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
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.
Melissa says
Do you think this soup would freeze well?
Sara says
Yes it should freeze well!
Debbie F says
A whole meal in a bowl! Loved this recipe and plan to try it with ground turkey!
Lou says
Can I use pork and beef or mild italian sausage
Sara says
Yes that’s fine!
Lane says
I made this last night and it was delicious! I used half a pound of ground turkey and half a pound of mild pork sausage and 3 carrots. Mine turned out more like a stew and I prefer it a little more soupy so added an extra cup of beef broth and about 1 1/2 cups water. It still had great flavor! I’ll for sure be making this again and again! Thanks for the great recipe! 😋
Lane says
I made this last night and it was delicious! Super easy and quick! I added an extra cup of beef broth, 3 carrots, and about 1 1/2 cups water because mine turned out more like a stew and I prefer it more soupy. It still had great flavor! I’ll for sure make this again! Thanks for the great recipe! 😋
Felice says
What size pot should be used for this soup?
Sara says
4 quart pot!
Genny says
I want this recipe
Patricia Baxter says
I WILL BE MAKING THIS SOON. I KNOW I WILL LOVE IT. THANKS FOR SHARING.
Carol says
What’s the serving size? It’s not listed with the recipe.
Sara says
About 1 1/2 cups!
Gale says
Is it 38oz. Of tomato sauce or is it 3.8 oz tomato sauce .
Sara says
3 8-ounce cans, 24 ounces total.
Stanley says
Cabbage rolls soup can you do it in the pressure cooker with chunky beef
Sara says
I haven’t tried it that way but I think it could work!
Claire Lacourciere says
Can I use minute rice?
Sara says
Yes that’s fine!
Amanda says
I made this the other day and it turned out amazing!!!my husband loved it!!!and he picky one. He not fan of tomatoes either but he loved this recipe. This recipe makes a lot. Which is perfect for us when were money pinched. Didnt cost to much and I used brown rice which is recommended on here and good idea because brown rice takes longer and the flavors just come together!!I also added bell peppers and didnt use lean beef which next time I might to make it healthier meal and always add extra garlic.i just drained the oil from the ground beef. Turned out perfect and so tasty!!!
Rita says
My mother always added sauerkraut to her cabbage rolls when se cooked them. It was delicious. How would you add sauerkraut to this soup? How much would you put in? This recipe sounds wonderful but I would love it more if it had the sauerkraut also.
Sara says
I’ve never tried it with sauerkraut before so it’s hard for me to say. If I had to try and estimate, I’d say start with 1/2 cup and add more if needed.
Kirk says
Used cubed beef instead of ground and cooked in crock pot on high for 3 hours… Turned out awsome!!
Michael Hanrahan says
Can I leave the Brown auger out?
Sara says
Yes that’s fine!
Terri Villafranca says
Made it yesterday & it was delicious!! I think next time I might add a little more rice. It was DELICIOUS! Thank you for sharing this recipe with us!