This cabbage roll soup has all the same flavors as classic baked cabbage rolls, but with way less work! This unstuffed cabbage soup is hearty, filling and the perfect choice for an easy dinner option.
If you love cabbage rolls, but don’t love all the work involved, this quick cooking cabbage soup is for you!
Baked cabbage rolls are one of those nostalgic dishes that my grandma used to make. While I love the flavors, I don’t love all the work involved. Between boiling the cabbage, making the filling, wrapping everything up and then the bake time, it can turn into an all day affair! This cabbage roll soup has all the same flavors as the classic dish, but with a fraction of the prep time.
How to make cabbage roll soup
To make your unstuffed cabbage soup, you’ll need to start with some ground beef. I use 90% lean beef, it’s got great flavor but doesn’t make the soup overly greased. The beef is browned along with some onion before the rest of the ingredients get added to the pot.
After your beef is ready to go, everything else goes into the pot, including rice, carrots, tomato, spices and of course, cabbage. Bring the whole thing to a simmer and in about 25 minutes dinner is done!
What you end up with is a rich and hearty soup that has complex flavors. I know in many cases simmering a soup for longer helps to develop the flavors, but in this case you don’t want to over-cook the soup or else the rice will get mushy.
There is so much going on here, between the meat, veggies and rice, that it’s really a complete meal in one pot. I do often serve this cabbage roll soup with a side of crusty bread or a green salad, just to round out the meal. Even my kids love this one, they didn’t even mind the cabbage pieces which normally they might not eat.
I often make a double batch of this soup just so we have leftovers to eat for a few days, that’s how good it is! It’s absolutely perfect for a cold night, and the quick prep time makes it ideal for a busy weeknight.
More soup recipes
- Chicken Taco Soup
- Hamburger Soup
- Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
- Ham Bone Soup
- Tortellini Soup with Sausage
Cabbage Roll Soup Video
Cabbage Roll Soup
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 pound ground beef I use 90% lean
- 1 onion finely diced
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 4 cups coarsely chopped green cabbage
- 2 carrots peeled, quartered and sliced
- 4 cups beef broth
- 3 8 ounce cans tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup uncooked long grain rice
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons parsley
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add the ground beef and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Cook, breaking up the meat with a spatula, until beef is browned, approximately 4-5 minutes. Add the onion and garlic cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the cabbage, carrots, beef broth, tomato sauce, rice, bay leaf and brown sugar to the pot. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Bring to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes or until rice is tender. Remove bay leaf and discard.
- Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Notes
- Recipe adapted from The Wholesome Dish.
- Not a fan of ground beef? Try ground turkey instead!
- You can substitute brown rice for white rice, but that will require about 20 more minutes of cook time.
Dori says
Tomorrow will be my second time making this absolutely delicious soup! I followed the recipe with one exception I only had brown rice so I added the cooked brown rice. My husband was skeptical when I told him what I was making but immediately said after eating it the first time that this is definitely a keeper.
Thank you so much for this awesome recipe!
Melissa says
What can you substitute for the the brown sugar
Sara says
You can use a different sweetener!
Angel says
Hey what can you suggest for people not liking rice?
Sara says
You can omit it or use cauliflower rice instead.
Chrysta says
You could try orzo, and just adjust the cooking time.
Pinky says
Can you say yummy well I just did lol so good I will make this again …
Rose says
Love the simplicity of this recipe! I made this for dinner tonight. Already had a whole head of cabbage chopped, so I just doubled the broth and hit it with double the seasonings and added some crushed red pepper flakes for some heat. Tasted delicious. I served it with Jiffy mix cornbread on the side. My family loved it. Thank you!
Elizabeth says
Does it freeze well?
Sara says
Freezing it should be fine, the rice will just get softer.
Kari H. says
Have made this recipe numerous times and the whole family likes it 👍
I’m going to make this as a freezer meal and add the rice upon reheating to avoid the mushiness.
Vi says
I guess I like it more acidic, I didn’t add the brown sugar, and added some rice wine vinegar and a touch of chili oil. Also added mushrooms and celery to the recipe.
Connie N. says
Excellent! I added 1 can of totes, and 4 beef bullion cubes, because I only had one can of beef broth. Also didn’t have any dry rice, so I microwaved 1 bag of Uncle Bens long grain brown rice, and added it in the last 19 min of cooking! Delicious! I’ll definitely make again.
Linda B. says
This was wonderful! My husband loves it, and so do I. Because we like our food spicy, I added 2 cans of tomato sauce and 1 can of Habanero Rotel. I will definitely make again!! So good. Thank you!
Olivia says
Super easy and very tasty!
Betty says
Approximately what would the serving size be, thanks.
Sara says
1 1/2 cups!
Susan W says
I’ve been making this recipe for a couple of years now. One of my favs. I don’t change much. I prefer to use ground turkey. I do add a beef boullion cube or two for more intense beef flavor instead of adding salt. I add a little extra carrot and cabbage. Small tweaks. This is indeed a real winner!
Kim Moose says
It smells so good! I am using quinoa instead of rice. Cant wait to try it.
Kim says
How did it end up tasting when you used quinoa? I am thinking of using it instead of rice.
Karen says
Just made it. I love it!
Jaz says
I’m out of rice, so I’m subbing egg noodles, we will see how it goes. My house smells delicious already so I’m sure it will be fine 😋