for 6-8 minutes, or until the beef is browned. Drain any grease from the pot, then place it back on the stove over medium-high heat.
- Add the remaining ingredients. Add chopped cabbage, diced carrots, beef broth, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce and rice to the pot. Season with brown sugar, paprika, salt and pepper. Stir to combine everything, then add a bay leaf.
- Simmer the soup. Turn the heat on the stove up to high and bring the liquid to a boil. Cover the pot and reduce the heat on the stove down to medium. Simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the lid, use tongs to remove and discard the bay leaf. Stir in chopped fresh parsley, then ladle the soup into bowls to serve.
Storage and reheating
Store cabbage roll soup leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Reheat individual portions of leftover soup in a bowl in the microwave for 2-3 minutes. If you’re reheating more than one portion of the soup, I recommend reheating it in a pot on the stove over medium-high heat. Stir the soup occasionally for 6-8 minutes, or until it’s hot.
You can also freeze the cooked soup. Make sure to let it cool to room temperature, then store it in an airtight container. Allow at least an inch of extra space in the container for the soup to expand in the freezer. Freeze for up to 6 months. I recommend thawing it out overnight in the fridge before heating it up on the stove to serve.
Soup variations
My husband likes to add sauerkraut to the soup to give it the tangy taste that he’s used to in German-style cabbage rolls. I prefer the soup without the sauerkraut, so he stirs in a couple of tablespoons into his bowl. If everyone in your house likes the additional sauerkraut, you can add 1/4-1/2 cup sauerkraut when you add the cabbage to the soup.
You can also add 2-4 tablespoons white vinegar to get a similar tangy flavor, without the addition of sauerkraut in the soup.
To make cabbage roll soup in a Crock Pot, you’ll want to cook the onions, garlic and ground beef on the stovetop first, then transfer them to a slow cooker, along with all of the other ingredients (except the parsley). Cover and slow cook for 4-5 hours on high, or 8-10 hours on low. Remove the lid and stir in the parsley before serving.
More soup recipes
Make a delicious menu of comfort food meals for the week with these other popular soup recipes!
Cabbage Roll Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 1 pound ground beef, or ground pork
- 4 cups green cabbage, roughly chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced (about 1 cup diced carrots)
- 4 cups beef broth
- 15 ounce can tomato sauce
- 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- ½ cup uncooked long grain rice
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Add the olive oil to a large pot, or dutch oven, on the stove over medium-high heat.
- When the oil is hot, add the onion and cook for 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
- Add the ground beef, crumble and cook until no longer pink, around 6-8 minutes. Drain any grease from the skillet.
- Add the chopped cabbage, carrots, beef broth, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, rice, brown sugar, paprika, salt and pepper. Stir to combine everything, then add the bay leaf.
- Turn the heat on the stove up to high and bring the liquid to a boil, cover, reduce the heat down to medium and simmer the soup for 30 minutes. Remove the lid, use tongs to remove the bay leaf and discard it. Stir in the fresh parsley, then serve immediately.
Notes
- Store cabbage roll soup leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze it for up to 6 months.
- To make cabbage roll soup in a Crock Pot, you’ll want to cook the onions, garlic and ground beef on the stovetop first, then transfer them to a slow cooker, along with all of the other ingredients (except the parsley). Cover and slow cook for 4-5 hours on high, or 8-10 hours on low. Remove the lid and stir in the parsley before serving.
Nutrition Facts
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